Why Small Business Websites Fail (and How to Fix Yours)

Most small business websites don't fail dramatically. They don't crash or disappear. They just sit there, looking fine, while enquiries come from everywhere except the website. You're still paying for it and it still needs updating, but it isn't doing the one job you built it for.

I build and fix websites for small businesses, and the same handful of problems come up again and again. Here they are, with what to do about each one.

Signs your small business website isn't working

• Hardly anyone mentions finding you through the website.

• People phone or message to ask things the website should already answer, like prices or opening times.

• You'd rather not send people the link.

• It's awkward to update, so parts of it are out of date.

• It doesn't appear when you search Google for your service and your town.

If two or more of those sound familiar, one of the problems below is probably behind it.

Why Most Small Business Websites Fail.

Six reasons small business websites fail

1. It talks about you, not the customer

Many homepages open with the company history or a vague line about passion and quality. Visitors arrive with a question, usually some version of "can you help me, and how do I get started?" If the first screen doesn't answer that, they leave.

The fix: say what you do, who it's for and where, in plain words, at the top of the homepage. When I built DS Sports Massage Therapy's website, the homepage was set up to answer three questions straight away: what treatments are offered, who the therapist is and how to book.

2. Visitors can't see what to do next

A page with no clear next step is a dead end. So is a page with six competing buttons.

The fix: decide the one action you want on each page, whether that's booking, calling or filling in a form, and make it obvious. Put it near the top and again at the end. Keep a booking or contact link in the menu so it's always one click away, as on Adam Harding's musician website.

3. It's slow, especially on a phone

Most visitors will see your site on their phone, often on a patchy signal. Large images, background videos, pop-ups and animations all add weight. I learned this on my own site recently: decorative animations and a background video were noticeably slowing the mobile version, so they came off.

The fix: run your homepage through Google's free PageSpeed Insights test on its mobile setting. Compress large images, remove autoplaying video and cut anything that's there purely for show.

4. Google can't tell what you do or where

If one page tries to cover every service, or the page titles just say "Home" and "Services", Google has little to go on.

The fix: give each main service its own page, with the service and your area in the page title and main heading. Set up and fill in your free Google Business Profile, and keep your business name and address exactly the same everywhere they appear. My SEO strategies guide goes into more detail.

5. Nothing shows you can be trusted

People are wary of choosing a business they've never heard of. A site with no reviews, no examples of work and no photo of the person behind it gives them nothing to go on.

The fix: add real reviews (Google reviews are ideal), a few examples of your work and a photo of you. Never invent testimonials. Short, specific case studies work well, because they show exactly what you did, like the humans. launch website or CasePilot's LinkedIn content.

6. It's never updated

Old prices, last year's events and a blog that stopped two years ago all tell visitors the business might not be active.

The fix: choose a platform you can edit yourself, and put a reminder in your diary every three months to check prices, dates and contact details. Remove anything you can't keep up to date.

A 15-minute check you can do today

1. Open your website on your phone. Does the first screen say what you do and where?

2. Search Google for your main service and your town. Does your website or Google Business Profile appear?

3. Ask a friend to find your prices and how to contact you. Time how long it takes.

4. Click every button and link on your homepage. Do they all work?

5. Run the homepage through PageSpeed Insights on mobile and note the score.

6. Read your most recent review. Does your website show any reviews at all?

Fix it or start again?

If the design is reasonable and the problems are mostly words, speed and structure, a refresh is usually enough. If the site is hard to edit, built on an old platform or doesn't work on a phone, starting again is often cheaper in the long run. You can see what each option costs on my prices page.

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Want a second opinion on your website?

I design and refresh websites for small businesses, and help them get found on Google. Have a look at my website design service or get in touch and I'll tell you honestly what I'd change first.

Ask me about your website