Eighteen years and more than a hundred brands into my web development career, one thing is for sure: proper website planning and execution are key to success. I’ve seen experienced businesses and developers make common mistakes that you can easily avoid with proactive preparation.
I’ve compiled a list of seven common website project mistakes you’re likely to make, along with tips and tricks on how to avoid them. It will help you to successfully navigate your next website project and achieve the desired results on budget.
Mistake 1: Skipping the Planning Phase
It may sound like a cliché, but that’s because it’s the most common, damning, and tempting of the mistakes you can make. How come many brands rush into a website project with little or no preparation?
It’s tempting to rush into a project, especially when you’re excited about it or pressed for time. You want to go public as soon as possible, and it’s understandable. Is it smart, though?
Failing to plan most often sets you up for failure.
Why You Should Plan Your Website Project
Planning helps you to create a solid foundation for your project. It’s like building a house; you need to have a blueprint and lay a strong foundation before starting on the actual construction.
Planning allows you to identify potential issues early on and come up with solutions before they become major obstacles. It also helps you to establish realistic goals and objectives for your website project.
Without proper planning, you may end up trying to achieve too much in too little time or with limited resources. Frustration and burnout can quickly set in, causing delays or total project failure.
Solution
Come up with a detailed website planning checklist. It should define the purpose, audience, and success metrics before design or development begins.
Mistake 2: Ignoring User Experience (UX)
This mistake is most common among small business owners trying to save time or budget, but it’s one of the most costly missteps you can make. Your website makes the first impression of your brand for any users who discover you via search engines. If it’s slow or confusing, you’ll lose them before they even get to know you.
A good user experience (UX) goes beyond aesthetics; it focuses on how the site feels to use. Visitors are more likely to stay, even buy or subscribe, when it’s easy for them to:
- Find what they need.
- Understand your content.
- Complete actions without friction.
Poor UX Drives Users Away
A beautiful website means little if it’s challenging to use. The following are some of the most common UX issues that drive visitors away:
1. Slow Load Times
Nothing kills engagement faster than a sluggish website, especially in a competitive landscape for search traffic.
Oversized images, poor hosting, or unoptimized code are the primary causes of slow performance. It is negatively impacting your Google Core Web Vital Scores and ultimately, your Search visibility.
2. Confusing Navigation
Users need clear paths to get from one part of your site to another. If your navigation is cluttered, inconsistent, or hidden behind too many clicks, visitors get frustrated.
Think of navigation as a map; the simpler and more intuitive it is, the easier it is for users to reach their destination.
3. Bad Mobile Design
All brands should realize that mobile traffic has already surpassed desktop traffic. It’s no longer optional; your website must perform flawlessly on all screen sizes.
Non-responsive layouts, tiny buttons, and unreadable text can cause users to abandon your site instantly. Mobile users expect the same smooth experience they’d get on a desktop, if not better.
How to Avoid Poor UX
Designing an enjoyable experience is an art, and it cannot be achieved with mere luck. It’s a deliberate process that requires testing, empathy, and ongoing optimization.
1. Use Responsive Design from the Start
Ensure your website automatically adjusts to any device or screen size, delivering a consistent and accessible experience for all users.
2. Focus on Accessibility
You can’t afford to turn away people with visual or other kinds of impairments from your brand. You need their money, they need your products/services, and laws require your site to be accessible.
- Use descriptive alt tags for images and links for screen readers to accurately describe visuals to visually impaired users.
- Ensure all content is easily navigable with keyboard controls for those who can’t use a mouse.
- Consider using accessible color palettes and font sizes for people with visual impairments.
- Provide closed captioning or transcripts for videos and audio content.
3. Prioritize Usability Testing
Don’t assume you know how users will interact with your website. Before launching, I recommend running usability tests. Use real people to identify:
- Pain points.
- Confusing layouts.
- Broken flows.
Mistake 3: Underestimating Website Budgeting
Most website projects begin with an arbitrary number in the client’s mind. They declare what they’d like to spend without realistically considering what’s needed to achieve their goals.
It’s the perfect recipe for downgraded features and even unfinished websites.
The Hidden Costs of a Website Project
Even when you’ve accounted for design and development, there are still other hidden costs, which can quickly stretch your budget and delay your launch.
1. Hosting and Domain Renewal
A reliable hosting plan is the backbone of your site’s performance. Cheap hosting may cost you more via:
- Slow page speed.
- Frequent downtime. (Guide to Avoiding Website Downtime)
- Security issues.
Remember, you need to pay for your domain name and hosting annually, so be sure to budget for this expense, especially if you manage multiple sites.
Tip: Select a hosting plan that aligns with your website’s traffic and performance requirements. Managed hosting or VPS plans often offer better speed, support, and security.
2. Website Maintenance
After launch, websites require ongoing care, including:
- Updating plugins.
- Updating themes and the CMS platform.
- Security patches to prevent vulnerabilities.
- Fixing bugs.
- Optimizing performance.
- Keeping content fresh.
Overlooking maintenance can cause technical debt: small issues that accumulate until they become costly problems.
Tip: Squeeze recurring maintenance into the project budget from the start so your site remains fast, secure, relevant, and factually accurate.
3. Security and Backups
Cyber threats are more common than ever. SSL certificates, firewalls, malware protection, and regular backups are non-negotiable if you value your brand reputation and customer trust.
Tip: Budget for premium security tools and automated backup services. Recovery costs more than preventive security.
4. SEO and Marketing Costs
Many clients budget for the website development and forget that it also needs promotion. Your website won’t attract or convert visitors effectively without SEO, paid campaigns, and content marketing.
You also need to budget for SEO, including:
- Keyword research.
- Metadata.
- Technical audits.
- Analytics tracking.
- Initial content marketing.
5. Integrations and Scalability
It’s okay and cost-effective to start with a simple site, but as your business grows, you’ll likely need integrations, such as:
- CRM tools.
- E-commerce systems.
- Automation workflows.
Each addition requires setup time and possibly new software costs.
Tip: Choose a scalable platform and plan your architecture with future integrations in mind. It’s much cheaper to build for scalability now than to rebuild later.
Mistake 4: Scope Creep During Development
Scope creep is one of the most common and frustrating challenges in website projects. On the surface, it often starts small. A client might say, “Can we just add one more page?“ or “It would be nice if users could log in too.“
These ‘just one more thing‘ requests add up quickly, derailing development timelines, inflating costs, and causing friction between teams.
What Is Scope Creep in Website Projects?
Scope creep occurs when a project grows beyond its original objectives without resource adjustments. It’s usually unintentional, but the impact is significant.
In website projects, scope creep might look like:
- Requesting extra functionality (like a booking system or e-commerce integration) after starting development.
- Expanding the design with extra templates or custom animations.
- Rewriting all the website copy mid-project.
- Requesting new revisions or design rounds after final approval.
Each addition seems small, but together they compound into major delays, blown budgets, and frustration for everyone involved.
Why Scope Creep Derails Timelines and Budgets
Every new request impacts the project triangle balance: time, cost, and quality.
When the scope expands without adjusting these factors, something has to give. For instance:
- More features require time for design, development, and testing.
- Fixed deadlines with extra work lower the quality as developers rush to meet delivery dates.
- Fixed budgets force developers to cut corners elsewhere or absorb costs.
How to Avoid Scope Creep
Preventing scope creep requires clear boundaries, structured communication, and documentation throughout.
1. Define a Clear Project Scope
You need a detailed scope of work (SOW) listing every deliverable: pages, features, integrations, and design rounds. All stakeholders must review and approve it before development begins.
Include specifics such as:
- Number of pages/templates.
- Functionality (e.g., forms, login systems, e-commerce features).
- Content responsibilities (who provides text, images, etc.)
- Expected milestones and timelines.
2. Establish a Formal Change Management Process
Changes are inevitable, but you need structure to manage them. Design a change request process that outlines how new ideas are reviewed, estimated, and approved.
For example:
- Client submits a change request form.
- The developer reviews the impact on time, cost, and scope.
- Client approves additional costs or timeline extensions.
This structure keeps everyone accountable and avoids scope creep, turning into chaos.
3. Maintain Transparent Communication
Regular updates and check-ins prevent misunderstandings. Use tools like Asana, Trello, or ClickUp to track deliverables, progress, and approved changes.
Mistake 5: Neglecting SEO and Content Strategy
You can build the most visually stunning website, but if no one can find it, it’s like placing a billboard in the middle of the desert. One of the biggest mistakes in website projects is launching without a clear SEO and content strategy.
Search engines are behind most of the traffic websites get, so failing to optimize your content and structure from the beginning will severely limit your visibility and ROI.
Why SEO and Content Strategy Matter
Your website is your digital storefront, and SEO is the signage that helps people find it. Without it, you’re relying on luck instead of strategy.
A solid SEO plan ensures your site is discoverable to the right audience and that your content actually connects with user intent.
Here’s what typically goes wrong:
1. No Keyword Research
Many businesses write website copy without knowing what their audience looks for on search engines and how to structure content strategy around what the audience needs.
2. Ignoring Technical SEO
Poor Core Web Vitals scores, broken links, poor internal linking, and missing metadata will diminish your search rankings.
3. Thin or Unstructured Content
Google favors helpful, well-organized content that answers real user questions, not keyword stuffing or filler text.
4. No Content Plan
Launching with minimal or placeholder content makes your site feel incomplete and hurts long-term engagement.
How to Avoid SEO and Content Strategy Mistakes
1. Start SEO in the Planning Phase
Don’t treat SEO as an afterthought. Instead, use it as a foundation for your design and content decisions, with keyword research and content planning.
2. Build an On-Page SEO Framework
Ensure every page includes:
- Optimized meta titles and descriptions.
- Proper heading structure (H1, H2, etc.).
- Alt text describing every image.
- Internal links to related content.
3. Create a Content Strategy That Serves Users
Focus on quality over quantity. The content you publish should be helpful and actionable. Demonstrate your expertise by answering your audience’s key questions.
4. Monitor and Optimize Continuously
You need free tools, such as Google Analytics and Search Console, to:
- Monitor performance.
- Identify weak spots.
- Refine your strategy over time.
Remember, SEO is an ongoing investment.
Mistake 6: Failing to Test Before Launching
Avoid launching your project without testing it. It’s easy to make mistakes, and even one small error can ruin user experience and search visibility.
The Importance of Testing
Testing your site before publishing it helps verify the quality and effectiveness. Testing helps you to:
- Catch mistakes overlooked during the creation process
- Find missing meta tags.
- Find broken links.
- Ensure your content is fun and helpful.
- Identify technical issues such as slow speed or compatibility issues.
- Make necessary changes and improvements before launch.
Mistake 7: No Post-Launch Maintenance Plan
Many business owners treat website launch day as the finish line. In reality, it’s just the beginning. A website is a living cash cow that requires ongoing care, monitoring, and improvement.
Why Post-Launch Maintenance Matters
The digital space is constantly evolving, with new browser updates, plugin releases, and changes to SEO algorithms.
These changes will all impact your site’s functionality and ranking. Without regular maintenance, even the best-built websites eventually degrade.
Neglecting your site will lead to:
- Security breaches from outdated plugins or CMS versions.
- Broken links and poor user experience.
- Declining SEO visibility as competitors keep optimizing.
- Slow performance due to unoptimized media or outdated code.
- Outdated design elements can make your site look unprofessional or outdated.
- Decrease in traffic and conversions as users may get frustrated with a poorly maintained website and turn to competitors.
Wrapping It Up: Building a Website the Right Way
Every website project presents an opportunity to strengthen your brand, expand your customer base, and deliver meaningful digital experiences. However, we’ve agreed it’s also easy to fall into traps that derail your goals, from skipping the planning phase to neglecting maintenance after launch.
If you worked with yours truly, me, you’ll witness what it takes to build a successful website. Call me biased, but I believe there are no shortcuts to success.
