8 Things a Small Business Website Designer Notices Within 5 min of Seeing Your Site

And… It has very little to do with whether your website is perty.

Have you ever wondered what a professional web designer notices first when they land on your website? Well, it may or may not surprise you but it’s not usually your font choices. When I open a client's website for the first time, I'm looking for one thing: Can I (i.e. your potential customer) quickly understand this business and know what to do next?

Here are the first eight things I check within the first five minutes.

1. Can I tell what your business does within 10 seconds?

When I land on your home page, I ask myself: What does this business do? If I have to scroll or read three paragraphs before I figure it out... that’s a problem and we have work to do.

Your homepage should immediately answer:

• What does this business do (or what do they offer)?

• Who is it for?

• Am I in the right place?

Usually, the work is primarily done by your H1. Writing a strong and specific H1 headline—not something generic like "Welcome" or "Helping You Thrive" goes a long way toward navigating your visitors immediately.

Instead of "Welcome" or "Helping You Thrive"

• Powerful Keynote Speaking for Women Embracing Middle Age

• Commercial Plumbing for New Construction

• Virtual Appointment Pediatric Therapy in Portland

Not to scare you, but… If users don’t have a clear understanding that they are in the right place right away — you will lose them. They’ll head back to google to try again.

2. Where do my eyes go first?

This one is hard to explain but you need more than just paragraph text with some bolded and some not. Good website design creates a visual hierarchy. Visitors should immediately know:

• what's most important

• what's secondary

• where to click!

If every heading is the same size… Every button is bright orange... Every photo is competing for attention...then nothing stands out. Think about a song with no chorus and no bridge— just verse after verse. What is the hook? What is this song about? What is most important? Is that a helpful metaphor? I think so.

3. Are your buttons (and CTA’s) helpful?

This is one I notice a lot on DIY Websites - especially given that Squarespace templates are meant to be vague and that’s where a lot of DIY’ers start.

Buttons that say:

• Learn More

• Read More

• Click Here

...don't tell me anything!

Instead, make your buttons match the action. Try buttons like:

• Schedule a Consultation

• View Pricing

• Meet the Team

• Explore Our Services

• Browse Our Classes

These buttons give your visitors confidence because they know exactly what will happen when they click.

They're also more accessible. Imagine you're using a screen reader or have low vision. If every button on a page says "Learn More," how are you supposed to know which one leads to pricing, which one goes to your services, and which one takes you to your contact page?

The more descriptive your buttons are, the easier your website is to navigate—for everyone.

4. Does It look good on mobile?

More than half your visitors are probably on their phones and one of the hard things for folks who have built their site themselves is getting the spacing right across different sized devices and screens.

Things I look for right away are things like:

• Is the logo legible?

• Are headlines wrapping weird?

• Is there a bunch of random space? (Especially in footers and banner sections)

• Are text and buttons evenly spaced out?

A beautiful desktop site doesn't matter if the mobile version is frustrating to the user.

5. Is it obvious how to contact you?

My biggest pet peeve is when I can’t find a contact page. It should be super easy to find how to contact the business… usually in the footer but also in the navigation itself.

Overall, it’s frustrating for users when they can’t find what they are looking for. If they have to hunt things down, you’ve lost them. They will go back to Google. The world has a short attention span! Make it easy for them and they just may want to do business with you. :)

Need help with contact forms or calls to action on your website? Get in touch with me!

6. Does this feel like a real business?

In 2026, this is something I think about a lot more than I used to. Years ago, it was usually pretty easy to spot a scam website. Today? Not so much. AI and bots have gotten so advanced that it can be hard to distinguish between legit and non-legit business websites.

So when I land on a website, I'm looking for signs that there are real humans behind the business.

Things like:

• Real photos of the owner and team (not AI-generated images or obvious stock photography).

• An About page that actually tells me something about the people behind the business.

• A physical location, if applicable.

• Testimonials that feel genuine and specific.

• A clear way to get in touch with a real human person.

I also love seeing little details that only a human would include. Maybe it's a funny story about how the business got its name. Maybe it's a photo of the office dog. Maybe it's mentioning that you've served the Portland area for 20 years or that you started the business after leaving a corporate job.

Those kinds of details build trust because they're authentic and well, human. They help potential clients feel like they're getting to know a real person—not just reading words generated by AI.

At the end of the day, people want to do business with people. The more your website reflects the humans behind your business, the easier it is for someone to trust you.

7. Does the website look cared for?

This is one of those things visitors notice without realizing they're noticing it. A website doesn't have to be redesigned every year, but it should feel like someone is paying attention to it.

When I'm doing an audit, I look for little clues like:

• Is the copyright year current?

• Are there broken links?

• Are there announcements or events from three years ago still on the home page?

• Are there any placeholder images or "Lorem ipsum" text left behind?

• If there's a blog, has it been updated in a reasonable amount of time?

None of these things are huge on their own. But together, they send a message.

A well-maintained website tells visitors, “This business is active, professional, and pays attention to details.” An outdated website can unintentionally communicate the opposite—even if the business itself is incredible.

The good news? Keeping your website fresh doesn't have to mean another full redesign. Sometimes it's just a matter of making small, thoughtful updates throughout the year.

This is actually one of my favorite ways to work with clients. Whether you need an occasional hour of website help to knock out a website to-do list or ongoing monthly Squarespace support, I'm happy to be your website teammate!

8. What happens next?

Finally... Let’s say I do want to take the next step on your website — How do I do it? Should I book a consultation? Call or Email? Fill out a form? Read another article?

Too many websites assume visitors will figure it out. It’s best to guide them. In fact, every page on the site should have a clear next step or “call to action.”

Did you get this far? Nice work. Here is the good news:

Most of these aren't huge redesign projects.

They're small, strategic improvements that make your website easier to understand, easier to use, and ultimately better at turning visitors into customers. Because at the end of the day, that's what a great website should do. And I’m here to help!

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Hi I'm Rachel with Let's Make a Website®!

When you hire me as your web designer or updater, you're hiring a teammate! I want to strategize and collaborate with you to make your website the best online tool for your business. Let's work together!

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