Most websites don't break loudly. They just stop working for you, one visitor at a time. Here are five signs we see again and again, each with a two-minute check you can do today.
When we looked at 60 local business websites across Cumbria and the North West in September 2026, we found sites showing security warnings, a web address that had stopped working altogether, and pages you had to pinch and zoom to read on a phone. None of the owners would have noticed from behind the counter.
1. Your Browser Says "Not Secure"
Every website needs a security certificate: it's the padlock next to the address. If it runs out or was never set up properly, browsers show a warning, and sometimes a full-page "your connection is not private" message. Most people won't risk clicking past it.
The two-minute check: open your website on your phone and look for the padlock. Then try typing it with and without "www". Both should open your site with no warnings.
2. You Have to Pinch and Zoom on a Phone
Most people will see your website on a phone first. If the text is tiny, the buttons are fiddly or half the page hangs off the side of the screen, they give up and try the next business.
The two-minute check: on your phone, can you read everything without zooming? Can you tap your phone number and have it ring? Can you find your opening times with your thumb?
3. Your Footer Still Says © 2020
Small details tell visitors whether you're still going: an old year at the bottom of the page, last winter's holiday notice, "latest news" from years ago, a price list that's gone up since. None of them look like much, but together they say "nobody's home".
The two-minute check: scroll to the very bottom of your home page, then look at your news, events and opening times. Is anything out of date?
4. There's No Obvious Way to Book or Call
People decide in seconds. If they have to hunt for a phone number or a booking link, many won't bother. The businesses that do best put a clear Book or Call button on every page, and make the phone number tappable on phones.
The two-minute check: starting from your home page on a phone, count the taps it takes to book or call you. It should be one. (If you take bookings, our guide to automating your appointment booking will help.)
5. You Can't Change It Yourself
This is the one behind most of the others. If every change means emailing someone and waiting, the changes don't happen: the holiday notice stays up, the new stock never goes on, the old prices stay put.
The two-minute check: when did you last change something on your website yourself? If you can't remember, that's your answer.
A Bonus Sixth: Speed
A slow website loses people too, especially on patchy mobile signal. We've written about why speed matters and how to test it.
The Short Version
Do the five checks this week. If two or more fail, your website is quietly costing you customers, and most of the fixes are quicker than you'd think. If you'd like someone to look it over with you, message us. There's no obligation.