Conversion Why your website isn’t generating leads (and what to check first)

“Nobody contacts us through the website” is probably the most common complaint about a business site. The temptation is to redesign everything, but a new site with the same underlying problem gets the same result. Before investing, find out where the opportunities are being lost.

1. Are the right people getting there?

No visits means no requests, but visits alone aren’t enough either: they need to come from people who could hire you. Check in Search Console which searches you show up for. If you only appear when people search your company name, the site isn’t reaching anyone who doesn’t already know you.

If visits come from searches unrelated to your service, or from markets you don’t serve, the problem is focus, not volume.

2. Do they understand what you offer?

The first screen of your home page and of each service page should say what you do, who it’s for and what the client gets. If your value proposition could sit on any competitor’s site, buyers have no reason to pick you. Ask three people outside your company to explain what you do after looking at your home page for five seconds.

3. Do they find reasons to trust you?

• Who’s behind it: a name, a background, a way of working.
• Real proof: case studies shared with permission, work samples or a detailed explanation of your method.
• Signs of care: copy without errors, up-to-date information, a site that loads fast and looks right on mobile.
• Clarity about the process: what happens when they reach out, and how quickly you reply.

4. Is the next step easy?

Walk through it as your buyer would, on your phone:

1. Is there a clear primary button on every page?
2. Does the form ask only for what’s needed, or for details that feel like too much in a first contact?
3. Do error messages explain what to fix?
4. After submitting, does the message say what happens next?

5. Do requests arrive, and get answered?

This link is often forgotten, and it’s one of the most expensive. A form can work on screen and never deliver the email, or deliver it to spam. Test it right now: send a request from another email address and check that it lands in the main inbox.

If your site sends email without an authenticated sending service (SMTP with SPF, DKIM and DMARC set up on your domain), it’s more likely to end up in spam. And even when it arrives, a slow reply keeps the buyer shopping around.

How to measure it without guessing

With analytics set up with consent, you can count clicks on your main button, form submissions and which pages they come from. You don’t need dozens of metrics: knowing how many useful visits you get, how many reach the form and how many submit it tells you which link is failing.

When you do need a new site

If the problem is structural (there are no service pages, the messaging can’t be fixed without rebuilding everything, the site can’t be edited or is slow because of how it was built), a redesign makes sense. If it’s one specific link, fixing it is usually enough. Our guide on whether to redesign or fix your website helps you decide.

Frequently asked questions

How many leads should my website generate?

There’s no universal number: it depends on your industry, your price point and how many people search for what you do. What helps is measuring your own baseline and improving it.

Does adding live chat help?

It can, if your buyers like it, but it doesn’t replace a clear form or measurement. What matters is that every channel gets a fast reply.