Most small business owners assume their website is “grand” because it exists. It loads. It has their phone number on it. Job done. Bob’s your uncle. But the reality is that a website can look perfectly fine on the surface and still be quietly losing you customers every single day. The good news? Most of the problems are pretty easy to spot once you know what you’re looking for.
This isn’t a technical deep-dive. It’s a fairly straightforward self-audit you can do yourself – no agency needed.
First: Why Does This Matter?
Your website is usually the first proper impression someone gets of your business. Before they ring you, before they message you, they’re Googling you.
If they land on your site and it’s slow, confusing, hard to use on a phone, or doesn’t immediately tell them what they need to know – they’re gone fairly swiftly. And they’ve already moved on to the next result before you even knew they were there. You’ve probably done the same yourself many a time when Googling for something.
The frustrating thing is that most business owners never see this happening. There’s no alert that says “you just lost a customer.” The phone just quietly doesn’t ring as much as it should. So you think yeah my website is fine but in the same breadth think that the odd phone call here and there or the one-off form submission is about what you should expect from a website, when that’s simply not true at all at all.
So let’s go through it.
The 3 second rule.
If your site takes more than ~3 seconds to load, a huge chunk of your visitors will leave before they even see it.
1. How Fast Does Your Website Load?
This is one of the biggest silent killers. If your site takes more than ~3 seconds to load, a huge chunk of your visitors will leave before they even see it. That’s how impatient we’ve become. And on mobile, people are even less patient.
Page speed also affects your Google rankings. Slow sites get pushed down. It’s that simple.
How To Check It
GTmetrix (gtmetrix.com) is brilliant for this. It’s free, it’s easy to use, and it gives you a clear score with a breakdown of exactly what’s slowing your site down. Just paste in your URL and it’ll do the rest.
Google PageSpeed Insights (pagespeed.web.dev) is Google’s own tool, so the results carry extra weight. It gives you separate scores for mobile and desktop, which is important — a lot of sites that score well on desktop are actually quite slow on mobile.
What to look for: Aim for a GTmetrix grade of B or above, and a PageSpeed score of 70+ on mobile. If you’re scoring below that, speed is likely hurting both your rankings and your conversions.
Common culprits: oversized images, too many plugins (especially on WordPress), slow hosting, and poorly written code. If GTmetrix flags something but you’re not sure what to do about it, it’s worth getting someone to look at it.
One important note:
This is a point worth stressing. PageSpeed Insights can be very misleading. These tests are run on the performance of really old phones and low-g networks (i.e. 3g) so in reality the result is rarely (if ever) directly relevant to people in Ireland. Saying that, in more rural areas where network coverage isn’t as high it can be a factor. All I would say it that if your site speed is a little bit off meeting the grade here it is not the end of the world – it is one ranking factor among hundreds. (That’s not to say it isn’t important however.)
2. How Does It Look And Work On A Phone?
Pull out your phone right now and open your website. Not the desktop version – your actual site on your actual phone.
Ask yourself honestly:
- Is the text readable without zooming in?
- Are the buttons big enough to tap without hitting the wrong thing?
- Does the phone number click to call?
- Is the navigation usable?
- Does it load quickly on mobile data, not just your home WiFi?
The majority of local searches happen on mobile. If someone’s looking for a plumber, an electrician, a café, a hairdresser – they’re almost certainly on their phone. If your site makes that experience frustrating, they’re gone.
How To Check It Properly
Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test (search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly) will tell you if Google considers your site mobile-friendly. It’s a pass/fail check and takes about 10 seconds.
For a more thorough look, BrowserStack has a free tool that shows you how your site renders on different devices and screen sizes. Useful if you want to see exactly how it looks on an iPhone vs an Android.
3. Is It Immediately Clear What You Do?
This one sounds obvious but it’s mad how often it falls down.
When someone lands on your homepage, can they tell within about 5 seconds:
- What your business does
- Where you’re based or what areas you cover
- How to get in touch with you
If your homepage opens with a vague slogan, a stock photo, and no clear explanation of your services – you’re making people work to figure out if you’re even relevant to them. Most won’t bother.
Be specific. “North Dublin Electrician — Domestic & Commercial Work in Dublin 9, 11 & 15” beats “Excellence in Every Job” every single time.
As a rule of thumb at Northside Digital, in our experience, we like to think that there’s almost all the information someone needs to make (or be close to making) a decision right there in the hero section. Not always possible be that’s an ideal goal.
A Quick Way To Test This
Show your homepage to someone who doesn’t know your business. Don’t explain anything beforehand. Give them 10 seconds, then ask them: what does this company do, and where are they based? If they struggle to answer, you’ve got a problem.
4. Are Your Calls To Action Clear?
A Call To Action (CTA) is anything that tells the visitor what to do next. Ring us. Get a quote. Book online. Send us a message.
The mistake I see constantly is websites that just… end. The visitor scrolls to the bottom of the page and there’s nothing there to prompt them. Or the contact button is buried somewhere in the navigation. Or the phone number is only in the footer.
Your CTA should appear:
- In the header / top of the page
- After you describe your main services
- Near any testimonials or reviews
- At the bottom of every page
And on mobile, a sticky click-to-call button is genuinely one of the most effective things you can add. Someone searching for an emergency plumber on their phone doesn’t want to fill in a form – they want to ring you immediately.
5. Do You Have Reviews On Your Site?
Google reviews are massive. I cannot stress this enough.
Most people check them before they contact a local business. But a lot of business owners have great reviews on Google and nothing on their website.
Displaying your reviews on your site does two things: it saves the visitor a step (they don’t have to go hunting for reassurance), and it keeps them on your site rather than sending them off to Google. This along keeps engagement rate up.
Plugins like Trustindex make this fairly handy. They pull in your Google reviews automatically and display them cleanly on your site. No manual copy-pasting needed.
While you’re at it: when did you last look at your Google Business Profile? Is the info up to date? Are you responding to reviews? A well-maintained GBP is one of the most powerful free tools available to small businesses in Ireland, and most aren’t using it properly. Here’s a Google review guide that you might find handy – you can download it for future reference.
I’ve also created a write up here in case you’re wondering whether you should focus your attention on Google Reviews Or Trust Pilot reviews.
6. Are You Showing Up In Google At All?
You can have a beautiful, fast, mobile-friendly website and still not be getting found if the SEO isn’t right.
How To Do A Quick Check
Google Search Console is free and connects directly to your website. It shows you which search terms are bringing people to your site, how many impressions and clicks you’re getting, and whether Google has found any issues with your pages. If you haven’t set it up yet, do it today – it’s one of the most useful tools available and most small businesses aren’t using it.
Ubersuggest (by Neil Patel) is a deadly tool that has a free tier that lets you check your domain’s SEO score, see what keywords you’re ranking for, and identify basic issues. It’s not as deep as paid tools but it’s more than enough to get a picture of where you stand.
A simple manual check: Open a private/incognito browser window (so your own browsing history doesn’t skew results) and search for your main service + your location. For example: “electrician Finglas” or “café Swords.” Where do you appear? First page? Second? Not at all?
If you’re not on the first page for your core service and location, potential customers aren’t finding you. Full stop.
It’s true what they say – page 2 of Google search results is the place to hide dead bodies.
7. When Was Your Website Last Updated?
This one’s easy to overlook. An outdated website sends signals – to visitors and to Google that your business might not be active.
Ask yourself:
- Is your content accurate? (Services, prices, opening hours, contact details)
- Are there any broken links or missing images?
- Does it look like it was built in 2019 and nobody’s touched it since?
- Is your blog (if you have one) sitting with a post from three years ago?
Google favours websites that are maintained and updated regularly. And visitors notice too – an outdated site quietly undermines trust. Google sees an actively managed website as an active business.
Check For Broken Links
Broken Link Checker (brokenlinkcheck.com) scans your site for free and flags any links that go nowhere. A site full of broken links looks unprofessional and Google doesn’t like it either.
The Self-Audit Checklist
Here’s a quick summary you can work through:
- Page speed score of B / 70+ on GTmetrix and PageSpeed Insights
- Mobile-friendly on Google’s test
- Works properly on an actual phone
- Homepage explains what you do, where you are, and how to contact you within 5 seconds
- Clear CTAs throughout — not just at the bottom
- Reviews visible on the site (not just on Google)
- Set up on Google Search Console
- Ranking on page 1 for your core service + location
- Content and contact details are accurate and up to date
- No broken links
If you’re ticking most of those boxes, you’re in decent shape. If a few of them made you wince – now you know where to start. We do this thing for clients all the time, so if you’d prefer to, we can help you out – just give us a shout.
What To Do If Your Site Isn’t Performing
Some of these issues you can fix yourself. Others like page speed problems, structural SEO, or a full redesign are worth getting proper help with.
At Northside Digital, we work with small businesses across Dublin to build websites that actually generate enquiries – not just sit there looking nice and pretty. If your site needs a refresh or a full rebuild, our web design service is built specifically for businesses like yours.
And if your Google Business Profile isn’t pulling its weight, that’s a quick win too — our Google Business Profile optimisation service gets your listing working properly so you show up when local customers are searching.
Think your site might be losing you business? Give us a shout — we’re happy to take a look.
FAQ Roundup:
How do I know if my website is slow?
Run it through GTmetrix (gtmetrix.com) or Google PageSpeed Insights (pagespeed.web.dev). Both are free and will give you a score and a breakdown of what’s causing any slowness.
What's a good page speed score?
Aim for a GTmetrix grade of B or above, and a Google PageSpeed score of 70 or higher on mobile. Anything below 50 on mobile is a real problem worth fixing.
Do I need Google Search Console?
Yes, every business with a website should have it set up. It’s free, it shows you how Google sees your site, what searches are bringing people to you, and flags any technical issues. It takes about 15 minutes to set up.
How often should I update my website?
At minimum, review it every few months. Make sure service info, contact details, and any prices are accurate. If you have a blog, keep it active — even a post every 6–8 weeks is better than leaving it dormant for years.
My site looks fine to me — why might it still not be working?
Because what looks fine to you (on your laptop, on fast WiFi, knowing exactly what your business does) can be a very different experience for a stranger on their phone with average signal who’s never heard of you. That gap is where customers get lost.
