Real Reason Why Many Businesses Have Poor Websites

In 2009, when I started out as a graphic designer, I defaulted to blaming designers anytime I see a bad artwork or design. It didn’t take me long to find out that a considerably number of these bad designs were actually dictated by the clients themselves. On most occasions, the client controls every design decision, from layout design to typography and even colours. Any wonder if the results are a bad design?

I immediately knew that I couldn’t be a graphic designer. To this day, EnspireFX doesn’t offer graphic design as a standalone service. We only do it for our web design and social media management clients.

Many businesses have weak, confusing or poorly built websites, many have very low to little traffic, and a lot more have almost no conversions at all. And the reasons behind this pattern are remarkably consistent.

A thread on the UK Business Forums highlighted several recurring issues raised by web designers, developers and frustrated clients who shared real experiences of projects that failed or underperformed. Their insights reveal problems that owners can fix with the right awareness and the right web design partner. The truth is, a professional provider like EnspireFX Websites can help you build modern, strategic sites for your business that avoid these pitfalls entirely.

No Design Objectives

One major issue is business owners approaching website projects without clarity. Many business owners often lack a defined purpose for the site and assume that appearance alone will compensate for weak structure, unclear navigation or poor messaging. They ignore the basic fact that a website must serve their business objectives and must guide users toward a clear outcome.

A business owner who cannot articulate the purpose, target audience or desired actions makes it extremely difficult for a designer to build an effective platform. Strong web design depends on clear direction and consistent communication, and, as we do at EnspireFX, agencies that insist on strategic clarity early in the process often deliver the strongest results.

The Cheap Designer Trap

Another issue is owners underestimating the seriousness of the work. As with many contributors in the forum discussions, we have also noted that many clients often choose developers solely on price. The cheapest option frequently lacks planning, documentation, milestones or accountability, which often results in half-finished projects and missed deadlines. And as is to be expected, the business owners sometimes become frustrated with the outcome, yet the initial decision to prioritise cost over competence created the problem in the first place.

A professional website requires technical skill, UX knowledge, content structure, security awareness and ongoing support. A low-budget approach rarely allows these elements to exist together. This problem will not be so rife if we all became a little more pragmatic; a professional web design project covering domain and hosting subscriptions, a premium theme and plugins suites, website design costs, cannot charge below a certain threshold, realistically speaking.

As to how an ecommerce brand expects to pay $200 for a website that’s supposed to help them make over 100,000$ in monthly online sales beats my understanding. Please beware of the cheap designer trap.

Scope Creep

A further challenge is continual changes in scope. We experience this all the time. Developers on the forum reported that clients often add new features, expand page requirements or alter the design mid-build without understanding the additional work involved. These changes disrupt project timelines, create conflict and lead to dissatisfaction on both sides. Scope creep is the uncontrolled expansion of a project’s requirements or goals beyond its original, approved plan.

A structured specification protects the owner and the developer, and it ensures that everyone understands what will be delivered and when. A business owner who avoids repeatedly shifting expectations reduces the risk of disputes and delays.

Flashy Design Trap

Another reason many websites perform poorly is the misunderstanding of usability. Several experts pointed out that business owners sometimes reject professional recommendations because they prefer decorative elements, dense text or features that impress visually but confuse users.

Lemme state it in clear language: a website that looks attractive but fails to help visitors find information, understand value or take action cannot perform well. Customers leave quickly when a site does not meet their expectations, and this behaviour signals low quality to search engines. There is a reason why all high-converting landing pages look the same.

We used to have a video in our hero section of our site. I quickly realised that while it was impressive, users were not converting, and the site was not ranking either. The page’s load time was also very bad, so what did I do? I swapped it for a background image slider, and things improved.

After about a year, I found out that my biggest competitors who were dominating the search engine results pages (SERPS) didnt even use an animated hero sections, and thats how I settled for a a still image background, and since then, we have overtaken all our competitors for web design company queries in almost all our service areas even in saturated markets like web design in Nigeria.

Guess how many business owners listen to me when I advise against animated hero banners? Very few. You see, as a business owner, you must value data-led usability and must trust the designers who analyse user behaviour.

Site Maintenance

Some businesses struggle because of ongoing neglect. Websites that launch without proper maintenance often decline over time. Security updates, plugin support, content freshness and performance optimisation require continuous work, and many owners assume a site can run indefinitely without management.

A neglected site loads slowly, breaks frequently or becomes incompatible with modern devices. This situation directly harms ranking, conversions and credibility. Proper maintenance is as important as the initial build.

Design Contract Surprise

Dispute stories in the forum also reveal another difficult lesson. Many owners believed that a design contract would automatically protect them from poor outcomes. Experienced contributors clarified that legal action often costs more than the project itself, especially when technical experts must be hired to evaluate work.

Courts may award repayment, but recovering the funds can be slow and stressful. Prevention is far wiser than litigation, and selecting a reputable and accountable web design company removes most legal risk before it begins.

Premium Web Design for SMEs

The central lesson from these shared experiences is simple. A strong website requires clarity, professionalism, communication and long-term stewardship. Businesses that treat web design as an investment instead of a one-off purchase typically enjoy better performance, stronger customer engagement and fewer disputes. Owners who partner with a strategic agency, document requirements clearly, respect timelines, avoid unnecessary changes and commit to maintenance will rarely face crises.

A business website functions as the first impression for many customers. It must be fast, trustworthy, easy to navigate and aligned with business goals. Companies that ignore these fundamentals damage their reputation and lose opportunities that a well-designed site could easily capture.

The difference between a weak website and a high-performing one is usually the difference between short-term thinking and long-term strategy. This is why at EnspireFX, we encourage owners to choose the latter and build digital platforms that strengthen their business rather than hold it back.