In short
A website can look smart and still bring in nothing. Usually it's because nobody finds it, it's awkward on a phone, it doesn't say clearly what you do and where, or it gives people no reason to trust you over the next firm. Each of these has a straightforward fix.
You paid someone to build a website. It looks perfectly decent. Your logo is on it, there's a photo of a van, a list of services and a contact page. Friends say it looks good.
And the phone hasn't rung because of it. Not once that you can point to. Most of your work still comes from word of mouth and repeat customers, same as before.
It's frustrating, and it's common. A website isn't a brochure that people stumble across. It should work like a salesperson who never sleeps: found by the right people, answering their questions and getting them to pick up the phone.
What a working website feels like
When a site is doing its job, you notice. Customers mention they found you on Google. They've already seen your photos and read your reviews. They know roughly what you charge for a boiler service, or at least that you're upfront about prices. They ring ready to book, not to shop around.
Here are the seven reasons we see most often when that isn't happening, with the fix for each.
1. Nobody can find it
The most common problem is the simplest. If your website doesn't appear when local people search for what you do, it doesn't matter how good it looks. Many sites have one page per topic with a few lines of text and nothing that tells Google which towns you cover.
The fix: give each main service its own proper page, and make your service area clear. Link your website from your Google Business Profile, and keep your business details identical everywhere. Our guide on why you don't show up for "plumber near me" goes into this in depth.
2. It's a pain to use on a phone
Most people looking for a plumber are on their phone, often stressed, sometimes standing in water. If the text is tiny, the menu is fiddly or the page takes ages to load, they'll go back and tap the next result.
The fix: open your site on your own phone and try to book a job as if you were a customer. Then ask someone else to do it while you watch. Anything that makes them hesitate needs fixing.
3. The phone number is hard to find
It sounds obvious. But many sites hide the number at the bottom of the page or only on the contact page, and on mobile it isn't tappable.
The fix: put your phone number at the top of every page, make it tap-to-call on mobile, and add a clear button that says what happens next, such as "Call now" or "Get a quote". If you offer a form, keep it short: name, phone, postcode, what they need.
4. It doesn't say what you do or where
"Quality plumbing services for all your needs" tells a customer nothing. They want to know quickly: do you do the job I need, and do you come to my area?
The fix: make the first thing people see answer those two questions. "Boiler installs, repairs and servicing across Leeds, Morley and Pudsey." Then let them go deeper on each service page. If you want to win work in particular towns, see our guide on how to get found in the towns you want.
5. There's no proof
A customer comparing three plumbers wants evidence that you're good, reliable and real. Stock photos and a line saying "we pride ourselves on customer service" don't do it.
The fix: show real job photos, recent reviews, your Gas Safe registration if you do gas work, and any other memberships such as WaterSafe, CIPHE or APHC. Put your own face on the site. People want to know who's coming to their house.
Tip
Pick your three best reviews and put them near the top of your homepage, with the customer's first name and town. It's quicker to add than almost anything else and makes an immediate difference to how trustworthy the site feels.
6. It hasn't changed in years
A copyright date from 2019, a "latest news" section that's empty, a photo of a van you sold. Customers notice, and they wonder whether you're still trading. Search engines also tend to favour sites that show signs of life.
The fix: add something new every month. A short write-up of a recent job with photos is plenty. Keep the important details, like prices, hours and areas covered, up to date.
7. You've no idea what's working
If you don't know how many people visit, where they come from or how many call, you can't tell whether anything you change makes a difference. Many plumbers are paying for a site with no tracking at all.
The fix: make sure your site has analytics set up, and track calls and form enquiries. Ask every new customer how they found you, and write it down.
Say this
Before I book you in, can I ask how you found us? Was it Google, the website, a recommendation, or something else? It just helps us know what's working.
It takes five seconds and tells you more than most reports. If you'd like to go further, our guide on whether your marketing is working explains what to measure.
Don't start again until you've checked
It's tempting to throw the old site away and pay for a new one. Sometimes that's the right call. But often the problem isn't the design, it's the missing pieces around it: local content, reviews, a properly set up Google profile and someone keeping it all fresh. A new site with the same gaps will stay just as quiet.
Do this today
- Open your site on your phone and try to call yourself in under ten seconds.
- Check your homepage says what you do and where in one line.
- Add three real reviews and three real job photos near the top.
- Update anything out of date, including the footer.
- Start asking every new customer how they found you.
How Websites for Plumbers helps
We build your website to work as a salesperson, then keep it working: local service pages, real job photos, reviews, monthly content and tracking, with a plain-English report each month. It's £175 + VAT a month with the website included and no set-up fee. Start with how we build plumbing websites, or book a free 30-minute call to talk it through.
