Why Isn't My Website Bringing In Leads? A Designer's Honest Checklist
The short answer: a website brings in leads when it's easy for you to update, tells visitors who you are and how to book the moment they land, asks the right questions before a call, and can actually be found on Google (and ChatGPT). If one of those pieces is missing, the inquiries stay quiet. Here are the five things I check first.
Your website should be your best employee. It works while you're with clients, at the park, or asleep. It answers the same questions you answer on every discovery call, and it sends you people who already know they want to work with you.
A wedding planner I spoke with recently told me she had never received a single lead from her website. Not one. Every client she had came from referrals and Instagram.
That tells me two things. Her work is excellent, because word of mouth was carrying her whole business. And her website had a lot more to give. So we went through it together, and these are the same five questions I'd ask about yours.
1. Is your platform making updates harder than they need to be?
Her site was built on WordPress, set up quickly when she first started her business. WordPress is powerful, but it asks a lot of you. Themes and plugins need regular updates, and when one falls behind, things can break. If you're a wedding planner, interior designer, realtor or any service-based business, you don't have time to be your own website technician.
This is why I moved my studio off WordPress three years ago. I now build on Wix, Squarespace and Shopify. They're hosted, all-in-one platforms, so the platform handles the updates and security for you. You pay a monthly fee, and in return your website keeps working while you focus on your clients.
A few things to know if you're thinking about switching:
Your domain and email can stay where they are. We point your domain to the new site, so people still type in the same address.
Pick the plan you need today. Platforms can nudge you toward their business plans. If you aren't running a shop or taking payments on your site, a lighter plan usually covers it, and you can upgrade the day you open a shop.
Look at what you already pay for. If you use a tool like HoneyBook or Dubsado for inquiries and contracts, your website doesn't need to do that job twice. Cancel any subscriptions that overlap, too. I saved one client close to $400 USD just by teaching her a few simple tools on her website instead of her buying Flodesk as another additional overhead.
2. Does your website say who, what, where, when and how the second someone lands?
Whether you have an eight-page website or a single scroll, the first screen has the same job. Within about five seconds of landing, a visitor should know who you are, what you do, where you do it, when they can work with you and how to book. It isn't about the scroll. It's about the moment they land.
Five seconds is my rule of thumb, and the research backs up how quickly people decide. A 2024 study in Behaviour and Information Technology found first impressions shift with how visually complex a page is, which is why a clear, uncluttered first screen matters so much. And Gloria Mark’s research at UC Irvine found the average time people stay on one screen before switching fell from about 150 seconds to 47 seconds by 2020. We’re used to the quick hits of social media, and we bring that same habit to every website we visit.
So give people everything up top:
Who: your name or business name, and who you serve
What: what you do, in one plain sentence
Where: your city or region, or that you work virtually
When: your availability, booking season or timeline
How: one clear button to book or inquire
Everything below that first screen builds on it: your story, your services, your reviews and your inquiry form. On an eight-page site, those live on their own pages. On a single-scroll site, the navigation sits at the top, and clicking About or Testimonials glides the page down to that section.
3. Does your inquiry form tell you who's reaching out?
A form that only asks for a name and an email gets you a name and an email. Then you spend your first call figuring out the basics.
A qualifying form does that work for you. For a wedding planner, it might ask:
What's your date, or your ideal season?
What's your budget?
What's the feel of your wedding? Whimsical and blush, or dark and moody?
How did you hear about me?
By the time you hop on a call, you already know if it's a fit and what kind of event you're walking into. Swap those questions for your own industry and you'll see the same thing happen.
4. Can Google, and AI search, actually find you?
This is where a lot of beautiful websites go quiet. If search engines can't understand what you do and where you do it, nobody new lands on your page.
The basics I set up on every build:
Page titles and descriptions that say what you do and where
Headings and copy written around the words your clients actually search
Image names and alt text
Submitting your site to Google so it gets indexed
The words on your website matter more than ever. People are asking ChatGPT and other AI tools for recommendations now, and those tools can draw on the words on your website too. Clear, specific copy helps both kinds of search understand who you serve.
And blogging is still one of the best free SEO tools you have. Blogs have been around this whole time, and every post gives search engines one more page that answers a question your clients are asking.
5. Does your website sound like you?
When I looked at her site, the information was there. What I wanted to see more of was the magic. Couples planning a wedding want to feel the whimsy and picture their day. Her copy needed to say what she actually does for them: everything is taken care of, so they can focus on being in love.
Your story is what makes someone choose you over the next name on Google. Lead with your personality, your process and the feeling of working with you. That's what turns a visitor into an inquiry.
Where to start
If you read this list and thought, "I'm not sure where my site stands," start with a Live Design Audit. It's a 60-minute Zoom call where we review your website together in real time. You bring your URL, I tell you what's working and what's holding you back, and you leave with a recording and clear next steps.
If you already know you want a fresh start, the Mini Website is a focused one-page site built around everything above: the scrolling layout, a qualifying inquiry form, SEO basics and copy that sounds like you. It includes a recorded coaching session, so you'll know how to update images, add pages and publish blog posts on your own.
FAQ
Is Wix or WordPress better for a service business?
For most service businesses that want a site they can update themselves, I recommend a hosted platform like Wix or Squarespace. Updates and security are handled for you. WordPress can do a lot, but it needs ongoing maintenance to keep running smoothly.
Is a one-page website enough for my business?
If your clients want quick answers and a clear way to book, yes. A one-page site can hold your intro, services, story, testimonials and inquiry form in one scroll. It's a foundation you can add a blog, services page or shop to later.
Why is my website getting visitors but no inquiries?
Usually it's one of three things. The site doesn't say clearly what you do, the inquiry form is hard to find, or there's no strong reason to reach out now. A Live Design Audit is the fastest way to pinpoint which one.
Do I need SEO if most of my clients come from referrals?
Referrals may look you up before they reach out. SEO basics help new people find you too, so your website can grow your business alongside word of mouth.
Should I run ads before fixing my website?
Get your website working first. Ads send people to your site, so it needs to be ready to turn those visitors into inquiries.
