You’ll never guess how a heat wave could relate to website mistakes beginners make. Recently, we had a hot spell—every single day was sweltering. We don’t have air conditioning, so I knew I couldn’t turn on the stove once the heat hit. I decided to be smart and meal prep early.
On the coolest day of the week, I went into a cooking frenzy. I made macaroni salad, potato salad, custard, green salad… and the list goes on. I got a little carried away.
The fridge was so full we could barely close it. And because we were so hot, no one wanted to eat much. The food was delicious, but there was way too much. We couldn’t eat it all before it spoiled. The potato salad even went bad, and most of it ended up in the trash.
The lesson?
Sometimes we think more is better—more food, more pages, more features, more design elements—but often, it just leads to overwhelm and waste. A simple plan would have been enough. The same goes for building a website.
Mistake #1: Trying to Build Everything at Once
Many beginners think they need every page ready before launch—About, Services, Blog, FAQ, Contact, Testimonials, and five more. The truth? You can launch with a simple 1–3 page site and grow it later. Just like one fresh, perfectly prepared salad would’ve been better than a dozen dishes.
Mistake #2: Using Too Many Colors and Fonts
This is a big one, and it may be the most common website mistakes beginners make. A clean, cohesive color palette (2–3 colors) and 1–2 complementary fonts will instantly make your site look more professional. When you add 5 fonts and every color of the rainbow, it looks chaotic and overwhelms visitors.
Mistake #3: Skipping the Essentials
While some people try to do everything, others forget key basics like setting up SSL, mobile responsiveness, or a clear call-to-action. These are like the “main dish” of your site—don’t skip them for fancy extras.
Mistake #4: Overloading Content
A wall of text or a homepage packed with 12 sections can make your visitor click away. Less is more. A clear headline, a short explanation, and one next step are often all you need to start.
Mistake #5: Not Planning Ahead
Just like my overstuffed fridge, rushing into a website build without planning leads to wasted effort. Taking time to choose a simple template and define your main goal will save headaches later.
Want to Learn the Easy Way?
If you’re ready to skip the overwhelm, I share my simple, bite-sized approach to building a beautiful website in my Make-Your-Own Website Workshop and the new Firefly Edition. You can join the waitlist here:
https://cottagecoder.com/workshop/