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
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