Before you spend money on a new website, spend an afternoon with the one you have. Most of what keeps a small business site from bringing in customers is fixable, and some of it takes minutes. Grab your phone, open your site, and work through this list.
Short on time? Our free website scan checks several of these automatically and emails you the results.
1. Can a stranger tell what you do in five seconds?
Open your home page on your phone and read only what fits on the first screen. It should say what you do, where you do it, and how to reach you. "Welcome to our website" doesn't count. "Air conditioning repair in San Antonio, same-week service" does.
2. Is it easy to read and tap on a phone?
Most visitors arrive on a phone. Check that the text is readable without zooming, buttons are big enough to tap, and nothing runs off the side of the screen. Turn your phone sideways and check again.
3. Does it load quickly?
Load your site on your phone using cellular data, not Wi-Fi. If you're waiting more than a few seconds, so are your customers. The usual culprits are huge photos and too many add-ons. You can get a free score from Google's PageSpeed Insights.
4. Is every way to reach you working?
Fill in your own contact form and make sure the message arrives, and that someone will see it quickly. Click your email link. Try your booking link. A broken form is one of the most expensive problems a website can have, because you never hear about the customers it loses.
5. Are the details current?
Check your hours, services, prices, service area, and the copyright year in the footer. Then check that they match your Google Business Profile and social pages. Customers notice when two places disagree.
6. Would you trust this business?
Look for real photos of you, your team, or your work, reviews from real customers, and any licenses or certifications your industry expects. Stock photos and an empty "Testimonials" page make people hesitate.
7. Spelling and broken links
Read your main pages out loud. Then click every link in your menu and footer. Typos and dead links don't just look careless; search engines notice broken links too.
8. Does each page have a clear next step?
At the bottom of every page, a visitor should know what to do next: call, book, request a quote, or ask a question. If a page just ends, add one clear button.
9. Can people with disabilities use it?
Check that text has strong contrast against the background, that images have descriptions (called alt text), and that you can move through the page with the Tab key. Accessible sites are easier for everyone to use.
10. Search basics
Each page should have its own title and short description that show up in search results. Search for your business name and your main service plus your city, and see what comes up. If it's a directory site instead of yours, there's work to do.
11. Do your tools talk to each other?
When someone fills in your form or books online, where does that information go? If someone retypes it into a calendar, a spreadsheet, or an invoice, that's time you can get back by connecting the tools.
12. Who owns your domain and website?
This one surprises people. Find out whose name the domain is registered in, who has the login, and when it renews. If a past web designer or an employee who left holds the keys, get them transferred to you now, while it's easy.
What to do with your list
Sort what you found into three piles: fix today (typos, hours, broken links), fix this month (photos, buttons, page titles), and bigger projects (speed, redesign, connecting tools). Many businesses find the first two piles cover most of the problem.
If you'd like a second set of eyes, our website reviews cover these same 12 areas with every issue ranked from Critical to Low, and our website plans start at $199 a month with no setup fee if you decide it's time for a new site.
Not sure where to start?
Run a free scan of your website, or tell us what's eating your week. A free intro is a short call or email, up to 10 minutes, within one business day.