Why your website isn't bringing you customers, and how to fix it
By Dominic Binotubo · · 6 min read
One of the most common complaints I hear: "I paid for a website, and nothing happened." No new customers, no messages, nothing. It's frustrating, and usually it isn't one big problem. It's a few small ones adding up. Here are the most common reasons, from the most likely to the least, with a fix for each.
The hard truth first
A website is like opening a shop on a quiet street. Having a beautiful shop doesn't mean people walk past it. A website needs two things to bring customers: visitors (people finding it) and conversion (those visitors deciding to contact you or buy). If either is missing, nothing happens. Most problems fall into one of those two buckets.
Problem bucket 1: nobody is visiting
1. You built it and never told anyone
Google doesn't send crowds to a brand-new website. Without effort, a new site may get a handful of visitors a month.
Fix: put your website link everywhere: Instagram bio, WhatsApp Business profile, email signature, business cards, receipts, invoices, packaging and your Google Business Profile. Every time someone asks a question in your DMs, answer and send the link to the page that explains it.
2. Google doesn't know your site exists (or doesn't understand it)
Google has to find your website, read it and decide what it's about before it can show it to anyone.
Fix: add your site to Google Search Console (free) and submit your sitemap (a list of your pages). Make sure every page has its own clear title and description. Then search Google for site:yourdomain.com. If nothing shows up, Google hasn't found you yet.
3. You don't have a Google Business Profile
For local searches like "bakery near me" or "lawyer in Ikeja", Google usually shows a map with business listings first, above most websites. Those listings come from Google Business Profiles.
Fix: create a free Google Business Profile, fill in every section, add real photos, link it to your website and ask happy customers for reviews.
4. Your website doesn't use the words customers search for
Your homepage might say "Bespoke Sartorial Excellence" while customers are typing "tailor in Lagos" or "native wear for men". Google matches words, so if yours don't match theirs, you won't show up.
Fix: list the exact phrases customers use when they ask about your services (check your WhatsApp messages). Use those words naturally in your page titles, headings and text. Give each main service its own page.
5. You're expecting results too quickly
Showing up on Google for competitive searches usually takes months, not days. Anyone who promises "page one in a week" is either lying or talking about a search nobody makes.
Fix: keep going. Add helpful content regularly, such as answers to common questions, project stories and guides. Meanwhile, use social media and word of mouth to send people to your site.
Problem bucket 2: people visit, but don't contact you
6. It's slow, especially on phones
People are impatient, especially on mobile data. Google's own research found the chance of a visitor leaving increases by 32% as a mobile page's load time goes from 1 to 3 seconds, and by 90% from 1 to 5 seconds.
Fix: test your site with Google's free PageSpeed Insights. The usual culprits are huge photos (resize and compress them), too many plugins or add-ons, autoplaying videos and cheap, slow hosting.
7. It doesn't work well on phones
By Statcounter's figures, more than half of web browsing in Nigeria happens on phones, and other measurements put it higher. If your text is tiny, buttons are hard to tap or the page spills off the side of the screen, people leave.
Fix: open your site on your own phone and try to do what a customer would: find a price, read about a service, send a message. Fix everything that's awkward.
8. Visitors can't tell what you do or what to do next
A vague headline, no prices and no obvious button make people leave to "think about it", and they rarely come back.
Fix: make the top of your homepage say clearly what you offer, who it's for and where. Show prices or "from" prices. Add one clear button on every page, like "Chat on WhatsApp" or "Book now". See our website checklist.
9. Nothing makes them trust you
Stock photos, no reviews, no address, no faces, and a Gmail address make people nervous about sending money, especially to a business they found online.
Fix: add real photos of your work and team, genuine customer reviews with names, your location, how long you've been in business, and clear payment and refund information. Make sure the padlock (HTTPS) shows in the address bar.
10. Messages are getting lost, or replies are slow
Sometimes customers are contacting you. The contact form is sending to an old email address, landing in spam, or the WhatsApp button has the wrong number. Or replies take two days, and the customer has already bought elsewhere.
Fix: test your own contact form and WhatsApp button right now. Reply to enquiries fast, ideally within an hour or two during working hours. Keep a simple list of everyone who enquires, and follow up with anyone who goes quiet.
How to find out which problem you have
You need numbers, not guesses:
- Few visitors? It's bucket 1: people aren't finding you. Work on sharing your link, your Google Business Profile and your Google visibility.
- Plenty of visitors, few enquiries? It's bucket 2: something on the site is putting people off. Work on speed, clarity, trust and your contact buttons.
A simple analytics tool (many hosts include one) and Google Search Console will show you which it is. Check them once a month.
When it's actually the website itself
Sometimes the honest answer is that the website was built badly: very slow, broken on phones, impossible for you to update, or built on a platform you can't change. Patching it can cost more than rebuilding it properly. If that's your situation, a good developer should tell you honestly which is cheaper, not just sell you the bigger job.
Want a second opinion on your current website? Send me the link and I'll tell you what I'd fix first.