Full Transcript
Lauren: So I have a friend who runs a plumbing business. Great guy, does amazing work, truck's always ready... but he keeps complaining that the phone isn't ringing like it used to. And he's convinced it's the economy or whatever. But I'm wondering... could it be something else?
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, so your friend might be losing customers before they ever pick up the phone. And here's the thing... he probably doesn't even know it's happening.
Lauren: Wait, what do you mean before they call? How can you lose someone who never contacted you?
Honor: So when someone has a pipe burst or their AC dies in August, they're not browsing. They grab their phone and look for someone who can fix it now. And in that moment, they're making a decision about who to trust.
Lauren: Right, they're in panic mode.
Honor: Exactly. And here's the number that should make your friend uncomfortable. Research shows that visitors form an opinion about a website in 50 milliseconds.
Lauren: Fifty milli... that's like nothing! That's faster than a blink!
Honor: Faster than a blink. Before they read about his 15 years of experience. Before they see his license number. Before they find his phone number. They've already decided if he looks trustworthy.
Lauren: Oh... so it's like a first date. They've already decided if they like you before you even open your mouth.
Honor: Perfect analogy. And get this... 94 percent of first impressions are design-related. Not certifications, not pricing... how the website looks.
Lauren: 94 percent! So they're judging your whole business based on... what, colors and fonts?
Honor: Pretty much. And for home services, this matters even more because someone with water pooling on their floor isn't comparison shopping for three weeks. They're picking from whoever looks legitimate in the next 60 seconds.
Lauren: So what makes them click away? Like, what are the trust killers?
Honor: There are a few big ones. First, slow loading. About 60 percent of web traffic is mobile now. People are looking you up on their phone while standing in front of the problem. If your site takes more than 3 seconds to load, they're gone.
Lauren: Three seconds! That's... that's like waiting for a microwave.
Honor: Right? And second is outdated design. A site that looks like it was built in 2015 signals a business that might be stuck in 2015. Fair or not, people assume if you can't keep your website current, you might not keep up with modern techniques either.
Lauren: That's like showing up to a job interview in a suit from the 90s. Even if you're qualified, people are gonna have questions.
Honor: Exactly. And the third one is no mobile optimization. 57 percent of users won't recommend a company with a poorly designed mobile website. If someone has to pinch and zoom to read your phone number, they'll find someone whose number they can actually tap.
Lauren: Oof. So you're literally losing referrals because of your website.
Honor: In home services, where referrals are gold, that's devastating. And here's the real cost... 88 percent of users won't return after a bad website experience. That customer who clicked away? They're not coming back. They'll remember you as "that sketchy website" and call someone else.
Lauren: So my friend could be doing everything right... great work, fair prices, nice guy... and people are choosing his competitor because the competitor just looks more legit online.
Honor: That's exactly what's happening. And he never knows they existed.
Lauren: Okay, so what's the one thing someone should do to figure out if this is their problem?
Honor: Pull up your website on your phone right now. Pretend you don't know yourself. Pretend you just found a leak under your sink and you're searching for help. Would you call this number?
Lauren: Ooh... that's brutal but fair.
Honor: If you hesitate, if you're making excuses like "well, my regulars know I do good work"... that's your answer. Your website is costing you customers.
Lauren: So the moral of the story is: the people who already know you will call anyway. But the new customers, the referrals who look you up, the people searching at 10pm with water on their floor... they're seeing your website first. And they're deciding in less than a second.
Honor: Less than a second. And if your site failed that gut check, you're not alone. The ones who fix it will get the calls. The ones who don't will keep wondering why the phone isn't ringing.
Lauren: And if you want to stop losing customers before they even call... give YouGrow a call!
Honor: Yeah. 79 dollars a month. We build you a professional website that loads fast and works on every phone. Month-to-month, cancel anytime, no setup fee. Most sites go live in about a week. And when you call, you get me... I'm in Arroyo Grande. Not a ticket number.
Lauren: Love it. Alright, this has been 805 Web Minute. Thanks for listening.