Owners usually look at their website on a laptop in the office, once, when it launches. Customers look at it on a phone, in a parking lot, while deciding whether to call you or the next result. This test takes a minute and tells you more than any analytics report.
Step one: time the load
Turn off wifi so you are on a normal cellular connection, then open your site fresh. Count. If you are past three seconds before you can read anything, you are losing people before they see your name. Big photos, video backgrounds and slow hosting are the usual reasons. This is fixable in an afternoon and it is the single highest-return change most sites can make.
While it loads, notice what shows up first. If the first thing on screen is a stock photo and a slogan, and your actual offer is below the fold, the page is making people work. The first screen should answer three questions without scrolling: what do you do, where do you do it, and how do I get in touch.
Step two: try to contact you
Now try to call, book or message. Count the taps. If the phone number is a plain line of text that is not tappable, or the contact form is four screens down with tiny fields, that is where your leads are leaking. The button should be visible on every screen, big enough to hit with a thumb, and it should do the obvious thing when tapped.
Tappable phone number in the header on every page
A form with four fields or fewer
No pinching, zooming or sideways scrolling anywhere
Step three: read it like a stranger
Scroll the whole page slowly. Is the text large enough to read without zooming? Do the headings tell a stranger what you do, or are they clever? Is there a real photo of you, your team or your work? People buy from people, and a phone screen is small enough that one genuine photo does more than a page of copy.
If you failed two or more of these, you are not alone; most local business sites do. It is also the cheapest problem to fix, because the content is usually fine. It is the structure that needs work. Send us the address and we will run the test for you and tell you exactly what we would change.
Related: our web design and development service. Want us to look at your site? Get a free audit and we will tell you exactly what we would change, whether or not you hire us.
