Most small business owners don’t know if their website is helping or hurting them. It’s just… there. You paid for it once, it looks “fine” on your laptop, and unless someone complains you assume it’s doing its job. The truth: a lot of small business websites quietly put people off before they ever pick up the phone or fill in a form. The good news is you don’t need to be technical to spot the obvious issues. Here are three quick checks you can do in five minutes. 1. Does your browser say “Not secure”? Open your website in Chrome on a laptop or phone. Look at the address bar: If you see a padlock or https:// – good. If you see “Not secure” or just http:// – that’s a problem. To a normal person, “Not secure” reads as “maybe don’t put your details in here”. It doesn’t matter that it’s “just a brochure site” – you’re asking people to trust you with their name, email and phone number. Fix: Your site needs an SSL certificate. Most modern hosting includes this for free. It’s usually a case of ticking a box or asking your developer to turn it on. If your web company wants to charge you a monthly fee for SSL, that’s a red flag. 2. How easy is it to contact you on mobile? Most of your traffic is on mobile now, even if your business is local. Do this: 1. Open your website on your phone. 2. Pretend you’re a new customer who wants to get in touch. 3. Time how long it takes to find a clear way to contact you. Ask yourself: Is there a big, obvious button in the header or hero that says “Call us”, “Book a call” or “Get a quote”? Is your phone number clickable? (You should be able to tap it and your phone opens the dialler.) Is there a simple contact form, or are you expecting people to copy‑paste an email address? If you have to scroll around hunting for a contact page, or pinch‑zoom to tap a tiny link, people will give up. Fix: Add one clear call‑to‑action above the fold on mobile. Make your phone number clickable. Make your form short and easy: name, email, phone, message – that’s usually enough. 3. Does your site look like it was last updated years ago? Small signals matter. Look at: The copyright year in the footer – does it still say 2019? Any references to dates – “We’ve been trading for 10 years” (from 5 years ago…) Old promotions or seasonal offers still on the homepage It doesn’t take long for a site to feel “stale”. People won’t consciously think “this is old”, they’ll just get a vague sense that it isn’t looked after – and that feeling carries over to how they see your business. Fix: Update the copyright year. Remove old offers. Make sure any “we’ve been going X years” lines still add up. A fresh testimonial or case study goes a long way. What to do if your site fails these checks If you spot one or more of these, it doesn’t automatically mean you need a full rebuild. Often it’s a case of: Turning on SSL Cleaning up the header and contact options Tweaking copy and updating a few small details These are the kinds of fixes I do for small businesses every week. If you’d like a quick, honest look at your site, send me the link and I’ll tell you what I’d change – no hard sell.