Category: Website basics

Think about the last time you looked for a plumber, a roofer or a vet. You typed a few words into your phone, tapped the first business that looked right, and waited.

If that page took more than a few seconds to appear, you went back and tapped the next one. Almost everyone does. It is not patience — it is just how people behave on a phone.

The three-second rule

You have about three seconds to make a good first impression. In that time, a visitor decides three things without meaning to:

• Is this business real?
• Does it do what I need?
• Can I trust it with my money?

If the page is slow, cramped, or hard to read on a small screen, the answer to all three quietly becomes “no”.

How to tell if your site is losing you work

You do not need any special tools to spot the problem. Try these five things on your own phone:

1. Time it. Count the seconds until the page is fully there. More than three is a warning sign.
2. Zoom in. Pinch the screen. If you have to zoom to read the text, it was not built for a phone.
3. Look for the button. Can you find a way to call or book within two seconds? If you have to hunt, so will they.
4. Turn off your Wi-Fi. Use your mobile data. Most of your customers are not on your office Wi-Fi.
5. Ask someone older. Hand your phone to a family member who does not work in your trade. Watch where they get stuck.

What “fast and clear” actually means

A good site does three simple jobs, in this order:

• It says what you do and where you do it, in one plain sentence.
• It gives one obvious way to get in touch — a big button, not a maze.
• It loads quickly, even on a weak signal.

That is the whole trick. Everything else is decoration.

Your website is not there to win design awards. It is there to turn a stranger into a phone call.

The good news

Most of this is fixable without starting again. But if your site was built years ago for a desktop screen, it is often quicker to rebuild it properly than to keep patching it.

Either way, judge it the way your customers do: on a phone, in a hurry, with a weak signal. That is the only test that matters.

Not every business needs a brand new website. Some sites just need a tidy-up. Others are quietly costing you work every week.

Answer these five questions honestly. You will know which one you are dealing with.

1. Does it work well on a phone?

Open it on your own phone. Can you read it without zooming? Can you find a way to call in two seconds?

If no: that is a rebuild, not a tidy-up. Most of your customers are on a phone.

2. Is it easy to change?

When you want to add a service or update your prices, how hard is it?

If it means ringing your nephew or waiting a week: it is holding you back. A site you cannot update is a site that slowly goes stale.

3. Does it load quickly?

Count the seconds on mobile data, not Wi-Fi.

If it is more than three seconds: you are losing people before they even see you.

4. Does it say what you do, clearly?

Read your own homepage as if you were a stranger. Can you tell what you do and where, in the first sentence?

If you have to think about it: so does everyone else. The words matter as much as the design.

5. Does it bring you enquiries?

This is the real test. Not likes. Not visits. Enquiries and calls.

If the answer is “hardly ever”: the site is decoration, not a tool.

What to do next

• One or two “no” answers: a tidy-up and fresh words may be enough.
• Three or more: a rebuild will usually cost less than patching it forever.

A website is not finished when it goes live. That is when it starts working — or starts ageing.

Whichever way you go, judge it by one simple measure: is the phone ringing more than it was before?