Pick up your phone, open your own website, and work through these five tests. One minute each. Keep score: one point for every “yes”.
1. The phone test
Look at the first screen without touching anything.
- Can you read the words without zooming in?
- Does it say what you do and where, straight away?
- Does anything slide sideways when you scroll?
Yes if it’s readable, clear and nothing slides.
2. The call test
Find your phone number and tap it. Does your phone offer to ring it? If you had to copy it out by hand, so do your customers, and some of them won’t bother.
Yes if one tap starts the call.
3. The search test
Search Google for what you do and your town, the way a customer would: “plasterer Swanage”, “dog groomer Wimborne”.
- Does your business come up, on the map or in the results?
- Does your Google listing link to your website?
- Are your phone number and hours the same in both places?
Yes if you can be found and the details match.
4. The trust test
Look at it the way a stranger would.
- Is there a padlock by the address, or does it say “Not secure”?
- Scroll to the very bottom: is the copyright year this year?
- Are the photos of your own work?
- Can you see any reviews?
Yes if there’s a padlock, it looks current, and it shows your work and reviews.
5. The enquiry test
Fill in your own contact form, as a customer would. Did the message arrive? How long did it take? Check your spam folder too: an enquiry that lands there is an enquiry missed.
Yes if it arrived, quickly, in your inbox.
How did it do?
- 5 out of 5: your website is doing its job. Keep it that way: rerun this check every few months.
- 3 or 4: a couple of fixes would make it easier for customers to reach you. Our guide to what your website needs explains each one.
- 2 or fewer: it’s probably making customers work too hard to reach you.
Want to see what a new one could look like? We build it first, and you see it free, on a private link. No card, no obligation.