How to Fix Your Ugly Mobile Website and Improve Conversions
Your Website Might Be Ugly on Mobile. Here’s How to Fix It.
Most people don’t want to hear this, but someone has to say it. Your website might look amazing on desktop, but on mobile? It’s a hot mess.
On this episode of Market Like It’s Hot, Yasmine and Izzy call it like it is. With mobile-first browsing now the norm, it’s time for business owners to stop pretending their desktop-only design will get the job done. In classic Rebel fashion, we break down the mobile red flags, the must-have fixes, and the simple steps that can make your site stop scaring away visitors.
If your website loads like it’s 2003 or gives off serious “click here for a virus” vibes, this one’s for you.
Why Mobile Matters More Than Ever
Look around you. Everyone is on their phone. Whether it's a quick Google search after seeing your business card or clicking through your Instagram ad, most first impressions happen on mobile.
Your analytics might still show desktop leading in traffic, especially for B2B, but mobile is where curiosity turns into clicks. If someone hears about you at an event, chances are they’ll check your site on their phone and leave it open in their tabs. You’ve got one shot to look legit.
Mobile Red Flags That Are Costing You Sales
If any of these apply to your site, it’s time to make changes.
1. It looks like it was built on MySpace
Overlapping fonts. Weird color palettes. Buttons that scream 1998. If your site makes people wonder if their phone is about to crash, they’re gone.
2. Blurry or cringey stock images
Low-res images and overly posed stock photos instantly kill trust. People want to buy from real brands, not mystery startups from 2006.
3. Tiny fonts and hard-to-click links
If your users need a magnifying glass or dainty fingers to read your content or tap a link, they’ll bounce. Fast.
4. Slow load times
You’ve got five seconds max before someone scrolls away forever. Large image files, bloated code, and unoptimized platforms are slowing you down and driving people to your competitors.
5. Popups that cover the whole screen
That newsletter subscription box popping up the second someone lands on your site? It's killing your conversions. Make popups timed, subtle, and easy to close. Don’t make your users fight to read your content.
6. Galleries that act like cursed slideshows
If you’re showcasing your work with a 50-photo slideshow that slows the site to a crawl, ask yourself: is this actually helping someone buy? Choose your best images and use galleries with intention.
7. Buttons and links that don’t work
Phone numbers should actually call. Emails should open an email app. Click-to-call is a no-brainer for any service-based business. Make it easy for people to reach you.
What a Good Mobile Site Should Look Like
Now that we’ve called out the problems, let’s talk solutions.
1. Clear, readable fonts
Stick with at least 16px for mobile body text. Bigger for headlines. Avoid cursive or hard-to-read fonts unless it’s sparingly used and high contrast.
2. Sticky navigation
Mobile users get impatient. Keep a sticky nav bar visible with simple, clear buttons. And please, don’t sacrifice clarity for cleverness. “Holla at us” might be on-brand, but if someone doesn’t know it means contact, it’s costing you leads.
3. Fast load times
Aim for under 3 seconds. Use tools to review your site speed, such as Google PageSpeed Insights or Pingdom then you can fix issues that come up like oversized images or unnecessary scripts.
4. Tap-friendly buttons and forms
Make sure your buttons have breathing room. Users shouldn’t need surgical precision to fill out your contact form.
5. Balanced margins and spacing
Use consistent padding and whitespace. Don’t let your site feel like a crammed textbook or a weirdly spaced presentation slide.
Tools to Audit Your Mobile Website
Here’s how to figure out if your mobile site needs work:
Google Mobile-Friendly Test – Get a clear pass/fail rating
PageSpeed Insights – Measure speed and learn what’s slowing you down
SEMRush – Run deeper audits if you want to level up your SEO too
Inspect Tool in Chrome – Preview your site on different screen sizes
Just pull out your phone – If your site makes you cringe, it’s time to fix it
Quick Fixes You Can Do Right Now
You don’t need to be a web developer to clean up your mobile site. Try these:
Use a responsive theme or builder like Squarespace or Avada (WordPress)
Resize and compress your images before uploading. Aim for under 2500px wide.
Test your contact forms to make sure they actually work on mobile
Avoid autoplay videos or flashy animations that add lag
Add scroll cues to get users to explore past the homepage hero section
Bonus: Want to Be Fancy Without Being Flashy?
If you're going for movement or animation, be intentional. Pick one or two elements that add polish, not distractions. A little scroll animation can be cool. A blinking text header that looks like a Vegas billboard? Not so much.
At the end of the day, your mobile site should do three things really well:
Load fast
Be easy to use
Make people want to work with you
If it looks good but loads slow, that’s a problem. If it loads fast but looks sketchy, that’s also a problem. But if you can fix just a few of these issues, your bounce rate will drop and conversions will climb.
You don’t have to overhaul your whole website to make it mobile-friendly. Just stop ignoring it. Your future clients are literally judging your business in five seconds or less. Make sure you're worth staying for.
