Chesapeake web design that spends the money on the front door.

Designers like to sell a new look. In Chesapeake, on the homepages we tested, we'd have trouble making the case on looks alone. 18 of 44 came in under 2 MB, 41% against 31% in our 31-city sample. Contrast failures run 50% against 62%. Skipped heading levels run 35% against 47%. Tap targets are about even, 23% and 22%, and a failed check there means some targets on the page fell short. On 44 sites with one run each, none of that is a verdict, but none of it is a fire either.

What's missing is the part an owner touches. With 74.4% of occupied homes owner-occupied and a median home value of $378,400, we'd expect owners to look closely before they let a crew in. That calls for pictures of real work and a short request form on the first screen, sized for a thumb. A roofer can show a before and an after. A plumber can say what a visit involves. A builder can give each finished project its own page, with where it was and what was done. Those are design decisions, and they do more for a stranger than a new color scheme, in our opinion.

Websites run $1,500 to $5,750 at a fixed price, up to 70 pages, with lead form capture and design in the package. If your site only needs a form and a tidier first screen, look at design fixes before you buy a new one. Repairs start at $149. The Chesapeake report has the rest of the test. Send us your homepage, and we'd tell you which of the two we'd do.