You have a website. Maybe you paid someone to build it a few years ago. Maybe you set it up yourself on Wix or Squarespace. Either way, it\'s out there on the internet, and you assume it\'s doing its job.
But is it?
I look at local business websites constantly. It\'s part of what I do. And I can tell you that a surprising number of them have problems the owner doesn\'t even know about. Broken contact forms, pages that don\'t load on phones, outdated information that sends customers to the wrong place.
Here\'s the good news: you can check most of this yourself in about 15 minutes. No tech knowledge required. Just a phone and a computer.
Check 1: Google Your Own Business Name
Open Google on your phone (not your computer, your phone) and search for your exact business name. What shows up?
- Does your website appear on the first page?
- Is the link correct and does it actually work?
- Does the description under the link accurately describe what you do?
- Do you see your Google Business Profile with the map, hours, and phone number?
If your own website doesn\'t show up when someone searches your business name, that\'s a serious problem. It means customers who heard about you from a friend can\'t find you online. When I set up Orlov Digital, one of the first things I did was make sure my site showed up correctly for "Orlov Digital Sedalia." It sounds basic, but you\'d be surprised how many businesses fail this simple test.
Check 2: Visit Your Site on Your Phone
More than half of all web traffic comes from mobile devices. For local businesses, it\'s even higher because people are searching on the go. Pull up your website on your phone and be honest with yourself:
- Can you read the text without pinching and zooming?
- Do the buttons and links work when you tap them?
- Is the phone number clickable (tap to call)?
- Does the page load in under 3 seconds?
- Does anything look broken, overlapping, or cut off?
This is the one I see the most around Sedalia. Sites that look perfectly fine on a desktop computer but are a mess on a phone. Text that\'s too small, buttons that overlap, menus that don\'t open. If your customers can\'t use your site on their phone, you\'re losing them.
Check 3: Test Your Contact Form
This one is critical, and almost nobody does it. Go to your website, fill out your own contact form, and submit it. Then check your email.
Did you get the message? If not, you have a problem.
I\'ve run into this more than once when looking at local sites. Contact forms that submit successfully (the user sees a "Thank you" message) but the email never arrives. The business owner has no idea because they never tested it. Meanwhile, potential customers are reaching out and getting silence in return.
Common reasons this happens: the form is configured to send to an old email address, the hosting company\'s email server is blocking it, or the form was never properly connected in the first place. Whatever the reason, every day your contact form is broken is a day you might be missing real leads.
Check 4: Run a Speed Test
Go to pagespeed.web.dev (Google\'s free tool) and enter your website address. It will give you a score from 0 to 100 for both mobile and desktop performance.
You don\'t need a perfect score. But if your mobile score is under 50, your site is noticeably slow for visitors. Google has said openly that page speed is a ranking factor, meaning slow sites get pushed down in search results.
When I build sites for clients, I aim for 90 or above. The Orlov Digital site scores 93 on mobile and 98 on desktop. The Lemko Coating site I built for Nathan here in Sedalia scores similarly. Fast loading isn\'t just about user experience. It directly affects whether Google shows your site to people.
I also built a free Website Grader tool that checks your site and gives you a plain-English report. It covers speed, mobile-friendliness, SEO basics, and security. Takes about 30 seconds.
Check 5: Look for Outdated Information
Read through your entire website as if you\'re a customer seeing it for the first time. Check for:
- Phone number: is it current? Can you actually receive calls at that number?
- Address: did you move? Is the map accurate?
- Hours: are these still correct?
- Services: are you still offering everything listed? Did you add new services that aren\'t mentioned?
- Prices: if you list prices, are they still accurate?
- Copyright year: does your footer say "2019"? That immediately tells visitors the site is neglected.
Outdated information isn\'t just a minor inconvenience. It actively damages trust. If a customer shows up expecting you to be open based on your website hours and you\'re closed, that\'s not a small mistake. That\'s a lost customer who probably won\'t come back.
Check 6: Try Different Browsers
Your website might look perfect in Chrome but broken in Safari (which is what most iPhone users have). Open your site in at least two different browsers. If you have an iPhone and a computer, that covers the two biggest ones.
This doesn\'t have to be a deep technical test. Just pull up the site and make sure nothing looks obviously wrong. Can you navigate the menu? Do images load? Does the layout look normal?
What to Do If Something\'s Wrong
If you found issues during these checks, you have a few options.
If you built the site yourself on a platform like Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress, most of these fixes are straightforward. Update your info, test the form, and check the mobile preview in your site editor.
If someone else built it, reach out to them. A good developer will fix basic issues like broken forms and outdated content quickly. If they\'re unresponsive or the fixes cost more than the site is worth, it might be time for a new site.
If you want a professional opinion, run your site through the free Website Grader I mentioned, or send me a message. I\'ll take a look and tell you straight what needs fixing and what\'s fine. No charge for a quick assessment.
Your website is working for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It\'s worth spending 15 minutes to make sure it\'s actually doing a good job.