Most people - and I mean most - are searching for services on their phones now.

Think about it. When did you last fire up your laptop to find a local plumber?

You didn't.

You grabbed your phone, probably while standing in a puddle in your kitchen.

That roofer I mentioned! Once he sorted his mobile site, his enquiries went through the roof - pardon the pun - within weeks.

Same business, same services, just a website that actually worked on a phone.

What Does Mobile-Friendly Really Mean? 🤔

It's not rocket science, but it's more than just shrinking everything down. Your website needs to work properly on a phone. 

That means:

People can read your text without squinting or zooming in. Your phone number is massive and clickable. Your contact form doesn't make people want to chuck their phone at the wall. Everything loads quickly - and I mean quickly.

I tested this with my own dad. Gave him a local business website to navigate on his phone. Watched him get frustrated within 30 seconds. "This is too fiddly, Andrew. I'd just ring someone else." That's your customers talking right there.

Google's Not Messing About🔍

Google made it crystal clear years ago - mobile matters. They've been pushing mobile-friendly sites up the rankings and burying the rest. It's not coming, it's here.

Right now.

I've got clients (who don’t use our website services) who've seen their Google rankings drop because their websites were stuck in 2010.

Meanwhile, their competitors with decent mobile sites are showing up first. Guess who's getting the calls?

Why Local Businesses Get Hit Hardest 🏪

Here's the thing about service businesses - people need you when they need you. The heating's broken, the car won't start, your back has gone. They're not getting their laptop out and start browsing leisurely. They're stressed, they're on their phone, and they want answers fast.

But it's not just emergencies anymore. People live on their phones now. They're scrolling through Google while watching telly, checking out local services during their lunch break, or researching contractors while waiting for the kids after school. Your phone's always in your hand, isn't it? Same with your customers.

So someone who is looking for a gardener while having their morning coffee. They found three local companies, but only one had a website that actually worked on a mobile.

Guess who would get the call?

Not the other two, that's for sure. And this isn't an emergency - just someone browsing casually who wouldn't be bothered with a fiddly website.

A local business owner told me that he lost three emergency call-outs in one evening because his website was impossible to use on a mobile. Three jobs, probably worth £500+ each, gone to competitors.

That's £1,500 lost because of a website that didn't work properly. But he's probably losing just as much from people who browse during quiet moments and move on when his site's too much hassle.

The Mistakes I See Every Single Day 😬

These same problems keep cropping up:

Tiny text everywhere - If I need to zoom in to read your opening hours, there's a problem.

Buttons you can't actually press - Ever tried tapping a button that's smaller than your fingertip? Maddening.

Websites that load slower than a Sunday afternoon - Three seconds feels like forever when you're in a hurry.

Pop-ups that take over the entire screen - Nothing says "go elsewhere" like a pop-up you can't close.

What Happens When You Get It Right 💰

The difference is night and day. I've seen landscapers go from a couple of enquiries a week to six or seven, just by sorting their mobile site. Same business, same services, just a website that doesn't make people want to throw their phone out the window.

An Osteopath who had been wondering why their phone had gone quiet suddenly finds it ringing again.

Roofers who thought the work had dried up realise they'd just been accidentally turning customers away. 

It's not magic - it's just common sense. Make it easy for people to contact you on their phone, and more people will contact you.

Make it difficult, and they'll ring someone else instead. Simple as that.

The businesses that get this right don't just see more enquiries - they see better enquiries too.

People who can easily navigate your site and find what they need are more likely to be serious customers, not just tyre-kickers.

Test Your Own Site Right Now 🧪

Stop reading this and grab your phone. Go to your website. Try to find your phone number. Try to fill out your contact form. Be honest - would you persevere with this if you were a customer?

Better yet, give your phone to someone else and watch them try to contact you through your website. You'll see exactly what your customers are going through.

Sorting It Out 🔧

Look, this isn't something you can ignore anymore.

Every day you leave it, you're handing customers to competitors who've got their act together.

The good news? It's fixable.

A properly responsive website - one that works on phones, tablets, everything - isn't some mystical thing. It's standard practice now.

The Reality Check 📈

Your customers expect your website to work on their phone. Google expects it. Your competitors are probably already doing it. The only question is: how long are you going to keep losing customers before you sort it out?

I've seen too many good businesses struggle because they ignored mobile. Don't be one of them. Fix it now, before your competitors get any further ahead.