There are millions of local businesses running websites that actively hurt their business. Slow, ugly, broken on mobile, missing basic security. And most of these business owners know their website is bad. They just haven't gotten around to fixing it because they don't know where to start or who to trust.
If you're a web designer or agency looking for clients, these businesses are your ideal prospects. The question is: how do you find them efficiently?
The Manual Method: Google Maps
The simplest approach is free. Go to Google Maps, search for a business type in a city (e.g., "plumber Chicago"), and start clicking through results. Open each business's website and evaluate it.
What you're looking for:
- No SSL certificate: the browser shows "Not Secure" next to the URL
- Not mobile-friendly: text is tiny, buttons are impossible to tap, layout breaks on your phone
- Slow load time: takes more than 3 seconds to fully load
- Outdated design: copyright says 2019, stock photos from the early 2010s, Flash-era layout
- No website at all: just a Google Business Profile with no link
The problem with this method? It's brutally slow. Clicking through 200 Google Maps results, waiting for each website to load, manually noting which ones are bad... you'll spend an entire afternoon to get a list of maybe 15 to 20 prospects.
The Automated Approach
LeadsByLocation was built specifically for this. Search any business type in any city and get back a list of businesses with website quality scores calculated automatically. The scoring checks mobile responsiveness, SSL, load speed, analytics, schema markup, and CMS platform.
A business scoring 30/100 with no SSL and a 7-second load time is practically screaming for a redesign. Filter by score, reveal their contact info, and you've got a qualified prospect list in minutes instead of hours.
Qualify: Who's Actually Worth Pitching?
Not every business with a bad website is a good prospect. You want businesses that:
Have a website (even a bad one). Businesses with no website at all are harder to sell to. They've survived without one, so they don't see the value. A business with a bad website already knows they need one. They just need a better one.
Have Google reviews. Reviews mean they're actively getting customers. More customers = more revenue = more budget for a website. A business with 50+ reviews is generating real income.
Are in a high-value industry. A plumber, lawyer, or dentist can afford a $3,000 to $8,000 website because a single new customer is worth hundreds or thousands. A small bakery might only be able to afford $500.
Show signs of marketing investment. Do they have a Google Business Profile with photos? Are they running Google Ads? If they're already spending money on marketing, they understand the value of their online presence.
The Signals That Matter Most
When evaluating a potential prospect's website, here's what I prioritize:
- Mobile experience: Load the site on your phone. If it's unusable, that's your pitch. Over 60% of local searches happen on mobile.
- Page speed: Use Google's PageSpeed Insights or a free scoring tool. Anything over 4 seconds is losing them customers.
- SSL certificate: No SSL means Chrome shows "Not Secure." Business owners hate this when you point it out.
- Last updated date: Check the copyright year in the footer. If it says 2020, the site hasn't been touched in years.
- Contact form / booking: If there's no easy way to contact the business from the website, that's a major missed opportunity.
Build a Prospecting Pipeline
Don't just find prospects once and call it done. Build a recurring system:
- Pick 2 to 3 business types in your target niche
- Pick 3 to 5 cities in your target market
- Search each combination weekly and find new prospects
- Score their websites and filter to the worst ones
- Send personalized outreach referencing specific issues
- Follow up after 5 business days
Consistency beats volume. 15 highly personalized emails per week will outperform 100 generic blasts. The personalization comes from knowing exactly what's wrong with their website before you ever reach out.
Start With 10 Businesses Today
Right now, go search for a business type in your city. Look at 10 of their websites. I guarantee at least 4 or 5 of them are genuinely bad. Those are your first prospects. You don't need a perfect pitch or a perfect portfolio. You just need to tell them what's broken and offer to fix it.