Website not bringing in work? What to check first

A lot of trades tell me the same thing: “I’ve got a website, but I don’t think it’s ever got me a job.” Sometimes that’s true. Sometimes it’s working but nobody asks customers where they found you. Either way, it’s usually down to a handful of fixable things.

First, which problem is it?

There are two different problems, and it’s worth knowing which one you have.

• Nobody’s finding it. Searching your trade and town doesn’t bring your site up, and you don’t get visits.
• People find it but don’t get in touch. They land on it, from Google, your van or a recommendation, and then leave.

If you can, sign up for Google Search Console. It’s free, and it shows which searches your site turns up for and how many people click through. And start asking every new customer where they found you. It’s the simplest tracking there is.

If nobody’s finding it

1. Is your Google Business Profile set up and linked?

For local searches, the map results often come before any websites. If your profile is missing, half-finished or doesn’t link to your site, start there. How your profile and website work together.

2. Does your site say what you do and where?

Look at the main heading on your home page. If it says “Welcome to our website” or just your business name, Google has little to go on. It should say something like “Roofer in Halifax”, and the page should name your services and the towns you cover, as text.

3. Does each main service have its own page?

If you want to be found for loft conversions, extensions and renovations, a page about each one gives you a far better chance than one page listing all three.

4. Is anything blocking Google?

Search site:yourbusiness.co.uk on Google, with your own address. If nothing comes up, Google may not be able to see your site at all. This sometimes happens when a setting left on from the build tells search engines to stay away.

There’s more on all of this in how to show up on Google for your trade.

If people visit but don’t get in touch

5. Is it quick on a phone?

Test it for free on Google PageSpeed Insights. If the mobile score is red or orange, people may be giving up before it loads. Big uncompressed photos are the usual culprit.

6. Can people tell what you do in five seconds?

Open it on your phone and look at the first screen without scrolling. Does it say what you do, where, and how to get in touch? If it’s a big slideshow and a slogan, people have to work too hard.

7. Are the photos your own, and recent?

Stock photos, a handful of blurry pictures, or a gallery that stops in 2019 all make people wonder. Your own clear photos of recent jobs build trust faster than anything. Tips for better photos.

8. Are your reviews on the site?

If you’ve got good Google reviews but they’re not on your website, people reading the site don’t see them. Bring the best ones on, near the top. How to get more of them.

9. Is it easy to get in touch?

Your number should be at the top and one tap to ring. A short quote form should ask for the basics only. If people can message you on WhatsApp, say so. Then test the form yourself, because forms that quietly stop sending are more common than you’d think.

10. Is everything up to date?

An old phone number, a service you stopped offering, or a copyright date from years ago all make people wonder whether you’re still trading.

A ten-minute test you can do now

Grab your phone and do this as if you were a customer who’s never heard of you:

1. Search Google for your main service and town, like “kitchen fitter Huddersfield”. Do you appear, on the map or below it?
2. Search your business name. Does your site come up, and does your Google profile link to it?
3. Open your site. How long until you can see something useful?
4. Without scrolling, can you tell what you do, where, and how to get in touch?
5. Tap the phone number. Does it start a call?
6. Send yourself a test enquiry through the form. Does it arrive?
7. Would you ring you, based on what you just saw?

Fix it or start again?

Not every problem needs a new website. If the site is quick, you can edit it easily, and it just needs better words, photos or reviews, fixing it is often the right call.

A rebuild makes more sense when the site is slow on phones and can’t be sped up, when it’s locked into a platform you can’t change, or when it’s simply easier to start fresh than patch it.

If you’re not sure which you need, I’ll look for you. My free website check covers speed, how you show up on Google and what customers see on a phone, in a plain-English report within 2 working days. If it only needs a few fixes, I’ll tell you. If a rebuild makes more sense, a redesign costs the same as a new site, from £295, and you see it before you pay.