Full Transcript
[0:00]
Welcome to the 805 Web Minute and today we're talking about the 10 essential checks for 2026. The determine if your website is turning central cost customers away. Yeah, and you know, it's not just about having a website anymore. It's really about whether that website is actively working against you. Right. And for this deep dive, we're really focused on skipping the super technical jargon. We want to hit the big things, the non-technical checks that actually cost local businesses calls and clicks. Exactly. I mean, your website is your front lobby 24-7. Mm-hmm. It's doing all the work before anyone even thinks about picking up the phone. And most people don't realize how fast that first impression happens. We've got some stats here that are, well, they're pretty brutal. They really are. We know that somewhere between 70 and 80% of people will research a business online first. Before they do anything else. Before anything. And if they like what they see, they might call. If not, they're just on to the next person in the search results. And that judgment window. It's tiny. The stat that always gets me is that users form an opinion in about 50 milliseconds. 50. That's faster than you can blink. Faster than a blink. I mean, what can someone possibly judge in that amount of time? It's subconscious. It's a gut feeling. It's a mix of visual appeal and a sense of speed. If the site feels slow or looks clunky, the brain just immediately makes a connection. This business is outdated or unreliable. Yeah. And it's not really about pretty designs about credibility. Our sources show 75% of people will judge a company's entire credibility just on its website design. That's a tough metric. If your site looks like it was built five years ago, the assumption is your services too. Okay, so let's dive into the foundational checks. Starting with what's probably the most punishing one. Let's do it. So check number one, the speed test. And you have to do this on your phone. Right. Not on your fast office Wi-Fi. Use your regular cell connection. Yes. And just time how long it takes for everything to load. And the magic number is three seconds or maybe the tragic number.
[2:02]
It's a hard line. The data here is merciless. If your site takes longer than three seconds to load, 53% of mobile users are just gone. Vanished. You never even got a chance to show them what you do. And that's not all. Even for those who stick around, write at that three second mark. The bounce rate, that's people who leave after seeing just one page, it jumps by 32%. So if your site is slow, what's the actual cause? We always hear optimize your images. But what does that really mean in 2026? Well, it means the old ways aren't good enough. Standard JPEGs. They're too big. You really need to be using what they call next gen formats like WebP. WebP. Okay. Yeah, it can cut down an image's file size by 3040, sometimes 50% with no visible loss in quality. If your site isn't using modern compression like that, it's going to struggle to pass that three second test, especially here in Esselo County with high-res photos of properties or wineries. That's a great practical tip. So speaking of phones, that brings us to check number two. The mobile check. Absolutely. About 60% of all traffic is on a mobile device now. And the test for this is simple. But the strategy behind it is, well, it's all about the thumb. The thumb, not the mouse pointer. I like that. So we're testing for what? Three things. Readability. Readability is first. Can you read everything without pinching and zooming? If you have to do that, you've already failed. People just won't do it. And then tap ability. Right. Are the buttons big enough for a thumb to actually hit easily? You know, if two links are too close and they taps the wrong one, that's instant frustration. And finally, navigation. The menu. The menu has to be simple. If it's hard to open or close, or if you have to scroll sideways, forget it. If you have to turn your phone sideways to see something, your customers are already gone. They're looking at your competitor. All that friction just kills any chance of a sale. Okay. So what's the silent killer of trust? That would be check number three, the security check. We're talking about that little lock icon in the browser bar. Your website address has to start with HTTPS.
[4:04]
It's completely non-negotiable now. If you don't have it, you have two huge problems. First is that 82% of people will just leave a site if they see a not secure warning. Especially if they have to enter any information, even just the name and an email. Oh, absolutely. The second problem is Google. They use that HTTPS security as a core ranking signal. No lock means you are at a serious disadvantage against every local competitor who has one. So if you don't see that lock on your own site, it's basically an emergency. It's a security and an SEO emergency. Okay, so we've covered the core technical stuff. Let's shift to the more human side of things, like credibility and maintenance. Right, the things that show your business is current and alive. So we'll start with check number five. The freshness check. This one's easy. Just scroll down to the bottom of your website and look at the copyright year in the flutter. It sounds so minor, but the date is pretty shocking. A recent study showed almost a third of websites haven't updated their copyright year. So in January, 2026, it'll say copyright 2023. Exactly. And a customer sees that and immediately thinks, is this business even still open? Or do they not care about details? It's digital dust. The fix is easy, though. Update the year. And while you're at it, get rid of any coming soon sections that have been coming soon for two years. And delete old holiday promotions. Yes. Okay, that leads right into the next integrity test. Check number six, the broken link check. This one takes a little bit of clicking around. You have to go through your own main menu, click the learn more buttons. And make sure they actually go somewhere. Right, because hitting a 404 page not found error is, while 71% of visitors say they lose trust because of it. And other data says 88% are less likely to ever come back after a bad experience like that. And you don't have to do it all by hand. There are free broken link checker tools online that will crawl your site for you. You just need to run one. Okay, from internal links to external proof, let's talk reviews. Check number eight, the review check.
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This is huge, especially on the central coast. Where word of mouth is everything. 89% of customers read online reviews before they buy anything. We all know we need reviews. But the key insight here is about recency. Yes. If your last five star review is from two years ago, people wonder what's happened since, has the quality dropped. Three great reviews from last month are way more valuable than 50 great reviews from five years ago. And the action item here is engagement. You have to respond to them. To every single one, thank the positive ones. And for negative feedback, don't be defensive. Acknowledge the problem, offer a solution. It shows everyone else that you care about customer service. But a huge word of caution here. Never offer anything, discounts, free stuff for a review. Never. That's against Google's rules and can get you penalized. It's not worth the risk. All right, let's get into the final set of checks. These are all about actually getting leads and making it easy for customers. And this starts where every customer starts on Google. So this is check number seven. The Google Business Profile Check. Just Google your own business name and look at that box that shows up on the right is everything in there correct. For a local business, that profile is arguably more important than your homepage. And we found that 75% of the businesses in the top three local search results have a fully completed profile. And fully completed means what exactly? Correct hours, including holidays, a current phone number, a good description with local keywords and recent high quality photos. And make sure your business category is accurate. That's a big one. OK, so once they find you on Google, they need to contact you. This is check number four. The can they find you check. Yes. How many clicks does it take a customer to find your phone number? And the answer should be zero. Zero clicks. It needs to be on every single page in the footer at a minimum. But in the header is way better, especially on mobile. If they have to hunt, they'll just go back to Google. And that phone number needs to be tapped to call on a phone. Don't make me copy and paste it. That's friction.
[8:06]
Which brings us to probably the most dangerous and overlooked check. Number nine, the does it actually work? Check. You have to become your own customer. Go fill out your own contact form right now. So many business owners have no idea their main contact form is broken. They just think it's been a slow month. But really, they're losing every single person who tried to reach out. It's a total blind spot. It is. And even if it's not totally broken, studies show a one second delay or frustration can cut conversions by 7%. Test everything. The email links, the map, the social media icons. OK, let's wrap with the final big picture question. Check number 10. The what do I actually do? Check. We call this the 10 second friend test. It's all about clarity. So you grab someone who doesn't know your business, show them your homepage for just 10 seconds and then take it away. And then you ask them five questions. What does this business do? Who is it for? Where is it located? Why should I choose them? And what do I do next? If they can't answer all five of those instantly, your messaging has failed. Right. Clarity is always more important than being clever. Your homepage has to tell people what to do next. Call us. Get a quote. Book an appointment. Don't make them guess. So there they are. The 10 points for a healthy website in 2026. Speed, mobile security, contact info, freshness, no broken links, a complete Google profile, recent reviews, working forms, and clear messaging. And if you're keeping score, eight to 10 checks, your website is a real asset. Five to seven, you've got some work to do. Start with speed and mobile. But if you scored between zero and four, your website is probably actively hurting your business and costing you money every day. Yeah. And managing all of this stuff is exactly why so many local business owners feel, well, paralyzed by their own website. That's the quick tip for today. If you want a professional website without the agency price tag or the DIY headache, here's the better way. At Ugrow.Pro, we build it, we manage it, and we handle every update for ever all for just $79 a month.
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There is zero setup fee, no contract lock-in, and it is strictly month to month, so there is zero risk. We're local here in AG, and we can have you live in days, not months. Want to see what your site could look like? Go to Ugrow.Pro right now, and we'll design three custom mock-ups for your business, completely free, no strings attached. Thanks for listening and keep growing.