How to tell if your website works
A website works if it brings calls, not if people like it. Four free numbers tell you, and what matters isn't each one alone but which of the four is failing: if nobody arrives, the problem is being found, and if people arrive and nobody calls, the problem is inside the page. Those are two completely different fixes, and confusing them is how money gets spent in the wrong place.
Updated 2026-08-16
The most useful question of all
Before looking at any numbers, ask every new customer this for a month:
"How did you find me?"
It's free, it takes two seconds, and it answers more than any tool. If nobody says "your website," you already know where you stand.
Record it in your customer list as one more column.
The four numbers
1. How many people arrive
Free in Google Search Console or with simple analytics.
- **Under 50 visits a month:** the problem isn't the page, it's being found. Work the Google listing and reviews first.
- **50 to 300:** normal for a local business with a properly set listing.
- **Over 300 and nobody calls:** the problem is inside the page.
2. How many do something
Call, message on WhatsApp, or send the form.
A well-built local business page converts 3% to 10% of visits. At 200 visits a month, that's 6 to 20 contacts.
If you're converting under 2% with real traffic, here are the seven usual reasons.
3. How fast it loads
Check with Google PageSpeed Insights, which is free, and always on mobile.
Above three seconds you're losing people before they see anything. The cause is almost always uncompressed photos.
4. Which searches you appear for
In Search Console, free. It tells you what people typed before arriving.
What to look for: if you only appear for your business name, you aren't bringing new customers, only people who already knew you. If you appear for your trade and your city, that's working.
Reading the combinations
| People arrive | They call | What's happening |
|---|---|---|
| No | No | Nobody finds you. Google listing and reviews. |
| Yes | No | The page doesn't convince. Phone up top, prices, photos, reviews. |
| Yes | Yes | It's working. Now bring more people. |
| No | Yes | Few visitors but very good ones. Worth bringing more. |
Most small businesses are in the first row and spend their money fixing the second.
What not to measure
**Likes.** They don't pay.
**Time on page.** In a local business, someone spending three minutes reading isn't better than someone arriving, seeing the phone number and calling in twenty seconds. The opposite.
**Bounce rate.** On a single-screen page it's naturally high. It doesn't mean anything bad.
What to do with each result
**If nobody arrives:** complete Google listing, reviews, and the page saying your trade and your cities. It pays off first and it's free.
**If people arrive and don't call:** phone at the top as a link, a price range, your own photos, and visible reviews.
**If it loads slowly:** compress the photos. It usually drops from six seconds to two.
**If it's working:** do more of what's already bringing people. Look at which searches bring them in and write more about that.
doubts
What people usually ask
Do I need Google Analytics?
For a local business, Search Console is enough, free and simpler, plus asking how they found you. Analytics gives you a lot of data you won't use.
How do I know the calls came from the site?
By asking. You can also use a separate number only on the website, but for a small business asking directly is more reliable and costs nothing.
How often should I check this?
Once a month, ten minutes. Checking daily changes nothing and costs time.
How many visits should I have?
It depends on trade and city, but for a local business in Miami with a proper listing, 100 to 300 a month is normal. What matters is how many turn into contacts.
My site is two years old and never brought anything. Rebuild it?
Check these four numbers first. Very often it isn't the site: it's that you aren't on the Google listing, have no reviews, and nobody ever gets there.