I look at a lot of small business websites. The same problems come up over and over, and almost none of them are exotic. They are basic things nobody checked, because the site was built once and never looked at again.
Work through this list on your own site, on your own phone. Be honest. Most sites miss several.
Getting found
1. Every page has its own title and description
Not the same title repeated on every page. Each page needs a title that describes that page. It is the blue line people click in search results, so it does more work than almost anything else on the page.
2. One main heading per page
One main heading (the H1) that says what the page is about. Not three, not zero. Smaller headings sit below it in order.
3. A page for each service
Separate pages, each with real detail. A single "Services" page listing everything ranks for nothing. More on this in local SEO for your website.
4. Your towns appear in real sentences
Not a list of ninety towns in the footer, which reads as spam. Real copy that says where you work and what you do there.
5. A sitemap Google can read
It should list your real pages with real dates. A sitemap claiming every page changed today, every day, teaches Google to ignore it.
6. Structured data
The markup that tells search engines your business type, hours, address and phone in a format they read directly. It powers some of the extra detail you see in results.
Keeping the visitor
7. It loads fast on a phone
Test on cell data, not office wifi. This is where most small business sites lose the most people. Core Web Vitals explained shows how to measure it.
8. Your phone number is tappable
On a phone, the number must be a link that dials. Shown as plain text, some callers just give up.
9. The phone number is visible without scrolling
Top of every page. Someone who has decided to call should never have to hunt for it.
10. It works on an older Android phone
Not just the newest iPhone. Plenty of your customers use something older and slower.
11. Nothing important hides behind a hover
Touch screens have no hover. If a menu only opens when a mouse passes over it, phone users cannot reach it.
12. Text is readable without zooming
At least 16 pixels for body text. Long stretches of capitals or italics are harder to read than normal sentence case. Mobile first design covers the rest of the phone basics.
Turning visitors into calls
13. The first sentence says what you do and where
Someone landing on your homepage should know your trade and your area within a few seconds. "Delivering excellence since 1998" does not do that.
14. There is one obvious next step
Call, book or fill in a form. Pick one per page and make it stand out. Five buttons of equal weight get fewer clicks than one clear one.
15. Your form asks for as little as possible
Name, phone and a short description is enough to start. Every extra required field costs you some submissions.
16. Form submissions reach you within a minute
A form nobody sees until tomorrow is worse than no form, because the customer thinks they reached you. Where your website form is losing leads walks through how to test it.
17. Real photos of real work
Your trucks, your crew, your finished jobs. Everyone recognizes the stock photo of a smiling model in a hard hat, and it costs you trust.
18. Reviews are on the site
Real ones, with real names, ideally pulled from your Google profile. Never invent them. Fake testimonials break FTC endorsement rules and can cost you your Google listing.
Looking cared for
19. HTTPS with a valid certificate
Browsers label anything else "Not secure" in the address bar, which is the first thing a visitor sees. The rest of the safety basics are in the website security checklist.
20. No broken links or missing images
Click every link in your menu and footer. Broken links make a business look abandoned.
21. The copyright year is current
A footer reading 2021 tells every visitor nobody has touched the site in years. It should update itself, not be typed in.
Scoring yourself
- 18 to 21: in good shape. Focus on content and reviews.
- 13 to 17: you are losing business to fixable problems. Start with speed and the call to action.
- Under 13: the site is working against you. A rebuild is often cheaper than patching.
If you want a head start, the free website check tests several of these for you, including speed and the mobile basics.
