The Three Places to Fix First on a Site That Gets No Inquiries

When reviewing a site that gets no inquiries, there are places to fix before you add ads or articles. In most cases they are three: the top page, the service pages, and the contact page.

This article is written for the person at a small or midsize company who has been handed the job of reviewing the company site, and for the executive who makes the call on it. Even when the work is placed with a production agency, the aim is to reach a point where you can say, in your own words, where you want the fixing to start.

On a site where inquiries have stalled, it is rarely just one place that is broken. The top page does not say what kind of company it is, the service pages do not show what can be requested, and the contact page makes reaching out feel like a hurdle. Quite often, the entire flow has weakened a little at every step like this.

flowchart TB
    accTitle: How the whole flow weakens a little at every step
    accDescr: A diagram showing that on a site where inquiries have stalled it is rarely one single place that is broken. The top page does not say what kind of company it is, the service pages do not show what can be requested, and the contact page makes reaching out feel like a hurdle, so the whole flow weakens a little at every step.
    a1["Top page: unclear what kind of company"] --> a2["Service pages: unclear what can be requested"]
    a2 --> a3["Contact page: reaching out feels like a hurdle"]
    a3 --> a4["The whole flow weakens step by step and stalls"]

Figure 1: Inquiries stall not because of one broken place but because weakness accumulates across three of them.

At KomuraSoft, we review SEO and the inquiry flow together as part of website development, and in actual improvement work these two overlap considerably. Being found in search and turning that into an inquiry are not separate matters. What Google asks for as the precondition for listing a page in search results is not some clever trick either. It is that the page makes clear what it is a page about.¹

1. First, Find Where Things Are Stalling

When inquiries are not coming in, look at where the flow stalls in three stages.

These three look independent, but in practice they are connected. If the top page does not engage the visitor, they never reach the service pages; if the service pages do not make the consultation topic visible, the contact page never gets opened.

flowchart TB
    accTitle: How the three pages connect
    accDescr: A diagram showing that the top page, service pages, and contact page look independent but are in fact connected. If the top page does not engage the visitor, they never reach the service pages, and if the service pages do not make the consultation topic visible, the contact page never gets opened.
    b1["The top page engages the visitor"] -->|"proceeds"| b2["Service page shows what to consult about"]
    b2 -->|"opens"| b3["Contact page gets submitted"]
    b1 -.->|"if it does not engage"| b4["Drops off here"]
    b2 -.->|"if it is not visible"| b4

Figure 2: The three places are not independent. Weakness on one page stops visitors from reaching the next.

1.1 How to Find Out Where Things Stall

The symptom table alone does not settle which case your own site is in. Looking at three things in order usually narrows it down.

1. Is traffic even reaching the search results?

The performance report in Search Console shows impressions, clicks, and click-through rate per page.² There are two kinds of pages to look for here.

• Pages with almost zero impressions. They are not appearing in search results at all, so the stall is on the search side. That is a problem upstream of the three places in this article
• Pages with impressions but very few clicks. They stall at how they look in the search results. Since the title and the description are built from what is written on the page,³⁴ the place to fix is the page copy itself

2. How far into the site do visitors get?

In your analytics, line up the top page, the service pages, and the contact page in descending order of views. If visitors reach the service pages but the contact page numbers are an order of magnitude smaller, the stall is on the service pages. Conversely, if the contact page is being opened but nothing is submitted, the stall is the form.

3. Show the page to a person for 10 seconds

Sometimes this tells you more quickly than measurement does. Find someone in the company who did not build the site, show them the top page for exactly 10 seconds, and ask “what kind of company is this?” If no answer comes, or the answer does not match the actual business, the stall is the top page.

More than one of the three can apply at once, but even then it is fine to work top down in the order given in the next section.

flowchart TB
    accTitle: How to find where things stall
    accDescr: A diagram showing that the stalling point can be narrowed down in three stages. First check in the Search Console performance report whether traffic reaches the search results, then compare in analytics how far visitors get through the top, service, and contact pages, and finally show the top page for 10 seconds to someone who did not build the site and ask what kind of company it is.
    c1["1. Search Console: is traffic reaching the search results"] --> c2["2. Analytics: how far do visitors get"]
    c2 --> c3["3. Show a person the page for 10 seconds and ask what kind of company it is"]
    c3 --> c4["The stalling point is narrowed down"]
    c1 -.-> c5["Zero impressions means a search-side problem upstream of the three places"]

Figure 3: Two measurements and a 10-second test are enough to narrow down where things stall.

Knowledge map for this article

This article states that on a site that receives no inquiries, three places should be fixed in this order: the top page, the service page, and the contact page. The top page should use its H1 to convey who the company serves and what kind of company it is, which also feeds into the page clarity that Google Search Essentials calls for and into how specific the link text pointing to the service page is, and the title and the snippet shown in search results are likewise generated from the H1 and from the text on the page. Where visitors stop is isolated with the search performance report in Search Console and with a funnel comparison from web analytics, and the effect of an improvement is verified either by comparing the same length of period before and after the fix or with a ten-second test. On the contact page, a form with a reduced set of fields is recommended.

flowchart LR
    accTitle: Fixing the inquiry flow
    accDescr: Diagram showing the order in which to fix the top page, the service page, and the contact page, and how that relates to diagnosis with Search Console and web analytics and to how the site appears in search results through the H1 and the snippet
    top_page["Homepage"]
    service_page["Service Page"]
    contact_page["Contact Page"]
    h1_heading["H1 Heading"]
    title_link_optimization["Search Result Title Link"]
    snippet_optimization["Search Result Snippet"]
    search_console_performance_report["Search Console Performance Report"]
    web_analytics_funnel_check["Funnel Comparison in Web Analytics"]
    before_after_comparison_measurement["Before/After Comparison Measurement"]
    crawlable_link_best_practices["Link Best Practices"]
    google_search_essentials["Google Search Essentials"]
    minimal_form_fields["Minimal-Field Contact Form"]
    ten_second_test["10-Second Test"]
    top_page -->|"should come before"| service_page
    service_page -->|"should come before"| contact_page
    h1_heading -->|"recommended for"| top_page
    title_link_optimization -->|"uses"| h1_heading
    snippet_optimization -->|"requires"| top_page
    snippet_optimization -->|"requires"| service_page
    top_page -->|"verified by"| search_console_performance_report
    service_page -.->|"verified by"| web_analytics_funnel_check
    contact_page -.->|"verified by"| web_analytics_funnel_check
    top_page -->|"verified by"| before_after_comparison_measurement
    crawlable_link_best_practices -->|"recommended for"| top_page
    top_page -.->|"requires"| google_search_essentials
    minimal_form_fields -->|"recommended for"| contact_page
    search_console_performance_report -->|"should come before"| web_analytics_funnel_check
    top_page -->|"verified by"| ten_second_test

In the diagram a solid line marks a relation that always holds and a dashed line marks a conditional one (the conditions are given per relation on the detail page). The full list of relations (15 in total, with evidence and certainty) and the definitions of the main concepts are collected on the knowledge map detail page (in Japanese). Data: JSON-LD / Turtle

2. The First Thing to Fix Is the Top Page

The top page is the landing point for search traffic, and it is also the page returning visitors come back to check. If it does not instantly convey what kind of company this is and for whom, the pages behind it will not get read either.

The points to look at are roughly these.

• Does the H1 alone make clear what the company does?
• Are the entry points in the first view organized down to about two?
• Is the link text to the service pages specific?
• Are there paths to the company information and the track record?

These four are not only a matter for the people who visit the site. The title shown in search results is built from the H1 and the page title.³ The description below it is built from what is written on the page.⁴ In other words, if the top page does not state what kind of company this is, the search result will look just as vague. Keeping the link text specific tells both readers and search engines what is on the other side of the link.⁵

flowchart TB
    accTitle: Top page copy also affects how search results look
    accDescr: A diagram showing that the title shown in search results is built from the H1 and the page title and the description below it is built from what is written on the page, so if the top page fails to state what kind of company this is, the search result looks just as vague.
    d1["H1 and body copy on the top page"] --> d2["The search result title is built from this"]
    d1 --> d3["The description is also built from text on the page"]
    d2 --> d4["A vague top page makes the search result look vague too"]
    d3 --> d4

Figure 4: Fixing the copy on the top page pays off not only for visitors but for how the search result looks.

Improving the top page is less about polishing the copy and more about making it possible for visitors to choose their destination within the first few seconds. If there are two lines of service, the goal is to leave no hesitation about which of the two to head for.

In terms of copy, the change looks like this. The examples are from a fictional company.

What makes the “before” column a problem, even though none of it is wrong, is that a competitor could use the same words unchanged and they would still fit. Any copy you cannot tell apart from another company’s once you hide your own company name is a candidate for rewriting.

3. The Second Thing to Fix Is the Service Pages

Even if the top page gets a little better, inquiries will not increase while the service pages stay vague about what can be requested.

On a service page, make these four points clear.

• What the service does
• What kinds of companies it suits
• What the deliverables are
• How to take the next step and get in touch

These four also show a clear difference once you put them into actual copy.

On a page covering website production, for example, it comes across better to write in terms of visible outcomes of the engagement: organizing the site so that what the company does comes across, sorting out how the company information is presented, putting the inquiry flow in order. If the same page also covers SEO and inquiry-flow improvement, it is easier to follow when you explain being found in search and proceeding to an inquiry after being found as two separate things.

flowchart TB
    accTitle: Four points to make clear on a service page
    accDescr: A diagram showing that a service page should make four points clear, namely what the service does, what kinds of companies it suits, what the deliverables are, and how to take the next step and get in touch, and that writing in terms of visible outcomes of the engagement comes across better.
    e1["What the service does"] --> e2["What kinds of companies it suits"]
    e2 --> e3["What the deliverables are"]
    e3 --> e4["How to take the next step and get in touch"]
    e4 -.-> e5["Write in terms of visible outcomes of the engagement"]

Figure 5: Fill in these four points in order and a service page starts to show what can actually be requested.

4. The Third Thing to Fix Is the Contact Page

The contact page tends to be left for last, but if doubts remain here, nothing gets submitted no matter how good the top page and the service pages are.

The common stumbling blocks look like this.

• It is unclear what may be asked about
• The form has too many fields
• It is unclear what to write
• It is unclear what happens after submitting

All four disappear by adding a single sentence to the page.

The contact page gains reassurance when it is tidied up together with paths to the company information page and the representative profile page. Beyond that, splitting the inquiry types into categories such as Website Development, SEO and Inquiry Flow Improvement, and Windows Custom Software Development makes it easier for readers to pick the one that matches their question.

flowchart TB
    accTitle: Removing the doubts on the contact page
    accDescr: A diagram showing that the four stumbling blocks of not knowing what may be asked about, not knowing what to write, not knowing what happens after submitting, and having too many fields each disappear by adding a single sentence to the page, and that adding paths to the company information and splitting inquiry types adds further reassurance.
    f1["Four stumbling blocks: topic, what to write, what happens next, number of fields"] --> f2["Each one disappears with a single added sentence"]
    f2 --> f3["Add reassurance with paths to company information and the representative profile"]
    f3 --> f4["Split inquiry types so readers can pick their own"]
    f1 -.-> f5["Doubts here stop submissions even when the first two pages are good"]

Figure 6: Drop-off on the contact page can be prevented by removing the doubts one sentence at a time.

5. Fix Things in Order of Impact

In reality, you do not need to fix everything at once. But when inquiries are not coming in, getting the priorities wrong makes it hard to feel any improvement.

The recommended order is this.

1. Fix the H1 and the entry points on the top page
2. Fix the main service pages one at a time
3. Fix the explanations and the fields on the contact page
4. If needed, reinforce the company information and the representative profile
5. Only then add blog posts and case studies

In this order, change shows up even while the page count is still small. Rather than adding articles from the start, building the foundation of the inquiry flow first makes the flow of consultations come together more easily.

flowchart TB
    accTitle: The order in which to fix things
    accDescr: A diagram showing that fixing the H1 and entry points on the top page, then the main service pages one at a time, then the explanations and fields on the contact page, then the company information and representative profile if needed, and only then blog posts and case studies produces visible change even while the page count is still small.
    g1["1. Top page H1 and entry points"] --> g2["2. Main service pages one at a time"]
    g2 --> g3["3. Contact page explanations and fields"]
    g3 --> g4["4. Company information and representative profile if needed"]
    g4 --> g5["5. Blog posts and case studies after that"]

Figure 7: Adding articles comes last. Build the foundation of the inquiry flow first.

5.1 How to Confirm the Change

The reason for recommending this order is the number of pages each fix affects. The top page is the entrance to every path, so fixing it has an effect across the whole site, while a single article only affects the people who landed on that article. That is why the top page comes first.

On top of that, measure the change on your own site. There are three steps.

1. Record the numbers before the fix. Note the impressions and clicks for the target pages (Search Console),² and the number of inquiries, over a fixed period immediately before the fix
2. After publishing, compare over a period of the same length. Comparing a month before the fix against a week after it means nothing
3. Set the length of the comparison period by how small the original numbers are. For a page shown only a few dozen times a month, a month is too short: the difference just gets buried in random variation. The smaller the numbers, the longer the period you need

Do not borrow a benchmark for how much things should change from another company’s article. The order of magnitude shifts with the industry, the competition, and the state of the original site, so the only valid baseline for comparison is your own numbers from before the fix.

flowchart TB
    accTitle: How to confirm the change
    accDescr: A diagram showing that the change should be measured on your own site by recording the impressions, clicks, and inquiry counts before the fix, comparing over a period of the same length after publishing, and setting the period length by how small the original numbers are, and that benchmarks for how much things change must not be borrowed from other companies articles.
    h1["1. Record the numbers before the fix"] --> h2["2. After publishing, compare over a period of the same length"]
    h2 --> h3["3. Set the period length by how small the original numbers are"]
    h3 -.-> h4["Do not borrow benchmarks from other companies. The baseline is your own numbers from before the fix"]

Figure 8: Measure the effect against your own numbers from before the fix, not against another company’s benchmark.

Even when the numbers take time to move, if the answer to the 10-second test in section 1.1 has changed, the improvement to the top page is working.

Summary

On a site that gets no inquiries, the first thing to look at is not the volume of ads or articles but the connection between the top page, the service pages, and the contact page. When these three line up, readers can judge in sequence what kind of company this is, what they can request, and how to get in touch.

The shortcut is to start by reviewing website development as the entrance for inquiries.

Related Articles

• Why a Technical Company’s Website Fails to Communicate What the Company Does
• How to Build Service Pages - An Organizing Procedure for Technical B2B
• Website Development
• Contact

References

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about the topic of this article.

When a site brings in no inquiries, where should we fix first?

Before adding ads or articles, review three pages: the top page, the service pages, and the contact page. Quite often the whole flow has weakened a little at every step, in this pattern: the top page does not say what kind of company it is, the service pages do not show what can be requested, and the contact page makes reaching out feel like a hurdle. These three look independent but are in fact connected, and if the top page does not engage the visitor, they never get as far as the service pages.

What should we check on the top page?

Four things: whether the H1 alone makes clear what the company does, whether the entry points in the first view are organized down to about two, whether the link text to the service pages is specific, and whether there are paths to the company information and the track record. The top page is the landing point for search traffic and also the page returning visitors check, so if it does not instantly convey what kind of company this is and for whom, the pages behind it will not get read either.

What makes visitors leave the contact page?

The typical worries are: it is unclear what may be asked about, the form has too many fields, it is unclear what to write, and it is unclear what happens after submitting. If those doubts remain here, nothing gets submitted even when the top page and the service pages are good. Tidying the page up together with paths to the company information and the representative profile adds reassurance, and splitting inquiry types into separate categories makes it easier for readers to pick the one that matches their question.

In what order is site improvement most effective?

Fix the places with the largest impact first. The recommended order is: the H1 and entry points on the top page, then the main service pages one at a time, then the explanations and fields on the contact page, then the company information and representative profile if needed, and only after that blog posts and case studies. In this order, change shows up even while the page count is still small. Rather than adding articles from the start, building the foundation of the inquiry flow first makes the flow of consultations come together more easily.

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Profile page for the article author.

Go Komura

Representative of KomuraSoft LLC

Focused on Windows software development, technical consulting, and investigations into failures that are difficult to reproduce.