A website rarely breaks in an obvious way. It just quietly sends fewer calls and enquiries every year while competitors update theirs. If your site is more than a few years old, there is a good chance it is costing you customers you never hear about.
Here are twelve signs your business website needs a redesign, or at least serious attention, and how to check each one yourself in a few minutes.
Signs visitors are leaving before they contact you
1. It is hard to use on a phone
Most people find local businesses on their phone. Open your site on yours. If you have to pinch to zoom, if buttons are too small to tap, or if the menu is awkward, many visitors will simply go back to Google and choose the next result.
2. It takes more than a few seconds to load
Run your homepage through Google PageSpeed Insights. A poor mobile score usually means large images, old code or too many plugins. Slow pages lose visitors before they see anything and also hold back your Google rankings.
3. Nobody can tell what you do in five seconds
Show your homepage to someone who does not know your business for five seconds, then ask what you do and where. If they cannot answer, the headline is too vague. "Quality solutions for your needs" says nothing. "Emergency plumbing in Houston, same day service" says everything.
4. Your phone number and contact form are hard to find
A visitor who is ready to call should never have to search for the number. It belongs at the top of every page and should be tappable on mobile. Contact forms should be short, and there should be a clear button to reach them from every service page.
5. It looks dated next to your competitors
Search for your main service and your city and open the top three competitor websites. If yours looks noticeably older, customers notice too, and they often assume the business itself is behind the times.
Signs Google is not sending you enough traffic
6. You do not show up for your own services
Search for what you do plus your city, for example "roof repair Dallas". If you do not appear on the first page, the site is probably missing dedicated service pages, clear location wording or the technical basics Google needs.
7. Every service is squeezed onto one page
One "Services" page listing everything you do gives Google very little to rank. Each main service deserves its own page that explains it properly, answers common questions and asks for the enquiry.
8. You have no idea where your leads come from
If there is no analytics or conversion tracking, you cannot tell which pages bring enquiries and which ones lose people. A website without tracking cannot be improved, only guessed at.
Signs the site is holding your business back
9. You need a developer for every small change
If updating a price, a photo or your opening hours means emailing someone and waiting a week, the site will always be out of date. A modern website should let you make simple changes yourself.
10. The information is out of date
Old services, former team members, last year's prices or an address you left. Outdated details make visitors doubt everything else on the page.
11. There is no proof you are good at what you do
Reviews, photos of real work, certifications and clear guarantees are what turn a visitor into a caller. If your site has none of them, it is asking strangers to take your word for it.
12. It is not secure
If the browser shows "Not secure" next to your address, or the site runs on software that has not been updated in years, visitors get nervous and the site is at real risk of being hacked.
Three or more of these signs usually means a redesign will pay for itself. One or two can often be fixed on the site you already have.
Redesign or fix what you have?
Fix the existing site when the structure is sound and the problems are specific: slow images, a weak headline, a missing phone number at the top, or no tracking. These are often a few days of work.
Redesign when the site does not work properly on phones, you cannot edit it yourself, it runs on outdated or insecure software, or your business has changed so much that the pages no longer describe what you sell.
If your current site already ranks on Google for some searches, a redesign needs careful planning. Every old page address should be redirected to its new equivalent, otherwise rankings you have built over years can disappear in a few weeks.
What a redesign should include
- A mobile first design built for the way customers actually find you.
- Separate pages for each main service, written for customers and for Google.
- Clear calls to action and a visible phone number on every page.
- Fast loading, checked on a real phone connection.
- Analytics and conversion tracking set up before launch.
- Redirects from every old page if you are replacing an existing site.
- An editor you can use without calling a developer.
If you are weighing up the cost, our guide to what a business website costs breaks down the numbers, and how long a website takes covers the schedule.
Want a second opinion on your website?
Send us your website address and tell us what it is not doing for you. We will tell you honestly whether it needs a full small business website redesign or just a few targeted fixes, and what either option would cost.