Visitors but few enquiries? Give your website a five-minute check

People visit your website, but the phone stays quiet and few enquiries arrive. Spending more on advertising may seem like the next step. First, though, look at the journey from visiting your site to making an enquiry. Extra traffic will not automatically fix an unclear journey.

Pick up your phone and open your website as a new customer would. Set aside five minutes. You do not need to be a marketer: focus on what you can see, understand and do. Keep a note open and write down one improvement at each step.

Minute 1: can I immediately understand what this business does for me?

Look at the first screen without scrolling. Is it clear what you offer, who it is for and, where relevant, which area you serve? A visitor does not know your business yet. An attractive photo or a slogan such as ‘Making a difference together’ provides little information on its own.

Be specific about your offer. ‘We install and replace front doors in South Limburg’ tells someone more than ‘Your partner in quality’. This is an example, not wording that suits every business.

Try it yourself: briefly show the page to someone outside your company and ask what they think you sell. If their answer is wrong, clarify your heading and introduction first.

Minute 2: can I see what to do next?

Do you want someone to call, request a quote or book an appointment? Choose one clear main action for each page. ‘Request a quote’ is more specific than ‘More information’. Make sure the action is easy to find and tap on a phone.

Check where the button leads. Do you reach the right information or form immediately, or do you have to search again? A phone number should work as a call link; check its destination without placing a test call.

Try it yourself: follow the main button from your homepage. Note every point where you hesitate or have to go back.

Minute 3: am I asking only for what is needed?

Review your enquiry form. A name, a way to get in touch and a short question may be enough for an initial conversation. A full address or detailed project brief is not always necessary at this stage. What you genuinely need depends on your service.

Make required fields recognisable. If something goes wrong, explain which field needs attention and how to continue. Visitors should not have to retype their entire message because one detail is missing.

Try it yourself: write down why you need each required field before the first conversation. If there is no clear answer, discuss whether it can wait until later.

Minute 4: does the journey work comfortably on a phone?

Scroll through the page and open the menu. Can you read the text and buttons without zooming in? Does a cookie notice, popup or other layer cover the contact button? Can you still use the form when the keyboard appears?

Also look for the information someone needs to make a decision. This might include your process, examples of your work, contact options or an explanation of pricing. Not every business can show a fixed price, but you can explain how someone gets a suitable quote.

Try it yourself: complete the journey on your own phone. Later, ask a colleague to try it on a different device.

Minute 5: does an enquiry actually arrive?

A working button does not necessarily mean an enquiry has been received. Send one clearly labelled test message through your own form, such as ‘TEST – website form check’, using an email address you control. Check that a clear confirmation appears and that the enquiry reaches the right colleague or system. If necessary, check receipt again after the five minutes are up.

Does the confirmation explain what happens next? Only give a response time your team can realistically meet. A visitor needs to know that the message was received and what to expect.

Try it yourself: note where the test message arrives and who is responsible for following it up.

Choose one improvement and see what changes

You do not have to rebuild your whole website. Start with the clearest obstacle in your notes. You might improve the wording of your main button or make the explanation above the form easier to understand.

Record the change and its date. Then compare the number of genuine enquiries over periods with similar traffic. If you have visitor figures, also look at the proportion of visitors who enquire. With little traffic, it may take longer before a difference tells you anything useful. Seasons, campaigns and visitor quality can all affect the result; one change does not guarantee more enquiries.

Want to find out where your visitors get stuck? BigBase helps with clear, user-friendly websites, forms and enquiry measurement. Get in touch and tell us which step you want to improve.