Do it yourselves
Nine checks in ten minutes
This is the list I go through before contacting a firm. None of the checks require any knowledge of code, and you need only a phone and a computer. If three or more fail, the site is worth doing something about. If none fail, you have a better website than most in the profession.
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What does the browser tab say?
How to checkOpen your home page and read the text in the tab at the top of the browser.
Why it costs youIf it says only "Home" or "Start", that is the same line Google shows as the heading in its results. It should say what you do and where you are, because it is often the only line anyone reads before deciding to click you rather than the firm below you.
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The five second test
How to checkShow your home page to someone outside the firm for five seconds. Close the lid. Ask them what the firm does and who for.
Why it costs youIf they cannot answer, neither can your visitors. The difference is that they do not call and ask, they move on to the next result in the list.
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Does the phone number dial?
How to checkOpen the site on a phone and tap the number once.
Why it costs youIf nothing happens, the visitor has to select the number, copy it and paste it. Most will not bother. This is the most common failure I see and the cheapest to fix.
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Can you pinch to zoom?
How to checkOpen the site on a phone and pinch outwards with two fingers.
Why it costs youIf nothing moves, someone has switched zoom off. Your clients are often past fifty, and anyone who cannot enlarge the text does not read it. It is a technical decision made on your behalf, usually without anyone asking.
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Is there a number anywhere?
How to checkSearch the site for "price", "from" or a currency. Ctrl+F on a computer is enough.
Why it costs youWith no price signal at all, every first conversation starts with the question of cost, and you have filtered nobody out in advance. A range beats silence, even a wide one.
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How many clicks to a way of getting in touch?
How to checkCount from the home page to something you can actually act on: a form, a number, an address.
Why it costs youMore than one click is one too many. The decision to get in touch is made where the copy convinced them, not on the contact page. If the route runs through the menu, some of them are already gone.
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How many fields does the form have?
How to checkCount them, including the ones marked as required.
Why it costs youEvery field beyond the necessary ones lowers the share of people who actually send it. Name, email and the matter itself is almost always enough. Company number and turnover can be asked for in your reply, once the person has already decided.
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Can you see the people?
How to checkLook for the name, role and photograph of whoever actually takes the work.
Why it costs youThe client is buying judgement, and judgement has a face. A firm with no people on the site looks like a firm you cannot reach, however good you are once someone does.
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When was the site last updated?
How to checkLook at the news or blog section if you have one. What date is on the most recent post?
Why it costs youA feed whose latest entry is three years old says nobody is looking after the site any more. An empty feed beats a dead one, and no feed at all beats both.
Would you rather I did it for you?
Book twenty minutes and I will run all nine against your site while we talk, and tell you which ones fail and what I would fix first. You get the points whether or not we work together afterwards.
What a fixed result usually costs is written out in the FAQ. See the prices →