Google says people are clicking through to your website. Your web designer says the site looks great. But the phone isn't ringing and the contact form is quiet. What's going on?
Most of the time, the answer is simple: visitors can't work out quickly enough whether you're right for them, so they hit the back button and call the next business on the list. They're not reading your website, they're scanning it, usually on a phone, often in a hurry.
In short
- Visitors decide in seconds whether to stay. Your page has to answer three questions immediately.
- Say what you do and where in the headline. Put a tappable phone number at the top.
- Show proof early: reviews, accreditations and real photos.
- Make getting in touch easy, with a short form and one clear button.
Do the five-second test
- Open your home page on your phone.
- Hand it to a friend who doesn't know your business well.
- Give them five seconds, then take it back.
- Ask: What does this business do? Where does it work? How would you get in touch?
If they can't answer all three straight away, you've found where your enquiries are leaking. Here's how to fix it.
1. Say what you do, for whom and where, in the headline
"Welcome to our website" and "Excellence in every detail" tell a visitor nothing. Your main headline should do the job of a shop sign.
Headline formula
[What you do] for [who] in [where]
For example: "Commercial cleaning for offices across Surrey" or "Roof repairs and new roofs in Chichester and West Sussex".
Underneath, add one line about the result customers get, such as "Fixed quotes within 48 hours, and every job photographed before and after."
2. Put a tappable phone number at the top
On a mobile, your phone number should be visible without scrolling and should start a call when tapped. If people have to copy and paste it, some won't bother.
3. Have one clear main button
Decide what you most want visitors to do, such as "Get a free quote" or "Book a survey", and repeat that one button down the page. Five different buttons saying five different things just creates hesitation.
4. Show proof straight away
Near the top of the page, show the things that make people trust you: your Google star rating and number of reviews, and any accreditations that matter in your trade, such as Gas Safe, NICEIC, TrustMark, BAFE, BPCA, CHAS or your professional body.
5. Use real photos of you and your work
Stock photos of smiling models in hard hats are easy to spot and do nothing for trust. Photos of your team, your van and your finished jobs do. Our guide to turning job photos into enquiries shows how to get good ones on your phone.
6. Give each main service its own page
Someone searching for "flat roof repair" wants to land on a page about flat roof repair, not a home page that lists twelve services. Separate pages also help you show up on Google for each one. See our guide to local service pages.
7. Name the areas you cover
Visitors want to know you'll come to them. List your main towns clearly, and link to a page for each key area if you have them.
8. Keep your contact form short
Every extra box loses people. For a first enquiry you usually need four things: name, phone or email, postcode, and a short description of what they need. You can ask the rest on the phone.
9. Make it fast
Run your website through Google's free PageSpeed Insights tool. Oversized photos are the most common culprit on small business websites, and they're usually easy to fix.
10. Answer the questions people ask before they call
How much does it roughly cost? How soon can you come? Are you insured? Is there a guarantee? Do you clear up afterwards? Answer the common ones on the page, in plain English. People who've had their questions answered are more likely to get in touch, and they arrive better informed.
A quick mobile checklist
- The text is readable without zooming in.
- Buttons are big enough to tap with a thumb.
- Nothing scrolls sideways.
- No pop-up covers the page as soon as it loads.
- The phone number and main button are visible without scrolling.
- The contact form works. Send yourself a test enquiry to check.
Tip
Ask your last three customers who found you online what nearly stopped them getting in touch. Their answers are often more useful than any website report.
Do this today
- Do the five-second test with a friend.
- Send yourself a test enquiry through your contact form and check it arrives.
- Tap your phone number on your mobile to make sure it starts a call.
