You invested in a website because you wanted a 24/7 salesperson, a brand ambassador, and a lead generator. But what if the very thing you paid for is doing the opposite? Bad websites don’t just fail to help — they actively hurt your business.
Here are the red flags that signal it might be time to break up with your web developer (or agency) — and fast.
Your Site Still Isn’t Mobile-Friendly
It’s 2025. Over 60% of all website traffic comes from mobile devices, and if your site still pinches, zooms, or looks like a squished desktop version, you’re losing visitors before they even read a word.
Red flag: Your developer didn’t prioritize responsive design or test the site on multiple screen sizes.
Why it’s bad: Google penalizes non-mobile sites in rankings, and users bounce instantly when the experience feels clunky.
Your Website Is Slow to Load
Every extra second your site takes to load increases bounce rates dramatically. Anything over 3 seconds? 🚩
Red flag: Your site loads slowly even on a decent WiFi connection.
Why it’s bad: Visitors don’t wait. You’re burning SEO rankings, trust, and revenue.
What it usually means: Your developer didn’t optimize image sizes, skipped caching, isn’t using a CDN, or put you on cheap, shared hosting.
You Can’t Update Anything Yourself
Your business moves fast — your website should too. If you need to send an email every time you want to update a headline, add a blog post, or change a photo? That’s not normal.
Red flag: You don’t have access to a CMS, or the one you have is a confusing mess.
Why it’s bad: Lack of control = slow marketing = missed opportunities. Good developers empower clients, not trap them.
Everything is Hard-Coded
Hard-coded sites mean that every little change — even swapping out a phone number — requires developer hours. In 2025, there’s no excuse for not building with a modular, user-friendly content system.
Red flag: No visual editor, no custom fields, no reusable blocks.
Why it’s bad: You’re paying way more over time for basic upkeep and updates.
Forms Don’t Work or Lead Nowhere
We’ve seen it too many times — contact forms that lead to a black hole. No thank-you page. No CRM integration. Sometimes, they don’t even send emails.
Red flag: You’ve gotten messages like “form submission failed” — or worse, you’ve gotten no messages at all.
Why it’s bad: You’re literally flushing leads down the drain. And you may not even realize it.
No SSL Certificate Installed
Still seeing “Not Secure” in the browser bar? That’s a major trust killer, and it’s often the result of a lazy or outdated development process.
Red flag: Visitors have to manually click “proceed anyway” to enter your site.
Why it’s bad: Modern browsers scare users away from unsecure sites. Google also downgrades them in search results.
You’re Ghosted After Launch
Did your developer disappear the moment your final invoice was paid? That’s not how real professionals operate.
Red flag: No maintenance plan, no follow-up, no updates, and no response when something breaks.
Why it’s bad: Websites aren’t “done” — they evolve. If no one’s maintaining it, you’re vulnerable to bugs, hacks, and falling behind.
What to Do If You’re Seeing These Red Flags
If even one or two of these sound familiar, you might not have a website problem — you might have a developer problem.
The good news? You don’t need to start from scratch. At Ask the Egghead, we specialize in:
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Rescue projects
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Managed WordPress Hosting
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Ongoing support and optimization
👉 Check out our hosting & management packages or book a free 15-minute site health check. No pressure — just facts.
