Run the 20-point check
Open your site on your phone. Check an item only when the answer is clearly yes—not “we plan to add it” or “people can probably find it.” The point is to see what a new customer sees.
0/20
Message and next step
Phone and form
Services and trust
Local clarity and search basics
Mobile quality and ownership
What the score means
16–20: Strong foundation
Fix the remaining specific gaps. A complete rebuild may not be the best use of money unless the design, content, or underlying system is hard to maintain.
10–15: Useful but leaking opportunities
Prioritize the contact path, service clarity, form delivery, and trust proof. These usually matter more than animation or a visual refresh by itself.
0–9: Replacement may be faster
When the basics are missing or the site is difficult to edit, a focused rebuild can be simpler than stacking fixes onto the old foundation. Preserve the domain, valuable content, and any search equity during the move.
Market demand, reputation, local competition, reviews, links, content quality, search visibility, and response speed still matter. The checklist only measures whether the website is ready to help.
What to fix first
- Confirm inquiry delivery. A broken form can waste every other marketing dollar.
- Make the mobile action obvious. Put click-to-call or quote request where customers naturally look.
- Rewrite the first screen. Say the service, location, and outcome plainly.
- Add real proof. Use verified reviews, jobs, people, credentials, and policies.
- Improve speed and legibility. Compress heavy assets and remove decorative work that delays the main task.
- Clarify ownership and tracking. Control the domain and measure submitted forms, calls, and qualified inquiries.
Apply it to your trade
The fundamentals stay the same, but the decision details differ. See the focused website plan for plumbers, electricians, HVAC companies, roofers, painters, landscapers, tree service companies, and auto repair shops.
If the score says you need a rebuild, use the small business website cost guide before comparing proposals.
Method and sources
Our team created this checklist from the intake, content-verification, conversion, mobile, and handoff checks used in our own local service website work. Google’s public documentation also emphasizes helpful content, crawlable internal links, descriptive page structure, and a good overall page experience. Search setup makes pages easier to understand and discover; nobody can honestly guarantee a specific ranking.
- Google Search Essentials: SEO Starter Guide
- Google: creating helpful, reliable, people-first content
- Google: crawlable links and internal linking
Want us to do the replacement?
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