How fast should my business website load?

Aim for about three seconds on a phone. Google's free PageSpeed Insights tool shows your score and what slows your site down.

Do I need a website if I already have Instagram and a Google profile?

Yes. Social media and your Google profile help, but your website is the only place you fully control, and it is one of the main sources Google and AI tools use to describe your business.

How often should I update my business website?

Update your information every time it changes, such as hours, prices or seasonal offers. Redesign when the site no longer works well on a phone or no longer shows what you sell today.

What a Destin or 30A business website needs for 2027

Partner Content. This article was written by or for a partner and reviewed by our editors. It is not part of our news coverage.

David Kahan
CEO at _luma

Visitors to South Walton start planning about 96 days before their trip, and more than half choose where to stay based on what they see on a rental website, according to the Visit South Walton fall 2022 visitor study. Once they arrive, almost every other decision happens on a phone: where to eat, what to rent, what to do when it rains. Your website is their first impression of your business, and often the only one.

At _luma, we review small business websites every week, and the same gaps keep showing up. Here are the ones that cost Emerald Coast businesses the most customers, and how to fix them.

Does your website actually work on a phone?

The gap: a menu that only exists as a PDF, a phone number buried in the footer, oversized photos that crawl along on one bar of beach signal.

The fix: everything that matters should fit on the first phone screen: what you do, where you are, whether you’re open today and one clear button to call, book or get directions. Test your speed with Google’s free PageSpeed Insights. As a rule of thumb, aim for a page that loads in about three seconds; every extra second gives a visitor a reason to tap back. Google also looks at the mobile version of your site first when it decides how to rank you.

Does it answer the questions visitors really ask?

The gap: a homepage that says “we’re a passionate team” but never says whether dogs are welcome.

The fix: write down the questions your staff hears on the phone and answer each one on your site: Are you open in winter? Is there a kids menu? Where do I park? Can I come by golf cart? Families with children ages 3 to 10 are the visitors with the most growth potential for Destin and Fort Walton Beach, and 70% of those parents choose based on what their kids want, according to the Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council’s Destination Dialog presentation from February 2026. If your website doesn’t speak to that family, another business will.

Do you have a page for every season?

The gap: the same website all year, with July photos in November.

The fix: visitation outside the summer season grew 19% in Okaloosa County, according to the county’s 2025 research trends report. Build a dedicated landing page for fall, another for the holidays and another for spring break, each with its own offer, dates and a clear way to book. It’s the cheapest way to fill slow weeks.

Can customers book or buy without calling?

The gap: “Call us to reserve,” read by a visitor at 11 p.m.

The fix: let your website book, sell or take the order on its own, or at least capture the request so you can answer first thing in the morning. Every extra step is a sale you can lose.

Does your website build trust?

The gap: prices that jump at checkout, stock photos and reviews nobody can find.

The fix: show the full price up front. For lodging and event tickets, the Federal Trade Commission has required it since May 12, 2025, under its rule on unfair or deceptive fees, and customers appreciate it in any business. Use real photos of your place and your team, and put your reviews where people can see them. Shoppers trust other customers more than they trust you.

Can everyone use it?

The gap: small gray text on a white background, tiny buttons, images with no description.

The fix: the Emerald Coast welcomes a lot of retirees and winter residents. Strong contrast, readable type, large buttons and alt text on images make your site usable for everyone, and they make it easier for search engines to understand, too.

Is your website ready for AI to recommend you?

More travelers now ask ChatGPT, Gemini or Google’s AI Mode where to eat or what to do. That’s called GEO, or generative engine optimization: getting AI tools to name your business in their answer, not just ranking in a list of links. AI reads your website, so the answer has to be there, in plain text: what you offer, who it’s for, what it costs and when you’re open. A well-organized site with real text and structured data makes that job easy and improves your odds of being chosen. Google says there are no special tricks for its AI features: the same fundamentals that work for search apply, according to its guidance for site owners.

Should you fix your website or start over?

Some websites can be improved; others are better rebuilt. If yours is slow, looks wrong on a phone, needs a developer to change your hours or runs on an outdated platform, starting fresh with today’s practices is often faster and cheaper than patching it.

How does your website look today?

_luma offers a free website analyzer: enter your address and in seconds you’ll see how your site looks, what to improve and what it could look like. Questions about your site? Email us at [email protected].

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