So What? #4 - “Can you just…” is slowly destroying your website

Here are three of the most dangerous words in web design:

“Can you just…”

On their own? Absolutely harmless.

Maybe you have a change in opening hours, or have spotted a spelling error. But when the changes are bigger, like adding new pages or moving information around, then you may be creating a problem you’re not even aware of.

But these can quietly turn your website into an absolute mess.

In fact, it’s one of the posters we have up in our office to remind us to maintain a sense of humour when a “can you just…” email arrives!

Websites rarely break overnight. They usually unravel slowly - one small change at a time.

The “can you just…”

• add this section

• move that up

• squeeze this in

• create this page

Each one feels minor. But none of them are made with the bigger picture in mind.

You end up with cluttered pages, mixed messages, awful UX, and just a mish-mash of ideas thrown online.

That’s not a strategy. It’s a reaction.

I’ve seen far too many of these and inherited a good many of them over the years.

The homepage that has 6 different calls to action, jumps between audiences and somehow includes everything from services to testimonials to a random blog feed halfway down

Why?

Because over time, people kept saying “Can you just add this…” and no one ever said “Um, no, that doesn’t belong here.”

It’s a big reason I started Web Goddess 12 years ago - this kind of stuff really winds me up (can you tell?).

If you’re making regular updates to your website, pause and ask:

• Does this change support the main goal of the page or website as a whole?

• Does it make things clearer… or more cluttered?

• Am I adding this for the user, or just because I can (or have been told to)?

• What would happen if I didn’t add this?

Not every idea needs to be implemented.

And not every request deserves a yes.

A non-profit came to us in 2025 with a website that the entire team “had a go at” over time - and it showed. 100+ pages, no user journey, pages all over the place and absolutely no strategy at all. It was a mess.

We started with strategy before we rebuilt the site for them (it was easier to start from a blank slate than muddle through all the issues and try and fix them in-situ) and then created something their service-users and stakeholders can actually use.

A website built on “can you just…” will never be clear, focused, or effective.

At some point, someone has to say: “Nope. It’s time to do this properly.”

So, if your website feels like it’s grown arms and legs over time, you’re not alone, and this is one of the most common things we fix at Web Goddess.

But you can save yourself a full restructure and rebuild by having a real strategy in place - not only for your website but also for all your marketing.

Trust me, it’s worth the effort!