Pull Up Your Website Right Now. Here's What to Check in 5 Minutes.

Pull Up Your Website Right Now. Here's What to Check in 5 Minutes.

Most small business owners haven't actually looked at their website in months. They built it, or had it built, and moved on. Which means a lot of them have no idea what a potential customer actually sees when they land on it.

You don't need a tool or an agency for what I'm about to walk you through. Open your website on your phone, not your laptop. That's the device most of your customers are using. Now go through these seven checks.

1. Does the first screen tell someone what you do?

Before you scroll, before you do anything, read what's visible above the fold. Not what you know it says. What does a stranger see?

If your headline is your company name and nothing else, that's a problem. If it says "Welcome to [Business Name]," that's a bigger problem. A visitor who doesn't already know you should be able to tell in about three seconds what you do and where you do it. Something like "Window Cleaning for Homes and Businesses in Pasco County" does that job. "Smith & Sons" doesn't.

2. Can you tap your phone number to call?

Scroll down until you find your phone number. Tap it. Did your phone offer to dial?

If you had to copy and paste the number, or if nothing happened when you tapped it, your number isn't formatted as a clickable link. That friction costs you calls. People searching for a contractor, cleaner, or repair service on their phone are not going to copy a number. They're going to go back and call someone else.

3. Are there any reviews visible on the page?

Not a link to your Google profile. Actual review text, visible on the page. Even two or three specific, real-sounding testimonials change the way a visitor reads the rest of your site. They're looking for evidence that other people hired you and it went well. If you're not showing them that, they have to take your word for it, and most won't.

4. Is there one clear next step?

Look at every section. Is it obvious what someone is supposed to do? The answer shouldn't be "find the contact page" or "scroll to the bottom." Every page should have a clear call to action in view, usually a button that says something specific, like "Get a Free Quote" or "Call to Schedule," not "Contact Us" or "Submit."

If a visitor would have to search for what to do next, they won't search. They'll leave.

5. Does it load fast?

Still on your phone, go to Google and search "PageSpeed Insights." Paste your website address in. Look at the mobile score. Anything below 50 is a real problem. Below 70 means you're probably losing customers who hit the back button while waiting.

If your score is bad, the most common culprits are uncompressed images and too many scripts loading on the homepage. Both are fixable.

6. Does your business name, address, and phone number match Google?

Open a new tab and search your business name on Google. Look at what shows up in your Google Business Profile listing. Now compare that to what's on your website. The name, address, and phone number should be identical, not close, identical. Google uses these to confirm your business is real. Mismatches are a trust issue for the algorithm, and sometimes for customers too.

7. Is anything obviously broken?

Tap the nav links. Do they all work? Tap the contact form submission button. Does the form work? Check any images that should be there. A broken image placeholder is one of the fastest ways to look unprofessional.

You'd be surprised how many small business websites have at least one broken link sitting right in the main navigation.

If you found one or two problems above, you're in the majority. Most business websites have at least one thing that's quietly costing them calls.

If you'd rather not fix them yourself, that's what we do. We audit small business websites in Pinellas and Pasco County, fix what's broken, and build the kind of sites that hold up when a customer arrives on their phone at 9pm trying to decide who to call. Reach out and we'll take a look.

On Point

Web design, SEO & AI chatbots for local businesses in Pinellas & Pasco County, FL.