On most service websites the traffic is fine and the drop-off is concentrated in a few specific places. Rather than redesigning everything, it is more efficient to work through those points one at a time.
The homepage
The first drop-off happens within seconds, when a visitor cannot confirm they are in the right place. Name the service and the customer in the first heading, and put a short list of what you offer within the first two screens.
Service pages
Visitors leave service pages when they cannot tell whether the service fits their situation. Include who it suits, what is included, what is not, how long it takes and what happens first.
The pricing or information section
No price at all is a common reason for silent exits. If you cannot publish fixed prices, publish a starting figure, a typical range, or the factors that change the cost. A visitor with no reference point assumes the worst case.
The contact page
Long forms lose people. Ask only for what you need to reply, then gather detail in conversation. State your response time, and confirm clearly on screen once the message has been sent.
The booking or enquiry process
Multi-step booking flows lose people at each step, particularly when a step asks for something they do not have to hand. Show progress, keep required fields minimal, and never make account creation a prerequisite.
The mobile experience
Every point above is worse on a phone. Small tap targets, forms that force zooming, and a primary action pushed far down the page are the most common causes of mobile drop-off.
How to find your own friction
- Walk the whole journey on your own phone as a first-time visitor
- Ask someone unfamiliar with the business to find a price and make an enquiry
- Check analytics for pages with high traffic and no onward clicks
- Note every question customers ask before they book — each one is a gap on the site
- Record how many fields stand between interest and contact, then remove some
You can see how these ideas are applied in practice across the case study archive, or read more in the journal.
