12 most common mistakes when building a website (and how to avoid them)

⚠️ The mistakes that cost the most

Most mistakes are not technical. They come from haste, unclear goals and choosing by price alone. Look through the list and check whether your site has them.

📋 Twelve mistakes

1. Design before strategy. First goals, audience and keywords, only then colours.
2. A site only for desktop. Most visits come from phones.
3. A slow site. Heavy images, needless scripts and poor hosting. See how to speed up your site.
4. Weak or copied copy. Google does not reward copies, and visitors do not trust generic text.
5. Everything on one page. Every service deserves its own page.
6. No clear call to action. The visitor does not know what to do next.
7. Hidden contact. Phone, Viber and WhatsApp should be on every page.
8. SEO "later". Structure and URLs are hard to change afterwards.
9. Stock photos instead of real ones. Real photos build trust.
10. No HTTPS or privacy policy. Browsers warn and people leave.
11. Domain registered to the contractor. Always register the domain in your own name.
12. Nobody maintains the site after launch. An outdated site becomes slow and insecure.

🎯 How to protect yourself

Write the goal of the site in one sentence. Ask for a written quote. Ask how SEO and speed are handled. Demand access and ownership. And finally, schedule a check after a month: what Search Console shows, how many enquiries arrived, what can be improved. Also see how much a small business website costs.