Is it a website problem, a visibility problem or a reply problem?
Three different problems look alike from the outside, so name yours before you fix anything.
- Few people reach your service pages: a visibility problem. Start with our Google search guide.
- People reach the page but don't get in touch: a website problem. This guide.
- Enquiries arrive but don't become conversations: a reply problem. Start with our enquiry replies guide.
You don't need a big dataset to find a broken link. One tap proves a button opens the wrong branch.
Run the 20-minute test, then watch three people
Start where visitors start: the page they land on from Google or an ad, on your phone, logged out. That's usually a service page, not your homepage. Give yourself two tasks:
- "I want to ask about unwanted hair, but I don't know which treatment I need."
- "I know I want laser hair removal at the Bristol branch."
Write down the first moment you have to work something out: is this the right branch, is this button a booking or a request, does the consultation cost anything?
Then watch three people who don't know the site, one at a time, and stay quiet. Give the first two one task each, and ask the third to find the consultation fee and the next step. If you catch yourself saying "it's just over there", the website isn't doing its job.
Example · what Alder's three testers did
- The unsure visitor looked for "unwanted hair" in the menu, found only machine names and gave up.
- The laser visitor tapped "Book now", landed on a booking page for all three branches, and couldn't find the treatment, which the system called "LHR consult (new client)".
- The fee finder scrolled to the bottom without seeing a consultation fee, tried the enquiry form instead and stopped at the date-of-birth field.
Three people won't tell you how common a problem is, but they show you where it is.
Write each finding as a repair brief
A task, a fault, a change and a "done when" get far more done than "make it convert".
Example · Alder's first repair brief
- Task: book a first laser consultation at Bristol
- What happens: "Book now" opens a company-wide booking page with no branch selected, and the treatment has a different name there
- Change: link straight to the Bristol booking page and rename the service "Laser consultation (Bristol)" to match the website
- Owner: whoever maintains the website, with the booking-system admin
- Done when: a colleague starts on the laser page and reaches the right appointment without help; the test booking is cancelled afterwards
Check the first screen and the proof beside the button
The top of the page should say what this is, where it's available and how to start, and the button should have proof right beside it. Our treatment page guide shows Alder's finished first screen line by line.
At the button, the visitor is asking one thing: do I trust this clinic enough to get in touch? Put the practitioner's name and register link, the consultation fee and a photo of this branch right there, not on your About page.
Keep the headline as real text rather than words baked into an image, and check the screen with the cookie banner open. If you have several branches, show the team and rooms for this one.
Give people two ways into your menu
Keep the treatment names people recognise, and add a way in for people who only know their concern. "Laser hair removal" and "Unwanted hair" can open the same page, so you maintain one explanation.
Add a "Not sure where to start?" link to a short question form for people who know neither. Our treatment menu guide shows how Alder rewrote its headings.
A treatment finder does the same job with guided questions. Try PatientPulse's live Finder demo as a patient would; nothing you send reaches a real clinic.
Make the button and form honest and short
"Book" should only appear on a button that reserves a real appointment. Alder's form said "Book my consultation" and showed "Booked!", and two people turned up on the day they'd typed. Our booking button guide shows the fix.
The first form should ask only what reception needs to reply. Alder's asked eleven questions, including date of birth and medical history. Our enquiry form guide shows how it got down to five.
Fix the page that jumps
Run the page through PageSpeed Insights, use it yourself on a phone, and send your developer what you saw.
- A blank space before the main image: ask them to check that image's size and loading.
- A tap that seems to do nothing: ask about heavy scripts slowing the page.
- A button that moves as you reach for it: ask about banners or content loading late.
After the fix, repeat the booking task. A better score only counts if the task got easier.
Follow the test enquiry into the inbox
The website test doesn't end at the thank-you screen. Agree a test with reception, use contact details you control and send a labelled test enquiry. Then check it arrives, someone owns it and they can reply.
Example · Alder's test enquiry
The thank-you screen appeared, but the message went to a general mailbox nobody had opened since the old clinic manager left. Nothing on the website looked wrong.
Retest whenever the diary changes. A renamed service or a moved branch can leave a link that loads but leads nowhere.
Fix things in this order
Fix broken delivery and wrong destinations first, then missing information, and only then cosmetic changes.
Alder's repair list, in order
- The form lands in a mailbox nobody checks. Point it at the Bristol inbox and prove it with a new test.
- "Book now" opens every branch. Link straight to "Laser consultation (Bristol)".
- The form says "Booked!" when nothing is booked. Change the button and confirmation words.
- The form asks eleven questions. Cut to the five reception uses.
- Unsure visitors have no way in. Add an "Unwanted hair" heading to the menu.
- The fee is missing near the button. Add "Consultation £25" beside Priya's details.
- Two headline ideas to compare. Wait until the first six are done, or you won't know which change made the difference.
When you measure, count what reached a person. An "engaged" visit in Google Analytics can simply mean someone stayed past a short time limit or viewed two pages, and a tap on the phone button isn't an answered call.
Do this today
Run the 20-minute test on your busiest service page and write one repair brief. Use Alder's as the model: the task, what happens, the change, the owner and "done when".
Done when: the brief is written and sent to its owner. The website repair worksheet has Alder's brief and space for yours.
Questions owners ask
Do we need a complete redesign?
Only if the faults demand one. A wrong booking link, a missing fee or an extra form field can usually be fixed on your current site. Ask for a priced repair plan against the faults you found first.
What if booking happens on another website?
Tell visitors the button opens your booking provider, and which branch and appointment to choose. Count the provider's confirmed bookings, not clicks on the button.
Should we add a chatbot?
Only if it does a job your current route handles badly. Alder nearly bought one; the next guide explains why it didn't.
Alder is an example clinic. Its findings and people are illustrative.
