The lead qualification checklist

Why it matters: A named or role-based inbox beats a contact form: you get a reply thread you control.

Check it by hand: Check the contact, about, team, and footer areas. Note whether it is a person or a generic inbox.

Why it matters: A mismatched or missing dialling code usually signals a stale or templated site.

Check it by hand: Compare the number's country code against the address and language of the site.

Why it matters: Broken forms are common on neglected sites — and they are a genuine opening line.

Check it by hand: Submit a short, honest test enquiry and watch for a success state or auto-reply.

Why it matters: It gives you a second channel and a way to confirm the business is still trading.

Check it by hand: Open each linked profile and check the date of the most recent post.

Why it matters: Prior experience in the category is the single strongest predictor of a reply.

Check it by hand: Read the homepage headline and services page — not the meta description.

Why it matters: Timezone, language, and currency decide whether the deal is workable at all.

Check it by hand: Check the address, service-area page, and the currency used on any pricing.

Why it matters: A two-person shop and a fifty-person firm need very different proposals.

Check it by hand: Count the team page, look at office photos, and read the careers page if there is one.

Why it matters: Paid tools, ads, or a recent redesign prove a budget exists.

Check it by hand: Look for paid plugins, ad tracking, or a subscription-based platform in the page source.

Why it matters: A missing meta description is a concrete, checkable issue that opens a conversation.

Check it by hand: View the page source and read the title and description tags.

Why it matters: Heading chaos is easy to demonstrate and easy for you to fix.

Check it by hand: Scan the source for heading tags, or use the browser's accessibility tree.

Why it matters: Most of their visitors are on mobile; a broken layout is a revenue problem, not a design one.

Check it by hand: Open the site on a real phone, not just a narrow desktop window.

Why it matters: Slow load times connect directly to lost enquiries — an argument buyers accept.

Check it by hand: Load the page on a normal connection and count the seconds to first meaningful content.

Why it matters: It determines whether your service is a small edit or a rebuild.

Check it by hand: Look for platform-specific paths, asset names, or generator tags in the source.

Why it matters: No analytics means they cannot measure results — which is itself something to sell.

Check it by hand: Search the source for common analytics script names.

Why it matters: An old plugin or unsupported version is a legitimate, urgent reason to get in touch.

Check it by hand: Note version strings in script and stylesheet URLs.

Why it matters: A certificate warning blocks their customers and yours.

Check it by hand: Check the padlock and the certificate's expiry date.

Why it matters: Dormant businesses do not buy.

Check it by hand: Check the copyright year, latest blog post, or newest social update.

Why it matters: It signals a business that takes compliance — and contracts — seriously.

Check it by hand: Look in the footer for policy links and open one to confirm it is not empty.

Why it matters: Duplicate outreach is the fastest way to lose credibility.

Check it by hand: Search your CRM by root domain, not by company name.