A website rarely fails loudly. It fails quietly: a visitor can't find your phone number fast enough, the form doesn't submit, the page is slow, the copy doesn't say where you're based. Nobody complains — they just go to the next result. Here are the eleven we see most, and the fix for each.
Phone number that isn't clickable on mobile
Displayed as plain text, so a mobile visitor has to memorise it, switch apps, and type it. Every bit of that friction loses calls.
Fix: make it a tel: link, and put it in the header on every page.
No town or service area in the copy
"Quality service you can trust" tells a visitor nothing about whether you cover them. They leave to find someone who's obviously local.
Fix: name your town and service area in the headline and again in the footer.
A contact form that fails silently
The visitor fills it in, hits submit, sees nothing, assumes it worked. It didn't. You never knew they tried.
Fix: test it monthly. Add a clear "thanks, we'll reply within X" confirmation. Send submissions to two email addresses.
Slow load on mobile
Around 40% of people abandon a page that takes over three seconds. A one-second delay can drop conversions by 15%+.
Fix: compress images, cut plugins, check decent hosting. See our speed guide.
No clear next step
Lots of information, no obvious "do this now". Or five competing buttons, so the visitor picks none.
Fix: one primary CTA ("Get a Free Quote" / "Call Now"), repeated in the header, hero, and footer. Everything else quieter.
Prices completely hidden
People research before they call. No price signal at all, and a chunk of visitors assume "expensive" and leave.
Fix: give a range, a starting-from figure, or "most jobs £X–£Y". Enough to qualify.
Reviews buried on a separate page
92% of people read reviews before choosing a local business, but yours are one click away on a page they'll never open.
Fix: put your best 3 on the homepage and next to the contact form. Embed live Google reviews if you can.
Stale content
2022 copyright date. "Christmas hours" in June. A blog whose last post was two years ago. Each says "this business might not be active."
Fix: auto-update the copyright year, remove seasonal notices when they expire, hide or delete a dead blog.
"Not Secure" warning (no HTTPS)
If your URL still starts http://, browsers actively warn visitors your site isn't safe. That kills trust instantly.
Fix: install a free SSL certificate (Let's Encrypt) — most hosts do it in one click. Redirect http to https.
Inconsistent business details across the web
"123 Main St" on the site, "123 Main Street" on Google, an old phone number on Yelp. Google reads that as uncertainty and ranks you lower.
Fix: write your name, address, and phone identically everywhere. See our NAP guide.
Not measuring anything
No analytics, so you're guessing about what works. You can't fix a leak you can't see.
Fix: set up GA4 with form and call events. Track leads, calls, and conversion rate monthly. See our metrics guide.
How to Audit Your Own Site in 20 Minutes
- Open your site on your phone. Time how long it takes to load, and how many taps to reach your number.
- Submit your own contact form. Confirm it arrives.
- Read the first sentence a stranger sees. Does it say what you do and where?
- Look for a price signal and reviews above the fold.
- Check the URL starts with
https://and the copyright year is current.
We Fix All of These as Standard
Every website we build at LocalPageHQ ships without any of the eleven — clickable numbers, local copy, tested forms, fast load, one clear CTA, price signals, reviews up front, HTTPS, consistent NAP, and analytics configured.
We'll build a free preview of your site using your real business details, so you can see your current site's issues fixed.
Request your free mockup here →
