Most homepages don't lose customers with one big mistake. They lose them with a handful of small frictions that add up to "I'll try someone else." Here are the seven that cost local businesses the most — and the fix for each.
1. The phone number is hard to find
Someone ready to call shouldn't have to hunt. Put your number (and a tap-to-call button) at the top, on every page, on mobile. If finding how to contact you takes more than two seconds, you've added friction at the exact moment they were ready.
2. It loads slowly
A slow homepage is a closed door. People won't wait several seconds to see what you do — they'll bounce. Oversized images are usually the cause. More on that here.
3. There's no proof you're any good
No reviews, no testimonials, no photos of real work. A stranger has no reason to trust you. A few genuine Google reviews and photos of actual jobs do more than any amount of "we pride ourselves on quality."
4. It's not clear what you do — or where
Within a few seconds, a visitor should know exactly what service you offer and which areas you cover. Vague taglines like "solutions for your needs" make people leave. "Emergency electricians across Brisbane's northside" makes them call.
5. Stock-photo soup
The smiling call-centre headset, the generic handshake — everyone's seen them, and they make a real local business look fake. Use your own photos: your team, your van, your finished work. Real beats polished.
6. Walls of text
Nobody reads dense paragraphs on a phone. Short lines, clear headings, and one obvious next step beat three paragraphs about your company history. Say what you do, show you're trusted, tell them how to book.
7. It's broken on mobile
Most local searches happen on a phone. If your site is built for a desktop and squished onto mobile — tiny text, buttons you can't tap, things overflowing the screen — you're losing the majority of your visitors. Always check your own site on your own phone.
The job of a homepage is simple: make it obvious what you do, prove you can be trusted, and make it effortless to get in touch. Everything else is decoration.
The short version
- Make the phone number and "call" button impossible to miss on mobile.
- Prove trust fast with real reviews and real photos.
- Be clear about what you do and where — and make sure it works on a phone.
Rather we just handled it?
Reading about this is one thing — having it done for you is another. Book a quick call and we'll put together a free mockup of your site and a plain-English plan to get you found on Google.
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