Your customer journey should be sleeker than a seal in silk pyjamas.

Picture a seal gliding across a marble spa floor—effortless, smooth, even indulgent. That’s the vibe your website needs.

But for a lot of businesses (occasionally ours too, to be completely honest), it’s less glide of joy and more awkward waddle through treacle.

What is friction, and why does it matter?

Friction is anything that slows your potential customer down. It’s the clunk. The confusion. The “What am I supposed to click next?” feeling.

It shows up as:

• Too many choices above the fold

• Unclear calls to action (or no CTA at all)

• Copy that waffles instead of welcomes

• Mobile layouts that require a magnifying glass and a stiff drink

• Slow-loading pages or dead links

And the worst part? Most people won’t even tell you. They’ll just quietly click away and vanish.

The Insta Reel that made me wince

I was recently smacked with this realisation while watching an Instagram Reel by Ashton Wilson. He said something like:

“The journey from landing on your homepage to hitting the checkout should be so smooth, they don’t even realise it’s happening.”

Ouch - I realised our NotLuck site hadn’t always been smooth either. It’s a bit like inviting someone into your house, then hiding the snacks, moving all the light switches, and asking them to complete a crossword before they can sit down.

A humbling homepage health check

So every now and then, we do a little spring cleaning. And let me tell you, it’s humbling.

We find:

• Too many menu options causing decision fatigue

• Important buttons buried like hidden treasure

• Scrolls and clicks that don’t lead anywhere useful

• Copy that says a lot… but doesn’t actually say much

It’s so easy to get too close to your own business. You know what you meant to say - but does your visitor?

A quick friction check for your homepage

If you’re wondering whether your homepage has a friction problem, start here:

• Can someone figure out what you offer in the first 5 seconds?

• Is there a clear, bold call-to-action near the top?

• Does your site look (and work) beautifully on mobile?

• Are you gently guiding your visitor… or leaving them to puzzle it out?

If you’re brave, ask a friend to test your homepage while you watch. You’ll learn so much from their expressions alone. (⚠️ This may sting.)

Let it glide

Because here’s the thing: your homepage doesn’t need to scream. It needs to glide. It needs to whisper, “Come this way,” and make the next step feel obvious, inevitable, and maybe even delightful.

Less maze. More waterslide. Less “Where do I go now?” and more “Ooh, yes, that’s exactly what I need.”

Need a fresh pair of eyes?

We’re currently in the thick of making our own site more seal-in-silk-pyjamas than hedgehog-in-treacle.

If you’d like a fresh pair of eyes on your homepage, we’re happy to take a peek.
Sometimes, a little outside perspective is all it takes to turn digital chaos into clarity.

It's not something we offer about all willy-nilly, but pop us a message if you’d like a website friction audit because we want you to succeed in your business. We’ll bring the eye cream and the honesty.

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