Subtract to Attract: What Your Website Doesn’t Need

A single primary contact method is often all that’s needed in the main navigation: a phone number, email address, or contact form.

Secondary contact options can live on a dedicated Contact Us page, where they’re neatly organised and easy to find when needed. This keeps your navigation clean while still providing all the necessary information.

Whether social media links belong in your website navigation depends on the role your website plays in your marketing.

If social engagement takes priority, adding social links to the main navigation could make sense. If not, they can become a distraction. Do you really want users to leave your website as soon as they arrive?

Placing social media links in the footer is often a better balance – visible, but not competing for attention.

A scrolling carousel automatically rotates images and text, allowing multiple messages to appear in one space. It sounds like a great idea.

However, in practice, many users only notice the first slide – or scroll past the entire section altogether.

Replacing auto-rotating carousels with a static section that clearly communicates your most important message is often more effective. If you need to display multiple pieces of content, a simple grid layout allows users to choose what interests them without waiting for content to rotate.

Adding several calls to action, such as newsletter sign-ups, promotional offers, and downloads, alongside essential information can dilute your message.

Fewer choices make decisions easier. A clean, clear call to action helps users understand what to do next and makes it more likely they’ll actually do it.

Pop-ups are automated prompts designed to encourage action, such as subscribing to a newsletter. When they appear immediately, they disrupt the user experience and can cause visitors to leave before engaging with any content.

That said, pop-ups aren’t always a bad idea. Well-timed options, such as exit-intent pop-ups triggered when users are about to leave, can be effective without interrupting the browsing experience.

Displaying awards is a great way to showcase recognition, but too many can overwhelm visitors.

If you’ve won the same award multiple times, featuring only the most recent one is usually enough. While it’s natural to be proud, remember that customers tend to care more about what you’re doing now than what you achieved years ago.

If longevity matters, consider a short note stating how many awards you’ve won in total.

Streamline your writing.

If visitors have to decode what you mean, you’ve already created unnecessary friction. Clear, human language builds trust far more effectively than vague or overly clever phrasing.

Simpler contact forms tend to perform better.

In many cases, a name, email address, and message are all that’s needed to start a conversation. Each additional field adds friction, so it’s worth being intentional. If you genuinely need more information, ask for it, but keep the process as simple and clear as possible.

Convention is your friend.

Users expect websites to look and behave in certain ways: a header and navigation at the top, content that scrolls logically, links that behave predictably. Familiarity is viewed positively, so use it to your advantage.

Simplifying your website isn’t about stripping away personality, it’s about removing distractions so users can focus on what matters.

If you need help streamlining your website, let’s chat.

This article is part of a short series exploring how websites work best when clarity and purpose come before style.

• Subtract to Attract: What Your Website Doesn’t Need
• Why Purpose Matters More Than Style
• What a Website Is Really For
• The Questions Your Website Should Answer (But Often Doesn't)