Why Your Website Isn't Generating Leads: 7 Common Problems (And How to Fix Them)

Your website gets traffic. Google Analytics shows visitors every day. But your phone isn't ringing. Your contact form sits empty. Your inbox stays quiet.

Where are the leads?

This is one of the most frustrating problems business owners face. You invested in a website. You're paying for hosting. Maybe you're even spending money on ads or SEO to drive traffic. But somehow, those visitors aren't turning into customers.

Here's the good news: if you're getting traffic but no leads, your website has a conversion problem—and conversion problems can be fixed.

In this guide, we'll walk through the 7 most common reasons websites fail to generate leads. For each problem, we'll give you a simple diagnostic test so you can identify whether it's affecting you, plus specific fixes you can implement right away.

By the end, you'll know exactly what's broken and how to fix it.

The Lead Generation Reality Check

Before we diagnose problems, let's establish what "normal" looks like.

Healthy conversion rates by business type:

• Service businesses (B2B): 3-5% conversion rate (out of 1,000 visitors, 30-50 leads)
• Service businesses (B2C/local): 2-4% conversion rate
• E-commerce: 2-3% conversion rate
• Professional services (law, medical, consulting): 4-6% conversion rate

Calculate your conversion rate:

(Monthly form submissions + Phone calls from website) / Monthly visitors × 100

Example:

• 5,000 monthly visitors
• 30 form submissions
• 20 phone calls tracked to website
• (30 + 20) / 5,000 = 1% conversion rate

If your conversion rate is under 1%, you have a serious problem. Let's figure out which one.

Problem 1: You're Getting the Wrong Traffic

The issue: Not all traffic is equal. You might have visitors, but if they're not your target customers, they won't convert.

How to Diagnose This

Check your traffic sources in Google Analytics:

1. Go to Reports → Acquisition → Traffic acquisition
2. Look at where visitors come from

Red flags:

• Extremely high traffic from one specific country that isn't your market
• Lots of referral traffic from spam sites or link farms
• Traffic from keywords unrelated to your business
• High bounce rate (over 70%) on key landing pages
• Very low average session duration (under 30 seconds across the board)

Ask yourself:

• Does your website content match what people are searching for?
• Are you targeting the right keywords?
• If you're running ads, is your targeting too broad?

How to Fix It

For SEO-driven traffic:

• Review your keywords and ensure they match buyer intent
• Target "commercial intent" keywords like "hire [service]", "best [service] in [city]", "[service] cost", etc.
• Avoid purely informational traffic that won't convert (people looking for free DIY advice)
• Create content specifically for your ideal customer, not a broad audience

For paid advertising:

• Tighten geographic targeting
• Add negative keywords to filter out bad-fit searches
• Review your ad copy to ensure it attracts the right audience
• Consider raising your bid to target higher-quality traffic

For social media traffic:

• Ensure your social posts speak to your target market
• Use calls to action that lead to relevant landing pages
• Consider whether your social audience actually needs your services

Learn more about attracting the right audience in our Local SEO Guide.

Problem 2: Your Value Proposition Is Unclear

The issue: Visitors land on your site and don't immediately understand what you do, who you serve, or why they should choose you.

The 5-Second Test

Have someone who's never seen your website look at your homepage for 5 seconds, then close it.

Ask them:

1. What does this company do?
2. Who is it for?
3. Why would someone choose them?

If they can't answer these questions clearly, you have a value proposition problem.

Other signs:

• Your headline is generic ("Welcome to [Company Name]")
• Your homepage hero section is vague or focuses on you instead of customer benefits
• No clear statement of what problems you solve
• Visitors have to scroll or hunt to figure out what you offer

How to Fix It

Your homepage headline should pass this test:

We help [target audience] [achieve result] [through what you do]

Examples:

Bad: "Welcome to Smith Law Firm"

Good: "We help families in Portland navigate estate planning and probate"

Bad: "Your partner in digital success"

Good: "Web design and SEO for small businesses that want more leads"

Action steps:

1. Rewrite your headline to be crystal clear about what you do
2. Add a subheadline that explains who you serve or the problem you solve
3. Include a visual that reinforces your message (not generic stock photos)
4. Make sure your call-to-action is obvious

The homepage test: A stranger should know what you do within 3 seconds of landing on your site.

Problem 3: No Clear Call-to-Action

The issue: Visitors don't know what you want them to do next. There's no obvious path from "interested visitor" to "lead."

The CTA Audit

Look at your key pages (homepage, service pages, about page) and check:

How many CTAs (calls to action) are visible?

• ✅ 1-3 clear CTAs per page
• ⚠️ Zero CTAs or vague CTAs ("Learn More")
• 🚨 Too many CTAs competing for attention (5+ different options)

Where are the CTAs located?

• ✅ Above the fold (visible without scrolling)
• ✅ At the end of content
• ✅ In the navigation/header
• ❌ Only at the bottom of long pages
• ❌ Hidden in footers

What do your CTAs say?

• ✅ Action-oriented and specific ("Get a Free Quote", "Schedule a Call", "Request Estimate")
• ❌ Generic and vague ("Submit", "Learn More", "Click Here")

How to Fix It

Best practices for CTAs:

1. Use action words that state the benefit:

• "Get Your Free Consultation" (not "Contact Us")
• "See Pricing Options" (not "Learn More")
• "Schedule Your Appointment" (not "Submit")

2. Make CTAs visually prominent:

• Contrasting color that stands out
• Large enough to be easily clickable (especially on mobile)
• Surrounded by white space so it's not buried in text

3. Reduce friction:

• Primary CTA should require minimal effort (schedule call, simple form)
• Offer multiple contact options (form, phone, email, chat)
• Don't force people through multi-page processes for simple requests

4. Place CTAs strategically:

• Above the fold on homepage
• At the end of each service description
• In the header/navigation (phone number, "Get a Quote")
• After testimonials or trust signals
• At the bottom of blog posts

Example transformation:

Before: Generic "Contact" button in the footer

After:

• Header: "Call Us Today: (555) 123-4567" (clickable on mobile)
• Homepage hero: "Get Your Free Quote" (prominent button)
• Service pages: "Request an Estimate" (contact form below)
• Blog posts: "Need Help? Schedule a Free Consultation"

Problem 4: Too Much Friction in Your Forms

The issue: Your contact form is too long, too complicated, or broken—so people abandon it before submitting.

Form Analysis

Test your forms yourself:

1. How many fields do you require?

• ✅ 3-5 fields maximum (name, email, phone, message)
• ⚠️ 6-8 fields
• 🚨 More than 8 fields (dramatically reduces completion)

2. Try submitting your own form right now:

• Does it actually work?
• Do you receive the submission?
• Does the user get a confirmation message?
• Does it work on mobile?

3. What happens after submission?

• ✅ Clear thank-you message with next steps
• ✅ Confirmation email sent to user
• ⚠️ Generic "Message sent" with no follow-up
• 🚨 No confirmation, user doesn't know if it worked

How to Fix It

Simplify your form:

Remove every field that isn't absolutely necessary. Research shows that reducing form fields from 11 to 4 can increase conversions by 120%.

Minimum viable form:

• Name
• Email
• Message or brief description of need

That's it. Get the lead first, gather details later.

Additional best practices:

• Use clear field labels
• Show error messages if fields are filled incorrectly
• Don't use CAPTCHA unless you have a serious spam problem (it reduces conversions by 30%)
• Make sure "Submit" button is large and clear
• Display phone number as an alternative ("Or call us at...")

Mobile optimization:

• Test your form on an actual phone
• Use input types that trigger correct mobile keyboards (phone, email, etc.)
• Make sure buttons are large enough to tap easily (48×48 pixels minimum)
• Avoid dropdowns if possible (hard to use on mobile)

For detailed optimization strategies, read our full guide on contact form best practices.

Problem 5: Missing Trust Signals

The issue: Visitors don't trust you enough to share their contact information or hire you. Your website lacks credibility indicators.

Trust Audit

Count how many trust signals your website has:

Trust signals include:

• Customer testimonials (with names and ideally photos)
• Google reviews or third-party review platform badges
• Case studies or portfolio examples
• Certifications, licenses, or industry affiliations
• "As seen in" media logos (if applicable)
• Awards or recognition
• Security badges (SSL certificate, payment security)
• Clear about page with team photos
• Physical address and phone number
• Privacy policy and terms
• Social proof (number of customers served, years in business)

Scoring:

• 7+ trust signals: Good
• 4-6 trust signals: Okay but could improve
• 0-3 trust signals: Major credibility problem

How to Fix It

Quick wins (you can implement today):

1. Add testimonials to your homepage and service pages

   • Ask 5 recent happy customers for a testimonial
   • Include their full name and company/location
   • Use specific testimonials, not generic praise

2. Display your Google reviews

   • Add Google review widget or link prominently
   • If you don't have reviews, start asking customers to leave them

3. Show your credentials

   • List certifications, licenses, or memberships
   • Include logos of industry associations
   • Mention years in business

4. Add an SSL certificate if you don't have one

   • Visitors see "Not Secure" in the browser if you don't
   • This alone can kill trust instantly

5. Include a real phone number and address

   • Not just a contact form—show you're a real business
   • Make the phone number clickable on mobile

Longer-term improvements:

• Create case studies showing real results
• Build a portfolio with before/after examples
• Write blog posts that demonstrate expertise
• Get featured in local media or industry publications

Problem 6: Poor Mobile Experience

The issue: Over 60% of web traffic is mobile, and if your site doesn't work on phones, you're losing more than half your potential leads.

Mobile Testing

Pull out your phone right now and visit your website.

Test these scenarios:

1. Can you easily read the text without zooming?

   • ❌ If you have to pinch-and-zoom to read anything

2. Is the navigation usable?

   • ❌ If you can't easily tap menu items or the menu doesn't work

3. Are buttons and links easy to tap?

   • ❌ If buttons are too small or too close together

4. Does the page load quickly?

   • ❌ If it takes more than 3-4 seconds

5. Can you submit the contact form on mobile?

   • ❌ If fields are hard to fill out or the form is unusable

6. Is your phone number tap-to-call?

   • ❌ If tapping the number doesn't dial it

Run Google's test:

• Go to Mobile-Friendly Test
• Enter your URL
• If it fails, you have a serious problem

How to Fix It

If your site isn't mobile-responsive at all:

You need a redesign. There's no quick fix for a site that wasn't built mobile-first. Modern websites must be responsive from the ground up.

See our article on signs you need a website redesign.

If your site is mostly mobile-friendly but has issues:

Quick fixes:

• Increase font size (minimum 16px for body text)
• Make buttons larger (minimum 48×48 pixels)
• Add more spacing between clickable elements
• Simplify navigation menus for mobile
• Optimize images so pages load faster
• Make phone number clickable: <a href="tel:5551234567">555-123-4567</a>

Test rigorously:

After making changes, test on multiple devices:

• iPhone (Safari)
• Android phone (Chrome)
• Tablet
• Test over cellular data, not just WiFi (slow connections reveal speed issues)

Problem 7: No Lead Nurturing System

The issue: Most visitors aren't ready to buy immediately. If you don't have a way to stay in touch with them, you lose the opportunity when they're ready later.

Follow-Up Assessment

Ask yourself:

1. When someone visits but doesn't contact you, do you have any way to re-engage them?

   • Email newsletter signup?
   • Lead magnet (downloadable guide, checklist, etc.)?
   • Retargeting ads?

2. When someone fills out your form, what happens next?

   • ✅ Immediate confirmation email
   • ✅ Follow-up within 24 hours
   • ✅ Scheduled check-ins if they're not ready yet
   • ❌ Nothing—you just hope they call back

3. Do you have content to educate prospects who aren't ready to buy?

   • ✅ Blog posts answering common questions
   • ✅ Guides or resources
   • ✅ Email series that builds trust
   • ❌ No content, just a brochure website

How to Fix It

Create a simple lead magnet:

Offer something valuable in exchange for an email address. This captures visitors who aren't ready to contact you yet.

Examples:

• "Free Ultimate Checklist for [Your Service]"
• "Pricing Guide: What to Expect"
• "10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a [Your Service]"
• "Cost Calculator Worksheet"

Read our article on lead magnets for service businesses for detailed ideas.

Set up basic email follow-up:

At minimum:

1. Confirmation email immediately after form submission
2. Follow-up email within 24 hours to schedule a call
3. Check-in email 3-5 days later if no response

Build educational content:

Start a blog and write about:

• Common questions your customers ask
• Problems your service solves
• How to choose a provider in your industry
• Case studies or success stories

This keeps you top-of-mind and builds trust with people who need more time before deciding.

Creating Your Lead Generation Action Plan

Now that you've identified your problems, here's how to fix them systematically.

Step 1: Prioritize by impact

Which problems affect you? Rank them:

• 🔴 Critical (must fix immediately)
• 🟡 Important (fix within 1-2 weeks)
• 🟢 Nice to have (fix when you have time)

Example prioritization:

• 🔴 Problem 3: No clear CTA (quick fix, huge impact)
• 🔴 Problem 4: Broken contact form (blocking all conversions)
• 🔴 Problem 6: Not mobile-friendly (losing 60% of traffic)
• 🟡 Problem 2: Unclear value proposition
• 🟡 Problem 5: Missing trust signals
• 🟢 Problem 7: No lead nurturing
• 🟢 Problem 1: Wrong traffic (takes time to fix)

Step 2: Make quick fixes first

Within the next week:

• Add clear CTAs to every important page
• Test and fix your contact form
• Add at least 3 trust signals (testimonials, reviews, credentials)
• Make your phone number clickable on mobile

Step 3: Schedule bigger improvements

Within the next month:

• Rewrite homepage headline for clarity
• Simplify your contact form
• Create 1-2 lead magnets
• Start tracking conversions in Google Analytics

Learn how to measure results in our guide on Google Analytics metrics for small businesses.

Step 4: Track your results

Before making changes, document:

• Current monthly traffic
• Current monthly leads
• Current conversion rate

After making changes, measure:

• Did leads increase?
• Did conversion rate improve?
• Which changes had the biggest impact?

For detailed ROI measurement, see our article on how to measure website ROI.

When to Consider a Website Redesign

Sometimes the problems are too fundamental to patch with quick fixes.

Consider a full redesign if:

• Your site isn't mobile-responsive (it was built before mobile-first design became standard)
• Your conversion rate is under 0.5% despite implementing fixes
• The design looks seriously outdated (5+ years old)
• You can't easily make updates yourself
• Multiple problems from this list affect your site

The cost of waiting:

If your website should be generating 50 leads per month at a 3% conversion rate, but it's only generating 10 leads at 0.6%, you're losing 40 leads per month.

If each lead is worth $1,000 to your business, that's $40,000 per month in lost opportunity, or $480,000 per year.

Compare that to a professional website redesign ($5,000-$20,000), and the ROI becomes obvious.

Read our article on how much a bad website costs your business to calculate your losses.

Turn Your Website Into a Lead Generation Machine

Most websites aren't broken—they're just poorly optimized for conversion. The good news is that conversion problems can be systematically diagnosed and fixed.

Work through the 7 problems above, implement the fixes, and measure the results. You'll be surprised how a few strategic changes can turn a non-performing website into your best source of new business.

Ready to Fix Your Lead Generation Problem?

At MooseBase, we specialize in designing websites that actually generate leads. We don't just make things look nice—we build conversion-focused sites with clear CTAs, optimized forms, trust signals, and mobile-first design.

Every project includes conversion tracking setup so you can measure results from day one.

Next Steps:

• Audit your current website using this article's checklists
• Read our guide on contact form best practices
• Learn about creating high-converting service pages
• Check if you need a full website redesign
• See our portfolio of conversion-focused websites
• Schedule a free consultation to discuss your lead generation problems

Your website should be your best salesperson. Let's make sure it is.