Full Transcript
Lauren: So my friend was saying she wants to start 2026 right for her business, you know, fresh start and all that. And I asked her, when's the last time you actually looked at your website? And she goes... I don't know, like a year ago?
Honor: Welcome to the 805 Web Minute with Lauren and Honor... We make interwebs and website stuff make sense... Let's get into it.
Honor: Okay, that's actually a really common problem. People set up their website and then just... forget about it. But here's the thing... your website is usually the first impression people get of your business.
Lauren: Right, like before they even walk through the door.
Honor: Exactly. And I have a number that might surprise you. People form an opinion about your website in about 50 milliseconds.
Lauren: Wait... 50 milliseconds? That's faster than a blink!
Honor: Faster than a blink. And in that split second, they're deciding whether to stay or bounce. And 75 percent of people judge a company's credibility just based on the website design.
Lauren: Okay, so it's like... your website is basically your storefront window. And if the window looks dusty and outdated, people assume the whole store is dusty and outdated.
Honor: That's exactly right. And there's one thing that kills websites more than anything else... speed.
Lauren: Speed?
Honor: Yeah. If your site takes more than three seconds to load on a phone, you've already lost more than half your visitors. 53 percent of people just leave.
Lauren: Oh! More than half... just gone? Because of three seconds?
Honor: Gone. And it gets worse every second after that. If your site is slow, people aren't even seeing your content. They're not reading your services, they're not finding your phone number... they're already clicking on your competitor.
Lauren: That's like... having a really great restaurant, but the front door is stuck. And people are jiggling the handle for three seconds and then just going to the place next door.
Honor: Perfect analogy. And the other big thing is mobile. About 60 percent of all website traffic now comes from phones. Not computers... phones.
Lauren: 60 percent! So if your site is hard to use on a phone...
Honor: You're annoying most of your visitors. Can you read the text without pinching to zoom? Are the buttons big enough to tap? Can you find the phone number and tap to call?
Lauren: Oh, I hate when I have to turn my phone sideways just to read something.
Honor: Right. If you have to do that, customers won't bother. And one more quick thing... that little lock icon in your browser.
Lauren: The padlock?
Honor: Yeah. If your site doesn't have it, the browser literally warns people that your site is not secure. 82 percent of users will just leave.
Lauren: Ooh, you're the sketchy website!
Honor: Exactly. And Google penalizes you in search rankings too. So you're harder to find AND people don't trust you when they do find you.
Lauren: So what's the one thing she should do right now to check if her website is okay?
Honor: Pull out your phone. Open your website. Count how long it takes to load. If it's more than three seconds, you have a problem.
Lauren: So the moral of the story is... do the phone test. Pull up your site, count to three, and if it's not loaded by then... you're losing customers.
Honor: That's it. Three seconds. That's all you get.
Lauren: And if your site fails the test... give YouGrow a call!
Honor: Yeah, with us, we handle all the speed optimization, the mobile stuff, security, everything. 79 dollars a month, month-to-month, unlimited updates included. We even do a design refresh every three years so you never look dated. And I'm right here in Arroyo Grande... I actually answer my phone.
Lauren: Perfect for a fresh start in 2026. Alright, this has been 805 Web Minute. Thanks for listening!