Local SEO Articles
Your Contact Page Is Probably Losing You Customers.
Most local business websites treat the contact page as an afterthought. It's usually the last page built, gets the least attention, and ends up being nothing more than a lonely form floating in a sea of white space. Name, email, message, submit. Job done.
Except it's not done. That bare-bones approach is quietly costing you enquiries.
Think about it from your customer's perspective. They've browsed your site, liked what they've seen, and now they're ready to get in touch. They land on your contact page and find... a form. No phone number prominently displayed. No indication of when they might hear back. No reassurance that a real person is on the other end. Just a form that disappears their message into the void.
Some people will fill it in anyway. But plenty won't. They'll hit the back button and try the next business on Google instead.
Give people options, not obstacles
Not everyone wants to fill in a form. Some people prefer to pick up the phone. Others would rather send a WhatsApp message or fire off a quick email. Younger customers might want to reach you through social media. Older customers often don't trust forms at all.
Your contact page should cater to all of them. Display your phone number prominently, and make it clickable so mobile users can tap to call. Include your email address as a proper mailto link. If you use WhatsApp for business, add a direct link to start a chat. List your social media profiles if you actually respond to messages there (and only if you do).
The form can still be there for people who prefer it. But it shouldn't be the only way to reach you.
Tell them what happens next
One of the biggest reasons people abandon contact forms is uncertainty. They don't know if their message will actually reach anyone, how long they'll wait for a response, or whether they'll get a response at all.
Fix this by setting clear expectations. Add a simple line underneath your form: "We typically respond within 24 hours during working days." Or "I'll get back to you within one business day, usually sooner." Whatever your actual response time is, state it.
If you have specific working hours, mention them. "I'm available Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm" tells the customer exactly where they stand. It also explains why they might not hear back immediately if they contact you at 9pm on a Saturday.
Show them you're a real person (or real people)
A contact page with nothing but a form feels impersonal and slightly suspicious. Is there actually someone at this business? Where are they based? Can they be trusted?
Combat this by adding some human elements. Include a photo of yourself or your team. Add your business address, even if you don't have a physical shop front. Mention the areas you cover if you're a service business. A brief line like "Based in Sheffield, covering South Yorkshire" or "Serving customers across Bristol and Bath" adds credibility and helps local customers feel they're dealing with someone nearby.
If you have reviews or testimonials, consider adding one or two to your contact page. Someone who's on the fence about getting in touch might be nudged over the line by seeing that other customers had a good experience.
Make it mobile-friendly (properly)
More than half of your website visitors are probably on their phones. Yet many contact pages are awkward to use on mobile devices. Forms with tiny fields. Phone numbers you can't tap to call. Addresses that don't link to maps.
Check your contact page on your own phone. Can you easily tap the phone number to call? Is the form simple to fill in without zooming? Does your address link to Google Maps so people can get directions? These small details make a big difference when someone's trying to contact you while standing outside a job site or sitting in their van.
Your one thing to do this week
Pull up your contact page on your mobile phone right now. Try to use it as if you were a potential customer. Call your own number using the link (or notice that you can't because it's not clickable). Fill in the form. See how the experience feels.
Then add at least one more way for people to reach you. A prominent phone number if you only have a form. A WhatsApp link if you use it. An email address as a backup. Give your customers options, and more of them will take you up on the offer.
Thanks for reading,
Ollie
Ps. Sign up to my free newsletter here for more local SEO tips and guidance.
My mates Cousin Built My Website - And Why It's Killing Your Local SEO!
We've all heard it. Or maybe you've been it.
"Oh, my website? Yeah, my mate's cousin's quite good with computers. She built it for me one weekend. Didn't cost much."
Sound familiar? Here's the thing—that website probably cost you far more than the few hundred quid you saved.
I'm not being dramatic. I'm being honest.
The Problem With "Good Enough" Websites
When someone without proper experience builds your website, they're usually optimizing for the wrong things. They're making it look nice (or at least, they think they are). They're getting your contact details on there. Job done, right?
Wrong. Dead wrong.
A website isn't just a digital brochure. It's your shop window, your salesperson, and increasingly—your biggest competitor's biggest vulnerability. Because if your website doesn't work hard for you, your local competitors' websites will work hard against you.
Here's What Happens
Bad websites are like having a beautiful storefront with a broken door. People can see it looks nice from the street, but they can't actually get inside to buy anything.
Technically, this shows up in several ways:
Your site loads slowly. When your mate's cousin builds a site, they often don't care about file sizes, image optimization, or server performance. Google certainly cares though. So do your potential customers, who'll click away after three seconds if your site crawls along like a tired snail.
The code is a mess. Poor structure means search engines struggle to understand what your site is actually about. You could be ranking for nothing even though you should be ranking for everything. SEO doesn't happen by accident—it happens because someone understands how to build it in from the start.
There's no strategy. A proper website isn't just pages. It's a system that guides people toward a specific action—calling you, getting a quote, booking a consultation. Without that structure, visitors wander around lost. They leave. Your conversion rate becomes your biggest problem.
The SEO Disaster
This is where it gets really painful for local business owners.
Local SEO—getting found by people searching for your services in your area—depends on your website sending consistent, correct signals to Google. A badly built site sends mixed signals. Or no signals at all.
Missing meta descriptions. Broken internal linking. No local schema markup. Duplicate content issues. Keyword stuffing that makes your site read like a ransom note. These aren't just technical glitches—they're the difference between showing up on page one and disappearing into page ten.
And once you're on page ten? You might as well not exist.
The Credibility Problem
Here's something people don't talk about enough: a bad website makes you look small.
When someone lands on your site from a local search, they're making a split-second judgment. Does this business look professional? Can I trust them with my money? Will they actually deliver?
I covered this in yesterday artticle which you can find here.
A poorly designed website—even if it's technically functional—tells visitors you don't care enough to invest in your business. They'll click to your competitor's site instead. The one that looks like someone actually put thought into it.
This isn't vanity. It's pure business logic.
What A Proper Website Actually Does
A strategic website:
Works on every device (mobile-first, because that's how people search now)
Loads fast enough that people don't bounce before it even appears
Has clear navigation so visitors find what they need in seconds
Uses proper SEO structure so Google understands your business
Converts visitors into leads because there's an actual strategy behind the layout
Builds trust through professional design and clear information
Tells your story in a way that matters to your specific local audience
Stays updated and secure (because an outdated website is a liability)
The Reality Check
You wouldn't ask your mate's cousin to do your accounts, right? You'd get an accountant. You wouldn't ask them to handle your legal stuff—you'd get a solicitor.
Your website deserves the same level of professionalism, if you’re not getting the enquiries you deserve then it might well be be problem.
I'm not saying every website needs to cost a fortune. But it needs to be built with strategy, purpose, and technical competence. It needs to work for you, not against you.
Because in local business, your website is often the first impression. Make it count.
Thanks for reading,
Ollie
Ps. Sign up to my free newsletter here for more local SEO tips and guidance.
Your Website Gets Visitors. Why Aren't They Calling?
You're showing up on Google. People are landing on your website. But the phone isn't ringing and the enquiry form stays empty.
Here's the uncomfortable truth: most local business websites are digital brochures, not sales tools. They tell people what you do but make it surprisingly difficult to actually get in touch.
The 5-Second Test
When someone lands on your homepage, they decide within five seconds whether to stay or leave. In those five seconds, they need to know three things:
What do you do?
Do you serve my area?
How do I contact you?
If any of these require scrolling or hunting, you're losing enquiries.
Your Phone Number Belongs at the Top
This sounds obvious, but I audit local business websites every week where the phone number is buried in the footer or hidden on a contact page.
On mobile especially, for the vast majority of local service businesses your number should be:
Visible without scrolling
Clickable (tap-to-call)
Large enough to tap with a thumb
Next is The "What Now?" Problem
Every page on your website should answer one question: what do you want the visitor to do next?
Read your services page? There should be a clear next step
Finished reading a blog post? Direct them somewhere
On your homepage? Make the action obvious
Buttons that say "Get a Quote" or "Book a Free Call" outperform "Contact Us" every time. Be specific about what happens when they click.
Forms = Shorter is Better
Every additional field on your contact form reduces submissions. Name, phone, email, brief message. That's it. You can qualify leads on the phone – your job online is just to start the conversation.
Speed Matters More Than You Think
If your website takes more than three seconds to load on mobile, roughly half your visitors leave before seeing anything. Check yours at Google's PageSpeed Insights. If it's slow, that massive hero image or unoptimised photos are likely the culprits.
The Trust Gap
People searching locally are often comparing three or four businesses at once. They're looking for reasons to trust you:
Reviews prominently displayed
Real photos (not weird stock images that show an American call centre from 2010)
Clear pricing or at least pricing guidance
Proof you're established and legitimate
A website that looks professional but feels anonymous loses to one that feels human and trustworthy.
One Change This Week
If you’re getting traffic to your website but not many enquiries the look at your website on your phone. Time how long it takes to find your phone number and tap to call. If it's more than two seconds, fix that first. Everything else can wait.
Thanks for reading,
Ollie
Ps. Sign up to my free newsletter here for more local SEO tips and guidance.