Whether you are having difficulty at ranking in select SERPs on Google or simply cannot get your bounce rates under control, there are many different potential problems to face as a webmaster. Despite the fact that website creation and maintenance may now be easier for most than in previous years, the possibilities that exist with respect to displeasing the Google Gods or increasingly picky users continue to multiply. If your website is lacking in one or more areas in regards to performance, then you’ll definitely want to check out our list of the most common website problems that exist today.

Not Mobile Responsive

This single issue may very well be the biggest problem facing many websites on the internet today. Mobile compatibility is both a technical and aesthetic requirement in 2015, largely due to the prevalence that smartphones and mobile devices play in our day-to-day lives. A majority of Google’s traffic now comes via mobile devices, which has led it to altering its algorithms to promote mobile-responsive websites ahead of those that only function properly on desktop devices. Likewise, websites that are hard to read – even if found by mobile users – will likely fail to convert or persuade the people who discover them.

Poor Navigation

A failed navigational system on your website can easily cause the entire project to fail in due time. Menus and links are important concepts, for multiple reasons. For starters, they assist users in finding all of the relevant pages on the site, so they should be featured as prominently (and in multiple locations) as possible. In addition, search engines utilize navigation to crawl your website; if you’re pinging to Google an inferior link system that does not clearly outline on each page all the primary pages of your site, then there is a good chance that some pages will not be indexed.

Slow Loading Times

Search engines and users alike are sceptical of websites that take too long to load in 2015. For starters, many people who now use mobile devices will not want to spend excess amounts of time waiting for a content-heavy website to load. In addition, search engines will inevitably penalize users who fail to adapt their website speed to reflect – at the very least – the mean. With clear correlations shown between websites pinging to Google low latency times and websites being ranked highly, this is simply one problem you cannot afford to have on the modern web.

Ill-defined Audience

Lastly, it is important to understand upfront who exactly the target audience of your website is. When you – the owner – look at the website, is it clear to whom you are appealing? Particularly important for e-commerce brands, having a prime audience (whether that be parents, women, younger individuals, tech-savvy consumers, and so on) helps you custom-tailor a message to a given audience. Websites today, except for the largest and most established brands, most avoid seeming too generic. By defining your audience and making that visible in the content and offerings on your website, you’ll be sure to attract more business and traffic in the long-run.