Your website is your hardest-working salesperson. It's available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and it makes a first impression on every potential client who finds you online. But unlike a real salesperson, a bad website doesn't give you feedback. It just quietly lets customers walk away.
I've audited hundreds of small business websites across the Philippines and Southeast Asia, and the same problems appear again and again. Here are the seven most common warning signs, and what you can do to fix each one.
Page speed is arguably the most critical factor in whether a visitor stays or leaves. Google research shows that 53% of mobile users abandon a page that takes longer than three seconds to load. If your site takes five, six, or ten seconds — and many small business websites do — you are losing more than half your potential customers before they even see your content.
Testing your site on both desktop and mobile is essential — over 70% of Philippine web traffic comes from smartphones.
Over 70% of web traffic in the Philippines comes from mobile devices. If your website isn't properly optimized for smartphones — text is too small, buttons are too close together, or images overflow the screen — you're creating a frustrating experience for the majority of your visitors. Google also uses mobile-first indexing, which means a poor mobile experience directly hurts your search ranking.
If a potential customer has to click through three pages to find your phone number, many of them simply won't bother. Your contact info should be visible within one click from anywhere on your site.
Stanford University found that 75% of people judge a business's credibility based on its website design. An outdated design — low-quality graphics, mismatched fonts, cluttered layouts — signals to potential clients that your business is behind the times, or worse, not trustworthy.
Without clear CTAs — "Book a free consultation," "Get a quote," "Send us a message" — visitors land on your site, look around, and leave without taking any action. Every page should have a clear, obvious next step.
In the Philippines, word of mouth is one of the most powerful buying influences. If there are no testimonials, reviews, or case studies anywhere on your site, potential customers have no way to verify that you deliver on your promises.
A website with no blog, no updates, and no new content is a website that Google ignores. Beyond SEO, fresh content shows visitors that your business is active and that you're a knowledgeable expert in your field.
Watch: How to Audit Your Own Website in 10 Minutes
This practical walkthrough shows you exactly how to check your website for the most common issues — no technical knowledge required:
Video: A beginner-friendly website audit walkthrough you can do yourself in under 10 minutes.
Regularly reviewing your website's analytics helps you spot problems before they cost you clients.
What to Do If You Recognized Your Website
If you recognized your website in two or more of these warning signs, don't panic — and don't ignore it either. Every one of these problems is fixable, and fixing even one of them can meaningfully increase the number of inquiries your website generates.
Start with the ones that are easiest to address: make your contact information prominent, add a clear CTA to your homepage, and reach out to clients for testimonials. These changes cost nothing but time and can have an immediate impact.
Want a free website audit?
Send me your website URL and I'll personally review it against these seven criteria — no strings attached.
Request your free audit →