Why Most Small Business Websites in Surrey Are Losing You Money

Where small business websites lose people

No prices

Some people won’t message to ask what something costs. They’d rather find someone who says. You don’t need a full price list: a “from” price, an hourly rate or a typical job is enough to stop them leaving.

No quick way to get in touch on a phone

If someone looks you up on their phone and the number isn’t tappable, there’s no WhatsApp button and the only option is a long form, it’s easy to close the page and try the next name.

Old information

Last year’s prices, a service you stopped, opening hours from before you moved. People notice, and it makes them wonder whether you’re still trading.

Slow on a phone

A site that takes ages to load on 4G loses people before they’ve seen anything. You can test yours for free with Google’s PageSpeed Insights: put in your address and look at the mobile result.

Not clear where you work

If someone in Redhill can’t tell whether you cover Redhill, they’ll move on. List the towns and areas you cover by name. You don’t need to show your home address.

Nothing that shows you’re real

Real photos of your work, your insurance, your registrations, reviews from real customers. Stock photos and vague promises don’t do the job. What counts as proof depends on the work: a dog walker shows insurance and a licence, a tutor shows a DBS check, a builder shows recent jobs. The who I build for pages go through it business by business.

A contact form nobody gets

Contact forms quietly stop working, and nobody notices until a customer mentions it. If you have one, send yourself a test message.

Check your own site in ten minutes

Open your website on your phone, away from wifi, and go through this:

1. Does the first screen say what you do and where?
2. Can you see a price, or at least a “from” price?
3. Can you call or message in one tap?
4. Is everything still true: prices, hours, services, areas?
5. Are the photos of your own work?
6. Does it load in a few seconds?
7. Does your contact form actually arrive? Send yourself a test.
8. Does the address bar show a padlock, with no “not secure” warning?

When it's worth starting again

Sometimes fixing it isn’t worth it. If the site was built years ago, nobody has the login, it’s slow however you change it, or every edit means paying someone, it’s often quicker and cheaper to start again.

That’s most of what I do. I rebuild old sites, keep your web address and email, and switch it over in about a week. It’s £180 a year for one page, or £59 a month for four, with nothing to pay until it’s live and a 3-month minimum on the monthly plans.

Questions people ask

Do I need a website if my work comes from word of mouth?

Word of mouth is how most small businesses get work, and a website doesn’t replace it. But the people you’re recommended to will look you up before they get in touch. A simple site is what they find. For a lot of side hustles, one page is enough.

How do I know if my website is losing me customers?

Ask the next few new customers how they found you and whether they looked at your site first. If you have a Google Business Profile, it shows how many people tapped through to your website or called you.

Should I fix my old website or start again?

If the problems are prices, photos and contact details, fix them. If nobody can log in, it’s slow on phones, or it’s built on something you can’t change yourself, start again.