Are you feeling a bit ‘meh’ about your website?
Think it’s not working hard enough for you?
You may be right and I’m here to help you break down exactly why that is.
And how you can actually get people to turn from browsing visitors into paying clients.
Stop asking people to call you
Here’s something I see constantly on small business websites: a phone number front and centre, positioned as the main invitation to connect.
“Call us” is the main call to action.
I get why it’s there.
It feels personal. It feels accessible.
But no one’s clicking it… And that’s because when people are browsing it may be any time of the day or night.
They may also be in information-gathering mode and not ready to chat.
Or maybe they just need some time to mentally prepare before speaking to a complete stranger about their financial situation.
And that’s just the clients. What about the business owner on the other end?
A random call out of the blue at 2pm on a Tuesday can completely derail your day.
You go from focused, strategic work to reactive mode in about three seconds, and getting back into the zone afterwards takes longer than the call did.
So most people do what seems logical when they’re faced with this conundrum: they take the phone number off the site and replace it with an enquiry form.
Problem solved, right?
Not quite.
The trust issue with contact forms
Think about how you feel when you’re about to fill out a form on a website you don’t know well.
You’ve done it before. You type in your details, hit submit, and then… nothing. The inbox crickets arrive. No response, no acknowledgement, not even an automated “we got it.”
That experience sticks.
And it means a lot of potential clients are hovering over your form with a finger-hesitation, wondering if it’s even worth it.
Forms create friction. And friction is the enemy of conversion.
My advice is to think of an alternative to the form. You don’t have to ditch it completely but offer a viable alternative instead.
What’s that alternative you ask?
A much better option: the calendar booking system
If you want to turn website visitors into actual leads, I’d encourage you to look at a calendar booking system.
I’m surprised more businesses haven’t done this already, because it’s genuinely one of the most straightforward things you can set up.
Here’s why it works so well:
You control the calendar.
You set the days and times you’re available for introductory calls or meetings – no more, no less. Visitors can see exactly what’s free and book themselves in without a single back-and-forth email about availability.
Visitors book when they're most interested.
This is a big one. When someone is reading your website and thinking “yes, I think I need this,” they’re at peak motivation.
A booking link lets them act on that feeling immediately, while it’s fresh, instead of waiting for you to reply to a form and losing the momentum.
You get time to prepare.
Because you know who’s coming and when, you can look them up, review their business, and show up to the call ready to have a genuinely useful conversation. That first impression matters.
Crispy Tip
Most booking tools will add the person to an email list or CRM as part of the booking process. Even if you don’t have a newsletter right now, those contacts are gold for future marketing. Start collecting them
Which tool should you use?
Calendly is the most well-known option and it’s a solid choice.
At Crisp Marketing & Communications, we’ve moved to TidyCal – it has a one-off payment for lifetime access, which we love, and it does everything we need.
Microsoft Bookings is another option, and there are plenty of others depending on what you’re already using in your business.
They all pretty much do the same thing. The tool is less important than just having one.
So find one that fits your business and get that on your website
A small change, a big difference
If your website is getting visitors but not converting them into enquiries, this is one of the first things I’d look at.
It’s low-cost, quick to implement, and it shifts the whole dynamic – from you waiting and hoping someone reaches out, to people actively booking time with you on your terms.
Add a calendar to your website and you’ll be laughing.
But if you’re still scratching your head on how to do this, book a time with me through my calendar booking below. I’d be more than happy to guide you through it.
So, consider if your website is making it easy for the right people to take that next step with you. If you’re not sure, it might be worth a closer look.