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How I build websites that turn more visitors into customers
No secrets, no tricks. Here's the exact process I use to make a small business website bring in more calls, bookings and sales, step by step.
Most small business websites are built to look good. Mine are built to do a job: turn the people who visit into people who call, book, or buy.
That's a big claim, so here's exactly how I do it. No secret formula. Just a process, in order.
One honest note first. I can't control how many people find you on day one. Google decides rankings, and customers make their own choices. What I can control is what happens once someone lands on your site. That's where most businesses quietly lose customers, and that's where I focus.
Decide the one thing your site should get people to do
Before I design anything, we answer one question: what's the one action that matters most?
- A plumber wants a phone call.
- A salon wants a booking.
- A storage facility wants a unit reserved.
- A bakery wants an order for pickup.
Every page gets built around that one action. When a site asks visitors to do ten things (follow us, sign up, read our story, browse our gallery), they usually do none of them.
Find out why customers hesitate
People don't leave a website because it's ugly. They leave because they have a question or a worry the site didn't answer.
My degree is in psychology, and this is the part I care about most. Before building, I figure out what makes your customers pause:
- What do people ask you on the phone over and over?
- What do your reviews (and your competitors' bad reviews) say?
- What makes someone choose you, and what makes them go elsewhere?
Usually it's things like: How much will this cost? Do you serve my area? Can I trust you? What happens after I call?
Answer each worry right where it shows up
Think about a good salesperson in a store. They don't hand you a pamphlet at the door. They answer your question the moment you have it.
A website should do the same:
- Price questions get answered next to the button, not buried on another page.
- "Do you serve my area?" gets answered right where people decide to book.
- "What happens after I fill this out?" gets answered right under the form: "I'll text you back within 24 hours."
Each answered worry removes one more reason to leave.
Build for the phone first
Most of your visitors are on their phones. In Unbounce's 2024 study of more than 41,000 pages, the large majority of visitors came from mobile:
Source: Unbounce Conversion Benchmark Report, 2024 (via MarketingProfs)
Show the numbers as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Mobile | 82.9% |
| Desktop | 17.1% |
So I design the phone version first, then the desktop. That means:
- Fast loading. Google's research found the chance someone leaves goes up 32% when a page takes 3 seconds to load instead of 1. I compress every image and keep pages light.
- Thumb-sized buttons that are easy to tap.
- Call and text buttons that stay on screen as people scroll, so the next step is always one tap away.
Write like a person, not a brochure
Phrases like "innovative solutions" and "unparalleled quality" don't sell anything. Plain words do.
In that same Unbounce study, pages written at a 5th–7th grade reading level converted at 11.1%, about twice the 5.3% of pages written at a college level. So I write in short sentences, in your customers' own words, and I tell them exactly what you do.
Put proof right where doubt shows up
97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses (BrightLocal, 2026). People want proof before they trust you.
So I put it where they need it:
- Real reviews near the button, not on a separate "testimonials" page nobody clicks.
- Real photos of you, your team and your work. Stock photos make people trust you less, not more.
- Licenses, certifications and insurance spelled out, not just implied.
Make the next step easy
Every extra step loses people. So I cut friction wherever I can:
- Tap to call and tap to text on every page.
- Short forms. I only ask for what you actually need. (On my own site, it's name, business, and phone or email.)
- Booking and ordering that connects to the tools you already use, instead of making people start over somewhere else.
Connect the other front doors
Your website isn't the only place people find you. Your Google Business Profile, Facebook, and directory listings all send people your way.
I make sure your hours, phone number and address match everywhere, and that each one links back to your site. When someone finds you on Google Maps, they should land on a page that helps them take the next step, not a dead end.
Measure, then improve
Launch isn't the finish line. It's where the real information starts coming in.
- I track calls, form submissions and bookings, the numbers that actually matter.
- I watch anonymous recordings of how visitors move through the site (no personal info) to see where people get stuck or give up.
- On my Website Care plan, you get a one-page report each month and I make improvements based on what the numbers show, one change at a time.
What I won't do
Getting more customers should never mean tricking people. So I don't:
- Write fake reviews or fake "only 2 spots left!" urgency
- Use scare tactics or pushy pop-ups
- Promise "#1 on Google" or guaranteed sales numbers
Your customers should feel good about choosing you, not pressured into it.