5 Common Website Mistakes UK SMEs Make (And How to Fix Them)

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the UK economy, but in 2025, having a subpar website can hold your business back. With customers increasingly turning online to research and buy, your website is often their first impression of you. Unfortunately, many UK SMEs fall into the same traps when it comes to web design—costing them traffic, leads, and sales.

At McKinney’s Website Design, we’ve helped countless UK businesses turn their websites into powerful tools for growth. Here are five common website mistakes we see SMEs make—and how you can fix them with a little know-how (or a helping hand from us!).

5 Common Website Mistakes

1. Ignoring Mobile Users

The Mistake: Your website looks great on a desktop but is a nightmare to navigate on a phone or tablet. With over 60% of UK web traffic coming from mobile devices (Statista, 2024), this is a costly oversight.

The Fix: Adopt a mobile-first design approach. Ensure your site is fully responsive—meaning it adapts seamlessly to any screen size. Test navigation, button sizes, and text readability on multiple devices. A mobile-friendly site isn’t just user-friendly; it’s also a ranking factor for Google.

How McKinney’s Can Help: We specialise in crafting responsive websites that look stunning and work flawlessly, whether your customers are on a smartphone in London or a laptop in Leeds.

2. Slow Loading Times

The Mistake: If your website takes more than 3 seconds to load, you’re losing visitors. Research shows that 53% of users abandon a site that lags (Google, 2023), and UK SMEs often overlook this due to oversized images or clunky code.

The Fix: Optimise images (compress without losing quality), use a content delivery network (CDN), and streamline your code. A fast website keeps customers engaged and boosts your SEO.

How McKinney’s Can Help: Our team at McKinney’s Website Design audits your site for speed killers and implements fixes tailored to your needs, ensuring your visitors stick around.

3. Poor Navigation

The Mistake: Confusing menus, broken links, or too many clicks to find key information frustrate users. UK SMEs sometimes prioritise flashy design over usability, leaving customers lost.

The Fix: Simplify your navigation. Use clear, concise menu labels (e.g., “Services” instead of “What We Do”), include a search bar if needed, and ensure every page is reachable in 2-3 clicks. Test your site with real users to spot pain points.

How McKinney’s Can Help: We design intuitive layouts that guide your visitors effortlessly to what matters most—whether it’s your contact page or product listings.

4. Neglecting SEO

The Mistake: Your website might look fantastic, but if it’s buried on page 5 of Google, it’s invisible to potential customers. Many UK SMEs skip SEO basics like keyword research or meta tags, missing out on organic traffic.

The Fix: Research keywords relevant to your industry and location (e.g., “plumber in Manchester”), optimise page titles and descriptions, and ensure your site’s structure supports search engines. Local SEO is especially key for UK businesses targeting nearby clients.

How McKinney’s Can Help: At McKinney’s Website Design, we bake SEO into every site we build, helping you rank higher and attract the right audience from day one.

5. Skipping Calls-to-Action (CTAs)

The Mistake: Your website informs but doesn’t convert. Without clear CTAs like “Book Now” or “Get a Quote,” visitors leave without taking action—a missed opportunity for UK SMEs relying on leads.

The Fix: Add strong, specific CTAs on every page. Place them where they’re easy to spot (e.g., above the fold or at the end of blog posts). Tailor them to your goals—whether it’s a sale, a call, or a newsletter signup.

How McKinney’s Can Help: We craft websites with conversion in mind, strategically placing CTAs that turn browsers into buyers for your SME.

Ready to Fix Your Website?

These mistakes are common, but they’re not inevitable. A well-designed website can transform your UK SME from a digital wallflower to a customer magnet. At McKinney’s Website Design, we’ve seen firsthand how fixing these issues drives results—more traffic, happier users, and bigger profits.

Don’t let your website hold you back in 2025. Contact us today for a free consultation, and let’s build a site that works as hard as you do. Based right here in the UK, we’re your local experts in web design done right.