Nobody rings to tell you they gave up. They land on your website, spot hours that are wrong or a form that doesn't work, and quietly move on. You never hear about it, which is exactly why it's so easy to miss.
October is when it matters most. Christmas functions are being booked, gifts are being bought, and people are planning for the new year. If you run a small business in New Zealand, your website is doing a lot of quiet work right now. This website checklist for small business owners will help you make sure it's working for you, not against you. Set aside an hour, make a cuppa, and work through it.
Is my website losing me customers?
It might be, if any of these sound familiar:
Enquiries have slowed and you're not sure why
Your trading hours, prices or offers are out of date
Your site still looks the way it did five years ago
You haven't tested your contact form or booking link in months
You send people to Facebook because the website feels like an afterthought
Any one of these can cost you an enquiry, and together they can cost you a lot. The good news is that most of them are quick to fix.
Why check your website before summer?
Before people call, book or buy, many of them look at your website first. Summer is when hours change, offers come and go, and you finally take a break, so it's the time your website is most likely to drift out of step with your business. A quick check now means it keeps working while you're away.
The 8-point summer website checklist
1. Check your contact details. Confirm your phone number, email, address and service area. If you work with clients New Zealand-wide, say so clearly near the top of the page.
2. Add your holiday trading hours. Put them on your contact page and in a homepage banner, not just on Facebook. Include the date you close and the date you're back, so people know when to expect a reply. You can check the official NZ public holiday dates if you're not sure.
3. Test your enquiry form. Send yourself a message and make sure it lands in your inbox, not your spam folder. Do the same with your booking link and any online payment option.
4. Refresh your homepage message. Add gift vouchers, summer offers or January availability. Take down anything that has expired.
5. Check your calls to action. Every page should tell visitors what to do next, whether that's booking, calling or buying. Click each button and make sure it goes where it should.
6. Match your Google Business Profile. Your hours and contact details should be the same on your website and on your Google Business Profile, because mismatches confuse customers and look careless.
7. Look at your website on your phone. Many of your visitors will be on a phone, often in the middle of a busy day. Is the text easy to read? Are the buttons easy to tap? Do the images load quickly?
8. Tidy up anything out of date. Look for old events, expired offers, outdated photos, broken links and the copyright year in your footer.
What if it's more than a tidy-up?
Sometimes a checklist shows you something bigger: your website doesn't reflect the business you've grown into. That's very common, and it doesn't mean you have to start from scratch.
A Digital Audit gives you clear, jargon-free notes on what's working, what isn't, and what to change first. If your site needs more than a few tweaks, we can look at a website refresh or a brand new website built around who you are now. You can see the kind of sites I create in my portfolio.
Frequently Asked Questions;
How often should a small business update its website?
At least a couple of times a year, and any time something changes, such as your hours, prices, services or contact details. A quick seasonal check like this one stops small problems building up.
Do I need to put holiday hours on my website?
Yes. Even if you've posted on social media, many people go straight to your website to check. A short banner or a note on your contact page saves missed calls and unanswered emails.
What should I check on my website before Christmas?
Start with your contact details, trading hours, enquiry form, booking link, current offers and how the site looks on a phone. The 8-point checklist above covers each of these.
Can I update my website myself?
You should be able to. Rocketspark, the platform I build on, is designed so you can change text, swap images and add a holiday banner without calling a developer. If you'd like help feeling confident, my Keep It Alive workshops walk you through it step by step.
How do I know if my website is working for my business?
Ask yourself whether it brings you enquiries from the right people, and whether it sounds and looks like the business you are today. If you're not sure, a Digital Audit will give you a clear, honest answer.
Ready for a website you're proud of?
If working through this checklist has you wondering whether your site is still doing its job, I'd love to help. Book a free clarity call for a friendly, no-commitment conversation about where your website is now and where you'd like it to be.
