How to Avoid Mistakes When Making an Online Will

Writing a Will often sits at the bottom of the family to-do list—next to the jobs we keep meaning to get to, but never quite start.

It is tempting to call that laziness. It isn’t. If you have ever opened a Will kit and then closed the tab, you were not being lazy—you had already started. What actually stops people is uncertainty: it keeps some from ever beginning, and it stops others from finishing a draft they have already started.

Leading behavioural psychologists—most notably Dr Fuschia Sirois (Durham University) and the late Dr Timothy Pychyl (Carleton University)—have shown that procrastination is not a time-management issue or laziness; it is an emotional regulation problem. When a task triggers negative emotions—anxiety, fear of failure, or confronting our own mortality (what psychologists call mortality salience)—the brain seeks immediate relief. Putting the task off is the brain’s way of “repairing” its mood in the short term to escape that discomfort.

In estate planning this is amplified. People don’t delay because they are lazy; they delay because traditional templates present a “black box” of complex legalese that triggers intense indecision anxiety (“What if I tick the wrong box and accidentally disinherit my kids?”).

The good news: you do not need more willpower—you need certainty. When each step feels clear, you keep going. When it doesn’t, you stop. That is the exact problem we built Will Hero to solve, so you can begin with far less of the doubt that makes people put it off.

Instead of a blank form and a wall of legalese, you get a visual interface that shows you what to do and lets you watch your Will take shape; scenario testing so you can see what actually happens to your estate in different situations; a review step that checks your details and explains your draft in plain English; and an AI assistant ready whenever a term or step trips you up. Each one exists to remove a moment of uncertainty—so you reach the end, and reach it without the common errors a blank kit lets through.

Will Hero provides general information and online Will preparation tools; we are not a law firm. This article explains common risks and how our product features help—it is not personalised legal advice.

Why traditional online Will kits feel risky

A basic DIY Will kit is often a static form: minimal guidance, no review, and no way to see whether your choices hang together. You are left hoping the final document matches what you meant.

That uncertainty drives avoidance. It also drives real errors—many of the same issues we cover in common mistakes people make when making a Will, including:

• Wrong or incomplete witnessing (both witnesses present at the same time, eligible witnesses, correct order of signing)
• Vague beneficiary language (“my children” when step-children or mutual children are involved)
• No backup executors, guardians, or beneficiaries if someone predeceases you
• Assuming superannuation passes under the Will (it usually follows separate nomination rules)
• Never updating after marriage, separation, children, or buying property

An online Will platform is different from a kit when it guides, visualises, and reviews—not when it is just a PDF with a logo. Here is how Will Hero approaches that.

Five ways Will Hero helps you avoid critical mistakes

1. Visual Will: your estate as a diagram, not a wall of text

Many people do not naturally think in ten pages of legal prose. Will Hero’s Visual Will maps executors, gifts, residue, and backups as an interactive estate diagram linked to your legal Will document.

When you can see relationships and asset flows on screen, it is easier to spot a missing backup, an unintended gap, or a structure that does not match your intentions—before anything is printed.

Visual Will: see how your estate fits together as you build your Will online.

4. Will Summary: your draft in plain English

Hoping the legalese matches your intentions is a common source of doubt. The Will Summary gives you a plain-English summary of what your draft says—so you can confirm it reflects your wishes without decoding every clause before you sign.

Will Summary: read your Will in plain English and confirm it matches your wishes.

5. AI Assistant: answers in context (not legal advice)

You should not have to open a dozen browser tabs to understand witness rules, guardians, or how a provision works in your state.

Will Hero’s AI Assistant answers general questions about Wills, estate planning, and using the platform. It can help when you are stuck on a step or term. It does not give personalised legal advice—and for complex estates, a qualified solicitor remains the right call.

AI Assistant: ask questions about your Will and the process while you draft.

Mistakes still happen after you draft—at signing

Even a well-prepared online Will only works if you execute it correctly. Printing, signing, and having two eligible witnesses present together are non-negotiable under Australian law. Read how to sign and witness your Will correctly and our guide to making a legally valid Will in Australia.

If your estate is not straightforward—business interests, trusts, blended-family disputes, or international assets—get tailored advice. An online Will is a strong fit for many Australians; it is not the answer to every situation.

Confidence beats willpower

When you remove guesswork, dense jargon, and the fear of a silent error, estate planning stops feeling like a looming chore. Most Will Hero users answer the core questions in 15–30 minutes; many take longer to think, test scenarios, and review—and that is exactly what you want before something this important is signed.

Today, roughly 45–50% of people who start a Will with Will Hero go on to finish it—and among those who finish, 75% complete it the same day they start and 90% within a week. They are not stuck wondering if they did it right; they can see, test, and verify as they go.

Ready to draft without the guesswork? Start your Will online—no credit card required to begin—or view pricing to see what is included. For a deeper look at kit vs platform trade-offs, see online Wills vs Will kits.