Having run UX audits for several years now, we keep finding the same mistakes across wildly different sectors. These aren't subtle problems, they're friction points that directly suppress conversion rates, and most can be fixed in under a day.
1. Forms that ask for too much
Every field you add to a form lowers the completion rate. Before building any form, ask yourself this question: what is the minimum information we need to achieve the goal of this interaction? For a newsletter sign-up, that's an email address. Not a first name, not a phone number. Just an email.
2. Calls to action that don't say what will happen
“Submit” and “Click here” are the two worst button labels there are. A good CTA tells the user exactly what will happen: “Start my free trial”, “Download the guide”, “Book a 30-minute call”. Precision increases clicks.
3. No social proof at the moment of decision
Users make decisions based on what other people have done. If you're asking someone to spend money or share their details, show them that others have done it before them and got value from it. Testimonials, case studies and client logos all serve this purpose.
4. Mobile layouts built as an afterthought
More than 60% of web traffic is mobile. If your site was designed on desktop and then “made responsive”, your mobile experience is almost certainly suffering. The fix isn't to make things smaller, it's to rethink the layout entirely for a touch interface with a smaller viewport.
5. A PageSpeed score below 80
Every point below 80 on your PageSpeed score correlates with a measurable loss in conversion. Users are impatient, and slow pages feel untrustworthy. This is especially true for e-commerce and services, where immediate alternatives are just a Google search away.
The good news: none of this is hard to fix. Audit the UX of your most important pages with fresh eyes, or better still, watch three people who've never used your site try to complete a key task. You'll learn more in an hour than a month of analytics can tell you.