Common Mistakes August 28, 2024

5 Website Mistakes That Cost Small Businesses Customers

Your website might be turning away customers without you knowing it. Avoid these common mistakes that hurt local businesses every day.

Sarah runs a successful house cleaning service with 15 years of experience and dozens of happy customers. But her website was costing her 3-4 new customers every week, and she had no idea.

After fixing just 5 simple mistakes on her website, Sarah started getting 2-3 new customer inquiries per week instead of losing them.

⚠️ The Hidden Problem

Most small business owners never know they're losing customers to their website. Visitors just leave quietly and call a competitor instead.

Mistake #1: Making It Hard to Find Your Phone Number

When someone needs a plumber at 10 PM or wants to book a haircut appointment, they want to call immediately. If they can't find your phone number in 3 seconds, they're gone.

❌ What NOT to do:

  • • Hide phone number in the footer
  • • Only show "Contact Us" button
  • • Make people fill out a form to reach you

✅ Do this instead:

  • • Phone number in the header
  • • Make it clickable on mobile
  • • Show it on every page

Mistake #2: Not Working on Mobile Phones

Over 60% of people will visit your website on their phone first. If it doesn't work perfectly on mobile, you've already lost most of your potential customers.

Mobile Problems That Kill Sales:

  • • Text too small to read
  • • Buttons too small to tap
  • • Page loads too slowly
  • • Have to pinch and zoom to see anything
  • • Contact info gets cut off

Mistake #3: Not Showing Your Service Area

People want to know if you serve their area before they waste time calling. If it's not clear where you work, they'll find someone who is.

Vague: "Serving the Metro Area"

People don't know if they're included

Clear: "Serving Dallas, Plano, Frisco, and McKinney"

People immediately know if you serve them

Mistake #4: No Clear Business Hours

Customers want to know when they can reach you or when you're available for service. Hidden or missing hours create doubt and lost calls.

Include This Information:

  • ✓ Regular business hours
  • ✓ Emergency availability (if applicable)
  • ✓ Holiday hours or closures
  • ✓ Best times to call

Mistake #5: Generic, Boring Content

"We provide quality service at competitive prices." Every business says this. It doesn't help customers understand why they should choose you.

❌ Generic Content:

"We are a full-service contractor committed to excellence and customer satisfaction."

✅ Specific Content:

"Licensed electrician serving Dallas for 12 years. Specializing in panel upgrades, outlet installation, and emergency repairs. Same-day service available."

The Real Cost of These Mistakes

Let's be honest about what these mistakes cost you:

Weekly Lost Revenue:

Visitors who can't find your phone number 2-3 lost customers
Mobile visitors who leave immediately 4-5 lost customers
People unsure if you serve their area 1-2 lost customers
Total potential customers lost per week: 7-10

The Good News

These are all easy fixes. Remember Sarah from the beginning? Here's what happened after we fixed her website:

Sarah's Results After 30 Days:

Before:

  • • 1-2 inquiries per month from website
  • • High bounce rate (people leaving quickly)
  • • Mostly competing on price

After:

  • • 8-12 inquiries per month from website
  • • People staying longer, reading about services
  • • Customers choosing her based on experience

The Bottom Line

Small fixes make big differences. Every day your website has these problems is another day you're losing customers to competitors who got it right.

Don't let simple website mistakes cost you the customers you've worked so hard to attract.