A 10-point audit checklist for Christchurch business owners. Go through each point and find out exactly what's working - and what's silently costing you enquiries.
Most local business websites in Christchurch lose leads every single day - not because they look bad, but because of small technical and structural issues that stop Google from ranking them, and stop visitors from converting into customers.
Go through each point below and honestly assess where your site stands. If you find three or more failing, it's worth getting a professional audit.
Over 60% of local business searches happen on mobile. If your site takes more than 3 seconds to load, most visitors will leave before seeing your content. Test yours free at PageSpeed Insights (search it on Google).
If all your services are listed on one page (e.g. "Services"), Google can't rank you for specific searches like "plumber Christchurch" or "electrician Christchurch CBD". Each service needs its own dedicated page.
Google ranks local businesses by relevance to location. Your suburb, city, and service area should appear naturally in your page headings, body copy, and image alt text - not just in the footer.
Your GBP is often the first thing people see before they even visit your website. It needs to be fully filled out (hours, photos, services, description) and actively maintained with regular posts and review responses.
A form with too many fields, a confusing layout, or no confirmation message loses enquiries. Test it yourself: fill it out and make sure you receive the submission. One field of friction = fewer leads.
New visitors don't know you. Reviews, testimonials, or logos of past clients on the homepage remove doubt and build trust instantly. A site with no social proof asks visitors to take a leap of faith.
Every page should tell the visitor exactly what to do next: "Call us", "Get a free quote", "Book online". If someone has to scroll to the footer to find how to contact you, you're losing them.
Google favours websites that are maintained and growing. If your last blog post or page update was two years ago, that's a signal your site is inactive. Even one new page or post per month makes a difference.
The title and description that appear in Google search results are what convinces someone to click your link over a competitor's. Most local business sites use default titles like "Home" or "About" which tell Google nothing useful.
If your website address starts with "http://" instead of "https://", browsers show a "Not secure" warning. This destroys trust immediately. Check the address bar - if there's no padlock, this needs fixing.
Get a free website audit from Local Site Growth. We'll check your site's performance, SEO, and health - and tell you exactly what needs to change to rank higher on Google. No cost, no obligation.
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