--- title: "Is Your Website Working? A Self-Assessment | Liftoff Local" url: https://liftofflocal.co/resources/guides/website-self-assessment description: "Questions to ask yourself about whether your website is helping or hurting your business. Be honest — this matters." lang: en --- All Stages 4 min read # Is Your Website Working? A Self-Assessment Questions to ask yourself about whether your website is helping or hurting your business. Be honest — this matters. Conversion Mobile Speed Clarity Your website is often the first impression potential customers have of your business. But many small business owners haven't looked at their site critically in years. This guide will help you honestly assess whether your website is an asset or a liability. ## The 5-Second Test Open your website on your phone (not your computer). In the first five seconds, can a stranger understand: 1) What you do, 2) Who you help, and 3) What they should do next? If not, you have a clarity problem. This is the most common issue we see with small business websites. - Ask someone unfamiliar with your business to take this test - Your headline should answer "What do you do?" immediately - Remove jargon — use language your customers use ## Mobile Experience Check Over 60% of local searches happen on mobile devices. Pull up your website on your phone and try to complete a basic task — find your phone number, check your hours, or submit a contact form. If any of this is difficult, you're losing customers. - Text should be readable without zooming - Buttons should be easy to tap with a thumb - Your phone number should be clickable to call - Forms should be short and easy to complete on mobile ## Speed Matters More Than You Think If your website takes more than 3 seconds to load, half your visitors will leave. Use Google's PageSpeed Insights to check your site speed. Large images are usually the culprit. If your site is slow, fixing this is often easier than you'd expect. - Run your site through PageSpeed Insights (free) - Compress images before uploading - Consider a faster hosting provider if needed - Remove plugins or features you're not using ## Clear Calls to Action Every page should have one primary thing you want visitors to do. Call you? Fill out a form? Book an appointment? Make that action obvious and easy. If visitors have to hunt for how to contact you, most won't bother. - Your main CTA should be visible without scrolling - Use action-oriented button text ("Get a Free Quote" not "Submit") - Reduce friction — ask only for information you truly need - Include your phone number in multiple places ## The Bottom Line Your website doesn't need to be fancy. It needs to be clear, fast, mobile-friendly, and make it easy for people to take the next step. If your site fails any of these tests, fixing them should be a priority — the return on investment is often immediate. ### Your Next Steps - 1 Take the 5-second test with someone outside your business - 2 Complete every action on your site using only your phone - 3 Run a speed test and address any major issues - 4 Review your CTAs — are they clear and compelling? Find Your Perfect Plan: https://liftofflocal.co/pricing Up next ### Understanding the Liftoff Growth System™ 8 min read https://liftofflocal.co/resources/guides/accl-framework Explore More ## Put this into action ### Locations Columbus, Ohio: https://liftofflocal.co/locations/columbus Dayton, Ohio: https://liftofflocal.co/locations/dayton Cincinnati, Ohio: https://liftofflocal.co/locations/cincinnati Bellefontaine, Ohio: https://liftofflocal.co/locations/bellefontaine View all locations: https://liftofflocal.co/locations ## Related Resources Tech & AI News ### AI Overviews Are Replacing Page 1 — What to Do Now 12 min read https://liftofflocal.co/resources/news/google-ai-overviews-replacing-page-1 Marketing Playbook ### HVAC Marketing Playbook https://liftofflocal.co/resources/playbooks/hvac-marketing ## Want personalized guidance? These guides cover the basics, but every business is different. 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