Running a small business isn’t easy. You’ve got customers to serve, jobs to finish, invoices to chase, and somewhere in between all that, you’re supposed to find time to keep your website up to scratch.

For many small business owners — whether you run a martial arts club, a painting business, plumbing service, or a local cleaning company — your website often ends up being the forgotten tool in the shed. It’s there, it technically works, but it’s hardly helping you grow.

And here’s the hard truth: your website is often the very first impression people have of you. Long before they see your spotless paintwork, your tidy piping, your gleaming windows, or your perfectly taught karate class, they’ll see your site. And if it looks amateur? They’ll assume you are too.

The good news? Most amateur website blunders are avoidable — and fixable. You don’t need to be a tech wizard, you just need to know what to look out for.

So, let’s dive into the five big website mistakes that make you look like an amateur (plus a cheeky bonus at the end).

Blunder 1: Using Blurry, Stocky or Irrelevant Photos

First impressions count, and nothing makes you look more amateur than poor-quality images. Grainy snaps taken in bad lighting, or those cheesy stock photos of “business people shaking hands” that look nothing like your business — they all chip away at trust.

Why this matters

Customers want to see you and your work. If you’re a plumber, they want to see your neat pipework and tidy finishes — not a shiny American kitchen with a model holding a spanner. If you run a martial arts club, parents want to see kids in your dojo, not a generic photo of a karate class pulled from the internet.

Bad or fake-looking photos make people think you’re hiding something, or worse — that you’re not a real, established business.

Story: The cleaner who lost trust with stock photos

A cleaning company in Colchester proudly advertised “local, family-run service,” but their homepage was filled with glossy American stock images of smiling cleaners in spotless mansions. A customer told me she didn’t book them because she thought, “If they don’t even show their real team, do they actually exist?” She went with a competitor who had before-and-after photos of real local homes.

How to fix it in practice

• Use real photos of your work, your staff, or your classes.

• Natural light on a decent phone camera can look miles better than a rushed snap in bad lighting.

• Show results — a freshly painted wall, a shiny bathroom after a deep clean, a group shot from your martial arts class.

• Avoid overused stock images. If you must use stock, make sure it looks natural and relevant.

Photos are proof. The more authentic, the more professional you look.

Blunder 2: Playing Hide-and-Seek With Your Contact Details

A common amateur mistake is burying your contact info. Some sites only offer a vague contact form. Others hide the phone number in the footer. And some? No details at all.

Why this matters

Imagine being ready to book a cleaner, but you can’t find their number. Frustration sets in. You close the tab. Job lost.

Customers expect quick access to your details. If you make them hunt, they’ll move on.

Story: The plumber’s missed calls

A plumber in Chelmsford had his contact form as the only option. A stressed-out customer filled it in at 9pm when their boiler stopped working. By the time the plumber replied two days later, the job — and a potential long-term customer — had gone to someone else with a “Call Now” button at the top of their site.

How to fix it in practice

• Put your phone number in the top-right corner of every page.

• Add a click-to-call button for mobile.

• Show your email clearly.

• If you use a form, test it! Too many don’t actually send.

Think of your contact info as the checkout in a shop. No till, no sale.

Blunder 3: Slow as a Sunday Roast

A slow website kills trust faster than you can say “loading bar.”

Why this matters

People expect speed. If your site takes more than three seconds to load, most will leave. And here’s the kicker: they won’t wait around to give you a second chance.

Story: The martial arts club’s sluggish site

A martial arts club in Essex had a website full of brilliant class info, but the images were massive and uncompressed. Parents looking for a kids’ karate class clicked through… and watched the spinning wheel of doom. Most clicked off before the site even loaded. The club didn’t realise how many families they were losing every month until someone pointed it out.

What customers really think

A slow site doesn’t just irritate — it makes you look unorganised. Customers assume: “If they can’t run a simple website properly, will they turn up on time for me?”

How to fix it in practice

• Optimise your images so they don’t take ages to load.

• Keep things simple — you don’t need fancy animations.

• Use a platform designed for speed (that’s what we do at 99 Quid Websites).

Fast, clean, reliable. That’s all people want.

Blunder 4: Copy That Puts People to Sleep

Walls of text. Endless jargon. Rambling backstories. This is where many small businesses fall down.

Why this matters

Your visitors aren’t reading your site like a novel. They’re skimming. They want to know:

• What do you do?

• Can you solve my problem?

• How do I get in touch?

Anything beyond that is a bonus.

Story: The cleaner’s epic essay

A cleaning company’s website had a homepage that read like a dissertation. It explained the history of vacuum cleaners, the founder’s childhood memories of polishing brass, and three paragraphs on “the art of hygiene.” Customers didn’t stick around long enough to get the actual details. The business came across as unprofessional, when in reality they were top-notch cleaners.

How to fix it in practice

• Break up text with headings and bullet points.

• Write like you talk. If you wouldn’t say it to a customer over the phone, don’t put it on your website.

• Keep sentences short and clear.

Think of your website copy like a conversation, not a lecture.

Blunder 5: Forgetting the Call to Action

This is the silent killer of websites.

You can have the best design, fast speed, and neat copy — but if you don’t tell people what to do next, they’ll just… leave.

Why this matters

A call to action is the “book now,” “get a quote,” or “call today” prompt that guides customers. Without it, they wander off.

Story: The painter with no next step

A painter in Basildon had a lovely site. Photos of crisp white walls, glowing reviews, even a neat gallery. But there was no “Call to Book” button. No obvious phone number. People admired his work, but then clicked away. He lost work not because of his skills, but because his website never asked for the business.

How to fix it in practice

• Decide what you want people to do (call, email, book).

• Put that call to action at the top and bottom of every page.

• Use simple, direct language: “Call now for a free quote.”

It’s like pointing your customer towards the till. Without it, they browse but don’t buy.

Why Using a Professional Web Design Agency (Like 99 Quid Websites) Matters

You might be thinking: “Alright, I get it. I’ll avoid the blunders, tidy up the text, and make sure the photos look decent. Can’t I just do this myself?”

The short answer is: you could. But the long answer? You’ll save yourself a world of stress, time, and money by working with people who do this every day. Let me explain why.

1. Experience You Can Lean On

Most small business owners are experts in their own trade — whether that’s painting walls, fixing leaks, cleaning homes, or teaching martial arts. But web design? That’s not your job. A professional agency brings years of experience to the table. They’ve seen what works, what doesn’t, and they’ll help you skip the trial-and-error stage that costs you customers.

It’s like plumbing your own kitchen. You could watch a few YouTube tutorials and give it a go, but wouldn’t you rather get it done right the first time by someone who does it for a living?

2. Understanding Customer Experience

A good website isn’t just about how it looks — it’s about how it feels to use. Professionals think about the customer’s journey. From the moment someone lands on your homepage, every click should make sense and lead them closer to contacting you.

At 99 Quid Websites, we’ve built sites for all sorts of service businesses. We know parents booking a karate class want simple timetables, painters need galleries that show off real work, and plumbers need their phone number big and bold at the top. We think about what your customers want to see — and we design for them.

3. SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) Done Properly

There’s no point having a shiny website if nobody finds it. SEO is what helps your site show up when people Google “cleaner near me” or “plumber in Basildon.”

Professional agencies understand how search engines work. They’ll structure your site properly, make sure your pages load quickly, and use the right words in the right places. It’s not about stuffing keywords everywhere — it’s about making your site clear and relevant to both Google and your customers.

4. Building a Natural Flow

A DIY site often feels… clunky. Buttons in odd places, menus that don’t quite line up, or a jumble of pages with no clear order. A professional builds flow into your site. Every page naturally guides your visitor to the next step — whether that’s browsing your services, reading testimonials, or booking an appointment.

It’s the difference between walking into a well-laid-out shop versus a garage sale where everything’s piled up in boxes. One feels easy, the other makes you want to walk straight out.

5. Saving Time (and Your Sanity)

Let’s be honest: you didn’t start your business to fiddle with websites. Every hour you spend trying to line up text boxes or fix broken links is an hour you’re not earning money doing what you’re good at.

When you hand it to a pro, you get that time back. You focus on your trade, we focus on making you look good online.

6. Avoiding Hidden Costs

DIY website builders often lure people in with “free” or “cheap” offers. But then you get hit with add-ons: hosting fees, domain costs, extra charges for features, and time wasted learning how it all works.

With 99 Quid Websites, what you see is what you get. No hidden surprises. A clean, modern site on a platform we’ve built specifically for small UK businesses like yours.

7. Ongoing Support

Websites aren’t “set and forget.” They need updates, tweaks, and the occasional bit of troubleshooting. The beauty of using a professional agency is that you’ve got someone to call if something breaks, or if you want to add a new page when your business grows.

Think of it like having a trusted mechanic for your van. You could tinker with it yourself, but isn’t it better knowing you’ve got someone to keep it running smoothly?

FAQs

1. Can’t I just stick with Facebook instead of a website?
Facebook’s fine for updates, but it’s no replacement for a proper site. Customers expect a website. It shows you’re serious, and you control it — unlike social media where rules change overnight.

2. My business is tiny — do I really need a website?
Yes. A one-person cleaning business or martial arts club can look just as professional as a big firm with the right site. Customers compare online first — a website makes you look established.

3. What if I don’t have loads of content?
That’s fine. A homepage, services page, a few photos, and clear contact details are all you need to start. Add more later if you want.

4. Aren’t professional sites expensive?
They don’t have to be. At the 99 Quid Website Company, we built our own platform to give small businesses proper, professional websites without the huge upfront cost.

5. How quickly can I get online?
Faster than you think. Because we handle the technical side, you can be up and running quickly — no weeks of fiddling about.

Bonus Blunder: Outdated Design That Screams “1999 Called, It Wants Its Website Back”

You know the type — clunky layouts, clashing colours, flashing banners, and maybe even a bit of Comic Sans for good measure. It’s the kind of site that makes you wonder if the business is still trading.

The truth is, customers judge you by your website. If it looks like it belongs in the dial-up days, they’ll assume your business hasn’t moved forward either.

Quick fix: keep your design modern, clean, and mobile-friendly. It doesn’t need to be flashy — it just needs to show you’re professional and current.

Let's Round This Up For You

Your website is your shopfront, your sales pitch, and your reputation all rolled into one. If it looks amateur, people assume you are. But avoid these five blunders (plus the bonus!) and you’ll instantly stand out from competitors who are still stuck in the digital dark ages.

And here’s the best part: you don’t have to do it alone. At the 99 Quid Website Company, we specialise in building clean, modern, professional websites for small businesses just like yours — from martial arts clubs to painters, plumbers to cleaners.

We’ve got the experience, we understand what your customers need, we know how to get you seen on Google, and we’ll make sure your site flows like it should. All with ongoing support and no hidden costs.

👉 Ready to stop looking amateur online? Get in touch today and let’s build you a website that makes you proud to show off.