What Do Your Customers Find When They Check Your Website?

Customers check your website before they call. Here’s what they look for, the mistakes that cost enquiries, and how to fix them fast. 

Someone sees your van, hears your name at the school gate, or gets sent a link by a friend. Before they pick up the phone, they search for you. You have a few seconds to answer three questions: what do you do, are you open, and how do I get hold of you?

If the answer isn’t obvious, they go to the next result. 

How often do people check?

Research from BrightLocal found that 22% of consumers check a local business’s website every time they decide on one, 76% look at least half the time, and only 8% never do. Although that survey sampled US consumers, UK habits look similar. 

A UK survey for Nominet found that 69% of UK customers trust businesses that have a website. Although that research was conducted a few years ago, people rely on the internet more now than ever before. 

What happens when they find something wrong? Another BrightLocal report found that 62% of consumers would avoid a business if they found incorrect information online. A website with the wrong opening hours can cost you more than having no website at all. 

The 60-second test

Since most consumers use their phones to access the internet, grab yours and search for your business name like a customer would. Then ask yourself:

1. Can I tell what they do within five seconds? Is it clear from the first screen, without scrolling?
2. Are the opening hours right? Check today, this weekend and the next bank holiday. 
3. Can I find a phone number or enquiry form without hunting? On a phone, the number should be tappable. 
4. Does it load quickly and look right on a small screen? If you have to pinch and zoom, most people won’t bother. 
5. Is there proof that you’re good? Reviews, photos of your work, accreditations, a named person. 
6. Does it say how much, or at least how pricing works? Even a starting price saves people from having to phone and ask, or from going to a competitor that is more upfront. 
7. Does it look up to date? If your latest blog posts stop in 2022, it suggests your business has too. 
8. Does it match your Google listing? Different hours or addresses in different places look sloppy and cost trust. 

The mistakes that cost enquiries

• Out-of-date hours and contact details. BrightLocal found that 50% of consumers would be put off using a local business if the contact information on its website was out of date. 
• Only a Facebook page. Not everyone has an account or wants to log in. You also don’t control the platform, so a change to its rules can affect your page without warning. 
• Menus, price lists and forms buried in PDFS. They load slowly on a phone and are hard to read. 
• A form that doesn’t work. Test it yourself every few months. If it breaks, you’ll lose enquiries and never know. 
• Stock photos only. Customers want to see your shop, your team or your work. 
• No mention of where you work. If you cover three towns, say so, using the names people search for. 
• Temporary notices that never come down. If you’re still announcing you’re closed for Christmas in June, it's not relevant. 

Bank holidays and one-off closures

Changes to hours are where mistakes creep in. You tell Facebook, forget Google, and the website still says you’re open. Pick one place as your source of truth, usually your website, and update everything else from it. 

Before each bank holiday, list the places that show your hours and then take 10 minutes to check they’re all correct. 

Fix it in a single afternoon

1. Run the 60-second test and note what’s wrong.
2. Correct hours, phone number and address everywhere.
3. Put your phone number and a clear “how to contact us” button at the top of the home page.
4. Add three real photos and two or three genuine customer comments.
5. Write one short paragraph answering “What do you do, who for and where?”
6. Remove anything out of date.
7. Set a reminder to check again in three months.

How HugoFox helps

You shouldn’t need a developer to keep your website accurate, and with HugoFox, you don’t. You edit your hours, pages, and news yourself in a simple editor, so a bank holiday change takes a couple of seconds and doesn’t need a middleman to update. 

You can add offers and events as they come along, keeping the site current without much effort. If customers would rather write than ring, you can take enquiries through a form on your site. 

If the 60-second test turned up more problems than you’d like to see, then maybe it’s time to see how HugoFox can help improve your digital presence. Get started now with a 30-day free trial.