Here’s a frustrating thought for your Wednesday morning. Your competitor may not be better than you. They may not have more experience. They may not provide better service. Their employees may not be better trained. Their product may not be better. Their prices may not even be better. But they may still be getting the customer. Why? Because they’re easier to hire. That’s it.
The customer found both businesses. They looked at both websites. They were willing to consider both companies. But one business made the process simple. The other made the customer work. And customers generally aren’t looking for additional work. They already have a problem. That’s why they’re looking for you.
At DFW Website Designers, after 17+ years and more than 1,250 websites built, we’ve learned that sometimes generating more leads isn’t about adding something complicated. Sometimes you simply need to: Remove the friction.
“I’m Trying to Give You Money!”
Have you ever tried to buy something from a company and wondered whether they actually wanted your business? You visit the website. Where’s the phone number? You click Contact. There’s a form. Okay. First name. Last name. Email. Phone. Address. Company. Budget. Project type. Desired completion date. How did you hear about us? Best time to call. Preferred method of communication. Describe your project in 500 words. Upload three documents. Prove you’re not a robot. Identify every photograph containing a traffic light.
At some point you’re thinking: “I’M TRYING TO GIVE YOU MONEY!” Then you hit the Back button. The next company has a big: CALL NOW button. Click. Done. Who got the opportunity? Probably not the company with the application for security clearance.
Customers Take the Path of Least Resistance
People like easy. Amazon didn’t become enormous by making online purchases difficult. Uber didn’t improve the taxi experience by requiring customers to call six drivers and ask who was available. Successful digital experiences remove unnecessary steps. Your local business website should think the same way. That doesn’t mean every buying decision is simple.
Hiring an attorney isn’t the same as ordering paper towels. Replacing a roof isn’t the same as ordering dinner. Choosing a commercial contractor may involve multiple decision-makers, estimates and technical requirements. But even complicated purchases can have a simple first step. That’s the key. Your website doesn’t necessarily need to complete the entire sale. It needs to make starting the conversation easy.
Let’s Compare Two Customer Journeys
Imagine someone needs a contractor. They search Google. Two companies look promising.
Company A
The customer visits the website. They aren’t immediately sure whether the company provides the service they need. They start navigating. Eventually they find a Services page. There’s one paragraph describing everything. They want to know whether the company serves their city. Can’t find it. They want reviews. There’s no obvious link. They decide they’ll call. Phone number isn’t visible. They open the menu. Click Contact. Now there’s a 14-field form.
At the bottom:
We’ll respond within two business days.
The customer thinks: Nope. Back.
Company B
The customer visits. Immediately sees: Residential & Commercial Roofing Throughout Dallas–Fort Worth Great. That’s what they need. Underneath: 4.9 Stars — 200+ Google Reviews Nice. Then: Roof Repair | Roof Replacement | Storm Damage Exactly what they’re looking for. Big button: REQUEST A FREE ROOF INSPECTION And a clickable phone number: CALL NOW The customer taps. The phone rings. Which roofing company is better? We don’t know. But we know which one was easier to contact.
Step #1: Tell People Exactly What You Do
Clarity removes friction. We talked about this yesterday, but it’s worth repeating because businesses continue to make this mistake. Don’t make your customer interpret marketing poetry. Transforming Possibilities Into Exceptional Outcomes What does that mean? Are you building swimming pools? Selling insurance? Repairing transmissions? Performing heart surgery? Tell me. A better headline might be:
Commercial HVAC Repair & Installation Throughout Dallas–Fort Worth
Now the visitor immediately knows: What you do. Who you serve. Where you work. That’s easier.
Step #2: Make Your Phone Number Obvious
If phone calls matter to your business, your phone number should be easy to find. Not only on the Contact page. Put it in the header. Put it near important calls to action. Make it clickable on mobile. Consider repeating it near the bottom of important service pages. There’s no trophy for: “Website With Most Difficult Phone Number to Locate.” If the customer wants to call, help them call.
Step #3: Give Customers One Obvious Next Step
Sometimes websites suffer from the opposite problem. They have too many choices. Learn More, Explore, Discover, Subscribe, Download, Join, Follow, Watch, Contact, Chat, Sign Up, Get Started. The customer doesn’t know what matters. For most local service businesses, the primary action is usually something like:
CALL NOW, REQUEST A QUOTE, SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT, GET A FREE ESTIMATE, BOOK A CONSULTATION. Choose the action that matters most. Make it obvious. You can have secondary actions, but your primary call to action shouldn’t be hiding in a crowd.
Step #4: Simplify the Contact Form
We’ve joked about this several times this week because it’s such an easy mistake to fix. Ask yourself: What information do I genuinely need to begin the conversation? Not: What information might possibly be useful at some point during the next six months? Those are different questions. For many businesses, the first contact can start with: Name, Phone, Email, Service Needed, Message.
That’s enough to say hello. More complicated services may require additional fields, and that’s fine. But every field should have a reason. Don’t create homework.
Step #5: Show Reviews Before They Have to Look for Them
Customers want reassurance. Make it easy to find. If you have excellent reviews, show them. You can feature: Star ratings. Short testimonials. Review counts. Customer stories. Links to external review profiles.
Google’s guidance for local businesses notes that reviews can help a business stand out and recommends responding to reviews to show customers that their feedback matters. Google Business Profile: Tips to Get More Reviews
Don’t make customers leave your website and conduct an investigation to discover whether anyone likes you. Give them confidence while they’re already there.
Step #6: Show Your Experience
Customers are looking for reasons to eliminate risk. Experience helps. If you’ve been in business: 25 years say it. If you’ve completed: 3,000 projects say it. If you’re: Licensed & Insured say it. If you’re certified by an important industry organization: say it. If you’ve served Dallas–Fort Worth since 1998: say it. Your credibility shouldn’t require detective work. At DFW Website Designers, we regularly show: 17+ Years of Experience, 1,250+ Websites Built, DFW Based. Why? Because those facts help potential clients quickly understand who we are.
Step #7: Answer the Questions That Stop People From Calling
Sometimes the friction isn’t physical. It’s uncertainty. The customer can see your phone number. They just aren’t ready to use it. Why? They still have questions. Do you serve my area? Do you handle my type of project? Do you offer free estimates? How much does this typically cost? Do you work with my insurance? How quickly can you come out? Do you offer financing? Are you licensed? What happens next?
Good website content reduces that uncertainty. This is where: Service Pages, FAQ Pages, Blog Posts, City Pages, can become part of the sales process.
Google’s current guidance encourages businesses and publishers to create helpful, reliable, people-first content that provides substantial value to visitors. Google Search Central: Creating Helpful Content Answering real customer questions is a pretty good place to start.
Step #8: Make Mobile Ridiculously Easy
This one matters enormously for local businesses. Your customer may be: Standing beside a broken water heater. Sitting in a damaged car. Looking at a leaking roof. Waiting in a parking lot. Sitting on the couch. Standing in their backyard staring angrily at a sprinkler system. They’re holding a phone.
Can they use your website with one hand? Can they immediately see what you do? Can they tap the phone number? Can they request a quote? Can they navigate without zooming? Can they fill out the form without wanting to throw their phone into the Trinity River? That’s the test.
Google recommends providing a good overall page experience across devices and specifically includes mobile display and Core Web Vitals among the considerations website owners should evaluate. Google Search Central: Page Experience Mobile shouldn’t be the smaller version of your desktop website. It should be a great customer experience on its own.
Step #9: Don’t Hide Important Information
Businesses sometimes hide information because they want customers to call. That’s understandable. But hiding too much can produce the opposite result. Consider pricing. Not every business can publish exact prices. That’s fine. But perhaps you can explain: What affects pricing. Typical ranges. Minimum service charges. Whether estimates are free. Financing options. What is included.
That gives customers useful information without locking you into an exact quote. The same applies to: Service areas. Scheduling. Processes. Qualifications. Availability. Give people enough information to confidently take the next step.
Step #10: Don’t Make Customers Start Over
Here’s another frustrating experience. Customer fills out your form. Then somebody calls and asks every question they just answered. Or the customer chats online. Then calls. Then has to repeat the entire story. Or they request an estimate. Then receive an email telling them to complete another form.
Every handoff should move the customer forward. Not back to the beginning. Your website should make your business easier to work with, not simply easier to find.
Speed Is Friction Too
Saturday we talked about website speed. That fits today’s lesson perfectly. Waiting is friction. Click. Wait. Click. Wait. Form loads. Wait. Page jumps. Wait. Customer leaves. A slow website makes every other problem worse. Your customer doesn’t distinguish between: Technical website performance and Customer service. To them, it’s all one experience with your company.
Broken Websites Create Friction
Thursday’s maintenance lesson fits here too. Imagine the customer finally decides to contact you. Clicks: REQUEST A QUOTE Nothing happens. That’s painful. Or: CALL NOW Wrong phone number. Or: VIEW OUR SERVICES 404 error. You did the difficult part. You generated interest. Then the website killed the opportunity. That’s why websites need to be checked and maintained.
Friction Happens After the Lead Too
Let’s go beyond the website. Suppose your website is perfect. The customer calls. Nobody answers. Okay. They leave a voicemail. How long before someone responds? Five minutes? One hour? Tomorrow? Thursday? The easier competitor may simply be the company that answers. The same applies to website leads. Someone submits: REQUEST A QUOTE
How quickly does your company respond? The website can generate the opportunity. Your business still has to finish the job.
Your Competitor Doesn’t Have to Be Better
This is the uncomfortable part. Business owners often assume customers choose competitors because of: Price. Quality. Experience. Reputation. Sometimes they do. But sometimes the decision is much simpler. One company answered. The other didn’t. One website explained the service. The other didn’t. One showed reviews. The other made customers search. One had a big Call button. The other hid the phone number. One form had four fields. The other had fourteen.
One made things easy. The other made the customer work.
Do the Wednesday Friction Test
Here’s today’s assignment. Pull out your phone. Visit your own website. Pretend you’ve never seen it. Now try to become a customer. Don’t just look at the design. Actually do it. Ask yourself:
Can I immediately tell what this business does? Can I tell whether they serve my location? Can I find the service I need? Can I find reviews? Can I see why I should trust them? Can I find the phone number immediately? Can I tap the phone number to call? Can I request a quote easily? How many fields are on the form? Does the form work? Do I know what happens after submitting it? Can I find answers to common questions? Does everything work well on mobile?
Then ask: At any point did I feel annoyed? Pay attention to that moment. That’s friction. And if you’re annoyed by your own website… imagine the customer who has absolutely no loyalty to you yet.
Make Your Business Easy to Choose
This week’s lessons all connect. Monday: Your website is a salesperson. Tuesday: Your website looks good, so why isn’t the phone ringing? Wednesday: Maybe we’re making it too difficult for the customer to call. The solution doesn’t always require some enormous marketing campaign. Start with the basics.
Tell people exactly what you do. Make your phone number obvious. Make it click-to-call. Use simple forms. Show reviews. Show experience. Answer questions. Create strong service pages. Make mobile easy. Give people a clear next step. Then get out of their way.
Don’t Make Customers Work to Become Customers
At DFW Website Designers, we’ve spent 17+ years helping businesses throughout Dallas–Fort Worth build websites designed to generate business. We’ve built more than 1,250 websites, and our philosophy is pretty simple: A website should make doing business with you easier. Not harder. Your customer already has enough decisions to make. Don’t make them hunt. Don’t make them guess. Don’t make them fill out an interrogation form. Don’t make them solve a puzzle to find your phone number. And definitely don’t make them think:
“I’m trying to give you money!” Your competitor may not be better. They may simply be easier to hire. Make sure you’re the easy choice.
