A website can look perfectly respectable and still make life difficult for potential customers.
It does not always take a major technical problem to put someone off. Sometimes the issue is much simpler.
The wording is unclear. The important information is buried halfway down the page. The contact button disappears on a mobile screen. Or the website simply feels as though it has not been looked at for a few years.
These are the sorts of things I look for when someone asks me whether their website is still doing its job properly.
And I usually start with a very simple test.
Start where a new visitor starts
The first thing I look at is the page a new visitor is most likely to land on.
Often that is the homepage, but not always. It could be a service page, a local landing page, a blog article or a page found through Google.
Then I look at it on a phone.
That is important because a website can appear perfectly clear on a large desktop screen but become much harder to use once everything is stacked into a narrow mobile layout.
From there, I ask three questions.
1. Can they tell what the business does?
This sounds obvious, but it is surprisingly common for websites to make visitors work too hard.
A business owner knows their own services inside out. A new visitor does not.
Within a few seconds, someone should be able to understand what the business does, who it helps and roughly whether they are in the right place.
That does not mean filling the top of the page with keywords or trying to explain every service at once.
It means being clear.
Compare something vague such as:
Helping businesses achieve their goals through tailored solutions.
with something specific:
Commercial electricians serving businesses across Peterborough and the surrounding area.
The second version gives the visitor something useful immediately.
Good website wording should reduce uncertainty, not create more of it.
2. Can they see what to do next?
Once somebody understands what you do, the next step should be obvious.
Depending on the business, that might be:
- call for advice
- request a quote
- book an appointment
- send an enquiry
- view current vacancies
- look at examples of previous work
- read more about a particular service
A visitor should not have to hunt around the website trying to work out what you want them to do.
That does not mean covering every page in large buttons.
It means having a clear route through the website.
If somebody reads about a service and thinks, “Yes, this sounds like what I need,” the website should make the next step easy.
3. Can they contact someone without searching?
This is one of the simplest checks of all.
If a potential customer decides to get in touch, how quickly can they do it?
On a mobile phone, I want contact options to be particularly easy to find.
A telephone number should be tappable. A contact form should be straightforward. If WhatsApp is an important part of the business, it should be easy to access.
People should not need to scroll back to the top of the page, open three menus or search for a separate contact page just to find a telephone number.
Every extra obstacle creates another opportunity for them to give up.
Small problems can make a big difference
The useful thing about this three-question check is that it can highlight problems before anyone starts talking about a new website.
Sometimes the site itself is fundamentally fine.
The issue might simply be:
- a vague heading
- an important service hidden in the navigation
- old photographs
- outdated wording
- a missing call to action
- contact details that are difficult to find
- a mobile layout that has not been considered carefully
Those things can often be improved without making the website more complicated.
In fact, simplicity is usually the goal.
A good website should make sense
Small businesses do not necessarily need complicated websites.
They need websites that help people understand the business and feel confident enough to take the next step.
That means clear wording, sensible navigation, useful information and an easy way to make contact.
It also means keeping the website current.
Businesses change. Services change. Teams change. The questions customers ask change.
If the website is left untouched for years, eventually there is a gap between the business people experience in real life and the one they see online.
That is often when business owners start saying:
“We are better than our website makes us look.”
Try the three-question test
Open your website on your phone and imagine you know nothing about the business.
Then ask:
- Can I immediately tell what this business does?
- Is it obvious what I should do next?
- Can I contact someone easily?
If any of those answers is “not really”, it is worth looking at why.
You may not need anything dramatic.
You may simply need the website to be clearer, easier to use and better aligned with the business you run today.
If you would like a second opinion, I am always happy to take a look.
Let’s talk about your website.
Silver Websites. Websites built and looked after, so you don’t have to.