2026 Denver business website report
Denver's homepages have the buttons. 33 of the 43 we tested take over 4 seconds to show them.
Booking, business markup and a way in are more common on the 44 Denver sites we tested than in our 31-city sample. The median speed score doesn't separate them, 61 against 61. Here is what we'd stop buying, and what we'd fix.
The Denver homepages we tested came well equipped. Of 44, only 3 had no call link, no lead form and no booking tool, 7% against 17% in our 31-city sample. Booking turned up on 10, 23% against 10%. Business markup for search engines showed on 28, 64% against 45%. 44 sites is a modest sample, so we wouldn't lean on any one of those. Together they point the same way.
None of it shows up in the speed score. The median is 61 here and 61 in the sample, even though these pages make fewer requests, 69 against 93. The main content shows in a median of 6.6 seconds against 7.4, which is a small win and still a long look at a blank phone. 13 of 43 sites landed in the poor band, on one run per site on a shared test machine, which reads low everywhere. The middle half of the scores runs from 44 to 74, so a Denver visitor comparing a few businesses could get very different pages.
Our read is that a business here is likelier to need a mechanic than another accessory. And the second gap is the phone. On 48% of homepages, a call link was the only way in we counted, about the same as the sample. A phone line takes one caller at a time. The May 8, 2017 hailstorm caused $2.3 billion in insured losses, Colorado's costliest, and we'd guess a roofer's phone was not idle that week. So check your own site, find what is slowing it, and put a form beside the number before the next one.
Measured November 7, 2026
We tested 44 Denver business websites on a phone.
Independent businesses with a Denver street address on their own site. Totals only: we do not name anyone. How we tested.
61 of 100
Median mobile speed score
31-city sample: 61
6.6 seconds
Until the main content shows
On a simulated mid-range phone. 31 cities: 7.4s
77% of sites
Took over 4 seconds
33 of 43 tested
23% of sites
Let a visitor book online
31 cities: 10%
Scores for Denver are from our own test, described under How we tested.
What it means
A full tool belt and a slow walk to the job.
The equipment is real.
Tap-to-call is on 35 of 44 homepages, booking on 10 and business markup on 28. Each runs ahead of our 31-city sample, and booking and markup by enough to survive one noisy run per site. Fields are better labeled too, with 17% unlabeled against 27%. If you were about to buy a feature to stand out, many of the sites we tested already have it. Testing what you've got may pay better.
Less to load, same score.
The median page here weighs 2.8 MB against 3.08 MB, and the accessibility median is 93 against 90. Those gaps are small. The speed median doesn't move at all. Blocking time is about the same, 295 ms against 277 ms, and the main content took over 4 seconds on 33 of 43 sites. Our read is that page weight isn't the whole of it. Here is what the scores measure.
The sites we couldn't identify scored below WordPress.
The 17 WordPress sites post a median speed score of 70. The 16 we couldn't tie to a known platform, a mixed group that can include hand-built sites, post 56. In our sample those two groups score 62 and 62. We sell custom work, so we don't enjoy reporting this. These groups are small, with one run per site on a shared test machine. But if yours scored low, read our comparison before you assume a rebuild is the cure.
Forms are the thin spot.
Lead forms showed on 11 of 44 homepages, 25% against 31%, a gap that may be noise, and some may be newsletter sign-ups. All the same, the 11 health sites make the case: 11 had a call link and 2 had a form. 3 of 5 food and drink sites had booking, too few to call a pattern. A way to catch missed calls and a form that works are what we'd look at next.
How Denver sites ask for the business
35 Denver sites · 31-city sample: 72%
11 Denver sites · 31-city sample: 31%
10 Denver sites · 31-city sample: 10%
28 Denver sites · 31-city sample: 45%
Most common failures
- Text with too little color contrast60%
- Headings that skip levels49%
- Uses third-party cookies49%
- Browser errors logged in the console28%
- Links with vague text ("click here")28%
- Links with no discernible name26%
Free tool
How does your site compare with the rest of Denver?
Give it your address and you get a graded report in about twenty seconds. It runs its own checks, so its grade isn't comparable with our speed scores. These three you can check yourself, against what we counted in Denver:
- 80% have a tap-to-call link
- 86% have a search description
- 64% tell search engines what kind of business they are
Who does business in Denver
Hail, airlines, beer and the people who sell to them.
Roofers and restoration crews
The May 8, 2017 hailstorm caused $2.3 billion in insured losses, the costliest in Colorado. We'd expect storm work to arrive all at once. We had too few of these sites to report as a group, so this one is judgment.
The site has to: keep a storm page ready before the season, put a form beside the phone, and show your own photographs of the work.
Roofing website designAerospace and aviation suppliers
Aerospace and aviation is one of the area's industries, and United Airlines and Southwest Airlines are among the big employers. Our guess is that a buyer in this field reads before writing. We have no measurement for this group.
The site has to: list what you make and to what standard, keep documents easy to find, and take a quote request by form.
Manufacturing websitesClinics, wellness and bioscience
Healthcare and wellness and bioscience are both on the list of industries, and Denver Health is among the big employers. The 11 health sites we tested post a median speed score of 63 against 61 in our sample, about the same.
The site has to: let a patient ask for a time after hours, collect only the basics, and ask your adviser what a web form may collect.
Healthcare website designFinance, energy and IT firms
Financial services, energy and IT and software are all among the industries. The 12 professional-services sites we tested post a median speed score of 62.5 against 64 in our sample, and 4 had a homepage lead form.
The site has to: say what you do and for whom on one screen, name the people, and let a reader start in writing.
Financial services websitesBreweries, restaurants and beverage brands
Food, beverage and agritech is an industry here, and the Great American Beer Festival comes each October. We tested 5 food and drink sites, too few to report a trend. Their median speed score was 54.
The site has to: show hours and what's on now, take a booking without a call, and sell online if you ship beyond the Front Range.
Winery and brewery websitesDenver by the numbers
718,877
Population
Census Reporter — Denver, CO (ACS figures are 2020–2024 five-year; page opens on one-year)$94,718
Median household income
Census Reporter — Denver, CO (ACS figures are 2020–2024 five-year; page opens on one-year)$2.3 billion, Colorado's costliest
Insured loss, May 8, 2017 hailstorm
Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association — Hail56.5%
Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Census Reporter — Denver, CO (ACS figures are 2020–2024 five-year; page opens on one-year)Businesses online
Statewide, 57% of Colorado small businesses use an AI platform (state scope; survey fielded June 2025).
U.S. Chamber of Commerce — Empowering Small Business 2025 (state scorecards)Before you spend a dollar
Five things to do instead of adding a feature.
- 1
Set a speed target before you pick a color.
Write a score into the job. The median here is 61, and 3 of 43 reached the good band. Good looks count for less on a page nobody waited for. A redesign should have a number attached, and you should be able to check it yourself.
- 2
Audit the features you already bought.
A booking tool someone added and forgot still loads on every visit. Open each one, see if it works, and see if anyone used it this year. Broken pages and dead widgets go first.
- 3
Put a form where the storm can reach it.
A call link was the only way in we counted on 21 of 44 homepages. Add a short form beside it, for the morning every line is busy. Each of our website packages lists lead form capture.
- 4
Try the cheap speed repair first.
WordPress did well here, at a median of 70 on 17 sites, so a slow one probably has a particular problem. A speed fix may be the whole job. Oversized images are the usual place we'd look first.
- 5
Read your page outdoors.
60% of the sites we tested failed the color-contrast check on at least some text, about the same as the 62% in our sample. Pale gray on white is a fashion. Stand in a parking lot at noon and see what's left of your page. Design fixes can begin there, with no rebuild in sight.
Local marketing
Ready before the storm, and before the Stock Show.
Search opportunities
Questions that arrive all at once.
Our read of what buyers here need answered, not search-volume figures.
“Roof inspection after hail in Denver”
A page written in January answers the question in June. A page written in June has a lot of company, in our opinion.
Roofing marketing“Where to eat during the National Western Stock Show”
The Stock Show runs sixteen days each January. Our view: a page kept current does more than a new one rushed out that week.
Restaurant websites“Brewery tours during the Great American Beer Festival”
The festival comes each October. A brewery that says what's open and how to book has an easy page to write.
Brewery and winery websites“Precision parts supplier for aerospace near Denver”
Aerospace and aviation is one of the area's industries. A capabilities page answers that search, and one page per process answers it better.
Manufacturing websites
What it costs
The list price, which doesn't change with the weather.
A website up to 70 pages runs $1,500 to $5,750 at a fixed price, set by the number of pages. Online stores start at $2,500 and repairs at $149, which is where we'd start if your site already has the parts. These are our published prices, and the list is the same in every city, hail or no hail.
Website, up to 10 pages
$1,500
fixed price
Website, 11 to 20 pages
$2,250
fixed price
Website, 21 to 50 pages
$3,750
fixed price
Website, 51 to 70 pages
$5,750
fixed price
- Online storeFrom $2,500
- Web app, portal or integrationFrom $575***
- Mobile appFrom $3,750
- SEO, local marketing or PPCFrom $575 a month***
***Pricing depends on complexity. ***Pricing depends on complexity, setup and budget. Ad spend is paid to the ad platform directly.
See every priceThe Denver playbook
Five jobs for a site that already has the parts.
- 1
Score it on a phone.
Run the health check and Google's PageSpeed Insights on mobile. Hold the PageSpeed score, not the health check grade, against the median of 61 for the sites we tested here. Scores move, so run it more than once.
- 2
List what's running.
The median site here makes 69 requests, below the 93 in our 31-city sample, so yours may have little to cut. Find out. Ask what each script and widget does, and keep the ones with an answer.
- 3
Fix the thing that's slow.
If it's images, fix the images. If it's WordPress, that work has its own page. If a page stalls on a tap, look at the scripts. Don't buy a rebuild until something has earned one.
- 4
Add the second way in.
A short form beside the number, then a test submission from your phone. Label every field. If the phone is still your only way in, this is the job that belongs ahead of more marketing.
- 5
Write for the calendar.
Your profile first, then one page for your season: hail, the Stock Show in January, the Cherry Creek Arts Festival in July or the Great American Beer Festival in October. A page like that can come back every year, and tracking tells you if it should.
Recent work
Modern builds we've shipped.
Bleuwave HVAC
HVAC — Residential & Commercial
A WordPress site rebuilt on Next.js, a same-day HVAC operation with an instant-estimate engine, 0% financing flow, and 40+ service pages, built to load fast and book jobs around the clock.
Regional Concrete
Custom PHP Build · Concrete Contractor
A Battle Creek, Michigan concrete contractor working since 2008, with a site that takes a homeowner or a plant manager from the right service page to a written estimate.
LeadBolt
SaaS · Speed-to-Lead for Contractors
Software that answers every contractor lead in under a minute, so the crew on a roof still wins the job that came in while they were up there.
Bleuwave Plumbing
Plumbing — 24/7 Emergency
A WordPress plumbing site rebuilt on Next.js, a 3 a.m. brand with a written-quote estimator and 60+ residential and commercial service pages, built to answer and book while the competition sleeps.
Simply amazing!
They took our outdated website and transformed it into a modern, user-friendly platform that truly represents our brand.
They helped us turn a loose idea into a working digital product — asked sharp questions, found the hidden workflow problems, and built a system our staff could use without a long training curve.
Start here
Tell us what you need in Denver.
Pick what you want and the price appears on the spot. The developer follows up, not a salesperson.
Prefer to talk? (480) 525-7582.
See what your project costs. It takes about a minute.
Rather talk? (480) 525-7582. 0% financing on any project, 25% down. See all pricing
Denver website questions, answered.
How fast were the Denver websites you tested?
Across the 43 sites that completed the speed test, the median mobile score was 61 out of 100, and the main content took a median of 6.6 seconds to show on a simulated mid-range phone. That is one lab run per site on a modest sample. Use it as a benchmark, and don't read it as a grade on any one business.
What is the sample you compare Denver with?
Independent businesses across 31 US cities, 1274 sites, tested the same way, and it includes these Denver sites. It is a yardstick. It isn't an average for the country, and it doesn't represent one. Differences of a few points don't mean anything, so we describe those as about the same.
My site has booking and a form. Why is it still slow?
We can't tell from here, and a form isn't necessarily the cause. Test the homepage with Google's PageSpeed Insights, and read what it flags. Look at the usual causes and fix what it names. Your tools can stay if they earn their keep.
Should a roofer build a hail page before the season?
We would. The storm doesn't wait for your web designer. Write the page while things are quiet, with your service area, your own photographs and a form. Then see what else we'd put on a roofing site. Insurance questions belong with your customer's insurer, so leave those answers to them.
What does a website cost for a Denver business?
Our published prices are $1,500 to $5,750 for a site up to 70 pages, online stores from $2,500, and repairs from $149. Every price is on one page, and it is the same list in every city.
Is my business in this report, and can I test my own site?
We found sites through public listings, report totals and name no business. For your own numbers, the free Website Health Check gives you a graded report, and Google's PageSpeed Insights runs on the same Lighthouse engine we used. Scores move between runs, so test more than once.
Method
How we tested.
We started from OpenStreetMap business listings, independents only, screened 69 candidate sites in a shuffled, evenly mixed order, and kept 44 independent businesses that publish a Denver street address on their own site. We left out national chains, referral sites, parked or broken domains, and sites that block automated tests, along with anything we built ourselves.
Each homepage got one run of Google Lighthouse 12.6.0: mobile form factor (412 x 823 screen emulation), Lighthouse default simulated throttling (150 ms round trip, 1.6 Mbps throughput, 4x CPU slowdown), headless Chrome, one run per site. 43 runs completed. A second pass in headless Chrome looked for tap-to-call links, forms, booking tools and search markup, on the homepage only, so a form on a contact page or an email link doesn't count. A form with an email, phone or message field counts as a lead form, which means a newsletter sign-up can count too. Business markup means JSON-LD naming one of the common local-business types, so another format or a more general type isn't counted. Testing ran on November 7, 2026, several sites at a time on one machine.
A lab test is one controlled load, which makes sites comparable with each other. It does not measure any real visitor's experience, and one run per site carries noise. Tests ran several at a time on one machine, and a busy machine lowers speed scores and lengthens blocking time, so we reran the tests taken when it was busiest. Read those two figures as rough, and small gaps as noise. Listings skew toward businesses someone has bothered to map, so read this as a careful sample, not a census. The comparison figures are 1274 sites across 31 US cities, tested the same way, and they include these Denver sites. Our Mesa report found its sample through web searches and ran one site at a time, so its figures aren't directly comparable.
- Candidate sites screened
- 69
- Denver businesses kept
- 44
- Speed runs completed
- 43
- Tested
- November 7, 2026
- Speed test
- Lighthouse 12.6.0
Sources for the facts on this page
Beat the Denver median.
Fifteen minutes, plain English, and a number in writing. If we are not the right fit, we will say so.