When was the last time you really looked at your website?
Not when you were thinking about a full redesign, just a regular weekday scroll, like a customer might. Most business owners don’t do that often. And when they do, they’re usually looking for typos or layout issues, not the hidden things that are costing them leads.
A broken link here, an outdated testimonial buried in the footer there.
A blog post that hasn’t been relevant in years.
They may not seem like a big deal, but over time, they add up. Even if your business is doing great, a website that feels neglected sends the wrong message.
Because when someone lands on your website, they’re making snap judgments, whether they fill out a form or not. And if something feels off, they may leave before you even know they visited.
Trust rarely disappears all at once.
It fades. Slowly. Through small signals that chip away at your credibility. And if your website is full of those broken trust signals, it’s worth fixing them before they scare off your next client.
Here’s what to look out for.
Most websites don’t fall behind because someone messed up. They fall behind because no one is updating content consistently.
Outdated content sends the wrong message, even if your business is doing well. It can make potential clients wonder if your team is slow to respond, out of touch, or not fully in business.
That’s not the impression you want to make.
You might be wondering: What content should I be updating on my website?
Start with what impacts trust and clarity the most.
Update your service details, add recent testimonials, archive past events, and take down anything that’s no longer accurate.
These small updates do more than freshen things up; they signal to both people and search engines that your business is active, credible, and ready to help.
Nothing kills confidence like clicking on something and getting nothing.
Whether it’s a 404 page, a dead button, or a link that goes somewhere completely irrelevant, these little dead ends send a clear message: this website isn’t being taken care of.
And if that’s the case, what else might be slipping?
Broken links not only frustrate visitors, they damage your SEO, too. Search engines treat them as a signal that your content might be outdated or unreliable. If multiple pages lead to dead ends, it can drag down your rankings and make your entire website look neglected.
Fixing broken links isn’t complicated, but it does take consistency. Start by using a free link checker, such as Ahrefs, once a month. Check your nav bar, footers, and old blog posts. If you’ve changed a URL or deleted a page, update it or remove the link entirely.
It’s the digital version of fixing a squeaky door before it becomes a problem.
You don’t need to be a web designer to tell when something feels off on a website.
Visitors notice clashing colors, blurry photos, and pages that look like they belong to different decades. They also pick up on what’s missing, like a team photo that’s clearly outdated, or a testimonial that’s using your old business name.
These visual inconsistencies chip away at trust in the same way a cracked window does for a brick-and-mortar business. It doesn’t always stop someone from walking in, but it does make them hesitate.
When your website looks like no one’s touched it in years, people assume the same about your business. And if you’ve gone through a rebrand, but your website doesn’t reflect that, it can create confusion, and that confusion can quickly turn into doubt.
Regular visual updates don’t have to be a major website overhaul. Just audit your homepage and service pages every few months, swap in recent photos, and make sure your brand colors, fonts, and layout feel cohesive from page to page.
Here’s what we tell our clients: if something feels even slightly outdated, it probably is.
Online credibility isn’t something you automatically have once you publish your website. It’s something you carefully build and keep up with.
That means setting aside time to actually look at your website like a visitor would.
Not to find ways to redesign it, but to check the basics and make updates:
A simple monthly review can catch most of the issues before they start costing you customers. Even better, make it part of your internal workflow. Any time you change what you offer or how you talk about it, your website should reflect it.
It also helps to keep a short checklist: check links, remove old promos, update bios, and refresh testimonials. Think of it as ongoing cleanup, not a one-time overhaul.
You can use this checklist as a starting point.
People don’t need your website to be flashy. They need it to feel current, credible, and easy to trust.
If you don’t know where to start, start here.
Our Reputation Score Quiz helps you see what your website is really saying about your business, so you can fix the gaps that are holding back your growth.
Ok, you keep hearing that your website is the front door of your business but you just don’t see it. Most of your business comes from referrals and your website is just there. This limits you at only being able to reach the people you can yourself. On top of the fact that when the people you meet see your site, it gives an impression of what it will be like working with you.
You should be confident that your site is up to date, searchable on Google and tells the story as well as you do.
The problem is that your nephew doesn’t have enough experience, you have to manage the freelancer and you don’t want to pay for an expensive site redesign.
The truth is you’re tired of having a website that breaks and is not generating business.
Maintaining your website should be easy. Now it can be. Reach out to learn more about how our team can help you today!
Steve Soto is a seasoned CTO and Partner at The Breezy Company. With deep expertise in software architecture and executive-level product development, he empowers teams to scale with smart, secure digital systems.
