Last week, a café owner in Watchet told me their website gets plenty of visitors, but hardly anyone actually walks through the door. Sound familiar? You're not alone. I've been building websites for Somerset businesses since the mid-1980s, and this is the most common frustration I hear.

The good news? Fixing this problem is often simpler than you think. You don't need a massive budget or technical wizardry. You need the right approach.

Start With What Your Customers Actually Search For

Here's something I learnt the hard way: your customers don't search the way you think they do. A plumber in Taunton might optimise for "plumbing services", but their customers are typing "emergency plumber near me" or "fix leaking tap Taunton" at 10pm on a Sunday.

Use Google's free Keyword Planner to see what people actually search for. Better yet, ask your existing customers how they found you. I do this with every client now, and the answers are always eye-opening.

Quick tip: Add your town or area to every service you offer. "Wedding cakes" becomes "Wedding cakes Minehead". It's simple, but it works.

One of my clients, a B&B near Minehead, tripled their bookings by targeting "dog-friendly accommodation Exmoor" instead of just "Minehead B&B". They'd never thought to mention they welcomed dogs prominently on their homepage.

Make Your Website Lightning Fast (Or Lose Customers)

People are impatient. If your site takes more than 3 seconds to load, you've lost them. I've seen this countless times with local shops in Bridgwater who wonder why their bounce rate is through the roof.

Test your site speed right now using Google's PageSpeed Insights. It's free and tells you exactly what to fix. Common culprits I see:

53%

of mobile users abandon sites that take over 3 seconds to load (Google research)

A garden centre client in Taunton saw a 40% increase in enquiries just by moving to better hosting and optimising their images. Cost them £30 a month extra. Worth every penny.

Get Found Locally With Google Business Profile

This is the single most important thing you can do, yet half the businesses I meet haven't claimed their Google Business Profile. It's free, takes 20 minutes, and puts you on Google Maps.

Here's What You Must Do:

A fish and chip shop in Watchet went from page 3 to the top of local search results in two months, just by actively managing their profile and getting regular reviews.

Create Content That Answers Real Questions

Stop writing about how great your business is. Nobody cares. Write about what your customers need to know. Answer their questions. Solve their problems.

For example, if you're an electrician in Williton, write about:

One client, a solicitor in Bridgwater, started blogging about common property buying mistakes in Somerset. Their enquiries doubled in six months. People found the articles helpful, bookmarked the site, and remembered them when they needed legal help.

Remember: Every piece of content should help someone. If it doesn't, bin it.

Build Trust With Real Reviews and Testimonials

UK consumers read an average of 10 reviews before trusting a business. If you've got less than that, you're losing customers.

Don't be shy about asking for reviews. I tell all my clients: every happy customer should leave a review. Make it easy for them. Send a follow-up email with direct links to your Google, Facebook, and Trustpilot profiles.

Dealing With Bad Reviews

Got a bad review? Don't panic. And definitely don't ignore it. Respond professionally, acknowledge the issue, and show you care about fixing it. I've seen businesses turn angry customers into advocates with a thoughtful response.

Never, ever buy fake reviews. Google's getting better at spotting them, and the penalty isn't worth it. Plus, it's illegal under UK consumer protection laws.

Make It Dead Easy to Contact You

You'd be amazed how many Somerset businesses make it hard to get in touch. Your phone number should be massive and clickable on mobile. Your address should link to Google Maps. Your email should work (test it monthly).

A garage in Minehead increased calls by 60% just by adding a sticky "Call Now" button to their mobile site. Cost to implement? About an hour of my time.

Test this now: Get a friend to find your contact details on your website using their phone. Time them. If it takes more than 5 seconds, you've got work to do.

Track What Works (And Ditch What Doesn't)

You can't improve what you don't measure. Set up Google Analytics 4 and Google Search Console. They're free and show you exactly how people find and use your site.

Focus on these metrics:

One restaurant client in Taunton discovered 70% of their bookings came from people viewing their Sunday lunch menu. They made it more prominent and saw bookings jump 40%.

Getting more customers through your website isn't about following every trend or spending a fortune. It's about understanding what your local customers want and making it easy for them to find you and get in touch.

Start with one thing from this list. Do it properly. Then move on to the next. In six months, you'll be amazed at the difference.

Want to know which of these would make the biggest impact for your business? That's exactly what I help Somerset businesses figure out every day. Sometimes a fresh pair of experienced eyes is all you need.

Sources

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About the Author: Marcus Knapman has been designing websites since the mid-1980s. Based in Williton, Somerset, he runs Exmoorweb — helping small businesses across Minehead, Watchet, Taunton, Bridgwater, and the wider South West build their online presence. With a BSc (Hons) and over 40 years of hands-on experience, he combines technical expertise with practical business sense.