Small business websites are a bit like wizards’ workshops. Full of strange potions, creaky shelves, and the odd puff of smoke. And while the owner usually means well, half the time no one can find the door.
Our experts at The SEO Consultant London went through 100 websites for small businesses — tradespeople, cafés, therapists, dog groomers, you name it. And across all of them, the same problems popped up like mushrooms after rain.
Not big flashy problems. Not ones that shout. The quiet, everyday ones that make Google sigh and shuffle your site off to page six.
Here’s what we saw. Again. And again. And again.
Mistake 1: The Home Page That Says Nothing
You’d be amazed how many home pages begin with something like:
“Welcome to our website. We pride ourselves on offering quality services to meet your needs.”
This tells you absolutely nothing. Not what the service is. Not where they’re based. Not even who they are. It’s like walking into a shop and being greeted with, “We do stuff.”
If Google can’t work out what your business does from the first few lines, it won’t show your site. Because it’s guessing. And it doesn’t like guessing.
Fix it:
Say what you do. Say where you do it. Put it in your first line.
“Digital Marketing In Swindon” works better than a slogan written by a confused poet.
Mistake 2: No Local Clues
Most of the sites we looked at belonged to local businesses. You know, actual people with vans and kettles. But their websites were written like they served the whole galaxy.
They forgot to mention their town. Or their postcode. Or the areas they cover. Google needs clues. Without them, your site’s like a pub with no sign — people walk past.
Fix it:
Mention your location in titles, headings, and text.
Add directions or a map. Talk about nearby places you work in. Make it obvious you’re not just a stock photo and a prayer.
Mistake 3: Invisible Contact Info
Now this one’s just odd. You’d think businesses want customers to get in touch. And yet we found sites where the phone number was tiny, buried, or missing entirely.
Some made you click through two pages just to find an email. Some didn’t even have a contact form that worked. If you’re lucky enough to have a visitor, don’t make them play hide-and-seek.
Fix it:
Put your phone number at the top of every page. Make it click-to-call on mobile.
Have a short, working contact form. And double-check your email doesn’t go to spam or a long-forgotten inbox.
Mistake 4: Stale, Crusty Content
We found pages last updated in 2017. Blogs that stopped during the pandemic and never returned. Services listed that the business no longer offered.
Google notices when a site hasn’t changed. It thinks, “Ah, perhaps they’ve shut up shop.”
Fix it:
Update your main pages now and then. Add new photos. Refresh your services.
And if you have a blog, either keep it going or hide it. Nothing screams “we’ve given up” quite like a blog titled “Exciting Things Ahead!” dated four years ago.
Mistake 5: SEO by Fortune Cookie
Some sites clearly tried to do SEO. But they’d been given bad advice. Or used an old plugin. Or hired someone whose SEO strategy involves stuffing words into places they don’t belong.
We saw titles like:
“Plumber Boiler Heating Pipe Repairs Installation Servicing Near You | Best Local Kent Emergency Now”
That’s not SEO. That’s a nervous breakdown.
Google has grown up. It doesn’t need you to repeat the same phrase ten times. It just needs a clean structure, relevant words, and a bit of human sense.
Fix it:
Write like a person. Put your service and town in the page title, one or two subheadings, and the first paragraph.
That’s it. You don’t need to chant your keyword like it’s going to summon customers through a portal.
What This Tells Us
Most of these mistakes aren’t about budget. They’re about being too close to your own site. When you build something yourself, or haven’t touched it in years, it’s easy to miss what’s missing.
You know what you offer. But Google doesn’t. And your customers won’t either, unless you say it out loud, clearly, and in the first few lines.
Fixing these five things won’t make your site perfect. But it will make it visible. And that’s a start.
