How to Tell If Your Small Business Website Is Working
Your website has numbers behind it, but do you know what they mean?
Whether you built your website yourself on Wix, Squarespace or Shopify, or someone else built it for you, it is worth understanding what is actually happening behind the scenes.
A small business website should not just sit there looking nice. It should help people find you, understand what you offer and take action, whether that means enquiring, booking, buying, calling or clicking through to another page.
What website numbers should you look at?
You do not need to become a website analytics expert, but there are a few useful things to check.
Start with website visitors. Are people actually visiting your website? If they are, where are they coming from? They might be finding you through Google, social media, paid adverts, email links or direct searches.
Next, look at which pages people are visiting. Are they landing on your homepage, services page, contact page or product pages? This can help you understand what people are interested in and whether they are finding the right information.
It is also important to look at actions. Are people filling in your contact form, clicking your phone number, booking an appointment, buying a product or sending an enquiry? These actions matter because they show whether your website is helping your business, not just getting views.
Useful tools for understanding your website
There are several tools that can help small business owners understand website performance.
Google Analytics can show how people use your website, including where they come from and what pages they view.
Google Search Console can show how your website performs on Google, including what search terms people use before they click through to your site.
Wix Analytics, Squarespace Analytics and Shopify Analytics can also give useful information if your website is built on one of those platforms.
Microsoft Clarity can show heatmaps and recordings, which can help you see where visitors click, scroll or get stuck.
Tawk.to can also be useful if you want live chat on your website and a quicker way for visitors to ask questions.
Reports should make sense
If someone else looks after your website or SEO, your reports should be easy to understand.
Not just screenshots. Not just random numbers. Not loads of techy words.
A useful website report should explain what is working, what is not working, where enquiries are coming from and what could be improved next.
You do not need to know everything about website analytics, but you should feel confident enough to understand whether your website is helping your small business grow.
