Site Score

How the score works

The Site Score grades a local business website out of 100, on things that affect how easily a visitor on a phone can find what they need and get in touch. It is a scorecard of our own design. The speed and mobile numbers come from Google Lighthouse, the free testing tool built into Chrome.

Five categories, 100 points

1. A. Site & Mobile30 points

   Does the site load, fit a phone screen, show its main content quickly, stay still while it loads, respond to taps, and use a valid security certificate?

2. B. Conversion25 points

   Can a visitor act in one tap: a clear call or quote button, a phone number that dials, an address that opens in maps, a form that works, a way to book?

3. C. Findability20 points

   Can people find the business: a claimed and complete Google Business Profile, consistent name, address and phone across directories, and the basics of local search on the site?

4. D. Trust15 points

   Would a visitor pick this business: recent reviews, real photos, clear services, hours and service area, and licenses shown where a trade requires them?

5. E. Operations & Automation10 points

   Does a new inquiry get answered: replies to forms, missed calls followed up, reminders, and tracking that shows what is working?

Pass, warn or fail

• Pass earns full points. Meets the standard.
• Warn earns half the points. Partly there, but not broken.
• Fail earns no points. Missing or broken.

An item that does not apply to a business, such as online booking for a walk-in shop, is left out, and the score is worked out from the items that remain.

Letter grades

Two rules that override the math

• A site that does not load is an F, whatever else it scores.
• A site that is very slow on a phone cannot score higher than a B.

How we measure speed

• We test the homepage the way a customer on a mid-range phone with a slow mobile connection would see it, using Google Lighthouse.
• Lighthouse results vary from one run to the next, so every number we report is the median of three runs.
• Some sites block automated visits. If our test could not load a site, we say so and check by hand before we grade it as broken.

The free scorecard is a preliminary grade

The free scorecard grades only the items we can check automatically, which today are the Site & Mobile items. It is labeled a preliminary grade. A full audit adds the items that need a person to check them, such as testing a contact form or looking at a Google Business Profile.

The Site & Mobile items

Site loads

The homepage loads and renders on a phone.

Fits a phone

The page is built for a phone screen, not shrunk from a desktop layout.

Mobile performance

A Lighthouse mobile performance score of 0.90 or more (0.50 to 0.89 is a warn).

Main content appears

Within 2.5 seconds (up to 4 seconds is a warn).

Page stays still

Little or no jumping while it loads.

Responds to taps

Scripts do not hold up taps for more than 200 milliseconds in total.

Secure connection

A valid certificate with more than 14 days left, and nothing loaded insecurely.