We Checked New Jersey Business Websites. Here Is What Was Wrong
By Ryan Shaw. Published . 7 min read.
Key takeaways
- The most common local business website problem in our New Jersey data was an out-of-date footer year: 25 of 37 checked sites.
- 14 of 37 were missing basic information search sites use to list a page, and 8 of 37 had a security problem.
- 34 of the 37 businesses were rated 4.5 or higher on Google. Good reviews and a weak website often go together.
- 23 of the 100 top-ranked businesses had no website at all.
- This is the top-ranked 100 from 637 businesses, not a random sample of New Jersey.
On this page
The most common local business website problem in our New Jersey data was simple neglect. On 25 of 37 fully checked sites, the footer still showed an old copyright year. Next came pages missing the basic information search sites use to list them (14 of 37) and security problems (8 of 37). Most of these businesses were well loved: 34 of the 37 were rated 4.5 or higher on Google. All figures are SiteRevive data, October 2026, New Jersey.
Below is what we counted, how we counted it, and where the numbers are weak. No business is named. If you want to run the same kind of check by hand, use our 10-minute checklist for outdated websites.
Where the data came from
In October 2026, searches in Ryan's own SiteRevive account found 637 New Jersey businesses. They came from 11 searches with New Jersey in the name, across trades like roofers, contractors and restaurants. SiteRevive ranks the businesses it finds, and we exported the 100 ranked highest, with the problems the app had written down for each one.
Of those 100 (SiteRevive data, October 2026, New Jersey):
| Group | Count | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Ready | 37 | Own website, an email found on that website, problems checked |
| Email, but skipped | 33 | An email was found, but the app left the business out |
| Phone only | 30 | No email found; a call or a letter is the only way in |
| No website at all | 23 | Google listed no website (counted inside the groups above) |
The 37 ready businesses are the cleanest part of the data. Every one has its own website, and the app checked it. The problem counts below come from those 37.
What was wrong on the 37 checked sites
Each site can have more than one problem, so the counts add up to more than 37 (SiteRevive data, October 2026, New Jersey).
| Problem | Sites | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Footer copyright year out of date | 25 | 37 |
| Missing basic information search sites use to list the page | 14 | 37 |
| Security problem (shown as not secure, or some parts load in an unsafe way) | 8 | 37 |
| Phone problem (hard to use on a phone, or slow on a phone) | 4 | 37 |
| Looks built with old technology | 3 | 37 |
| No easy way to call or message from the homepage | 2 | 37 |
| A linked page that does not load | 2 | 37 |
Old footer years were everywhere
The footer years on the 25 sites ranged from 2010 to 2024. Ten of the 25 showed 2022 or earlier. Nine showed 2024.
A 2024 footer in late 2026 is a small thing. A 2010 footer is not. Either way, a footer year is a hint that nobody has opened the site in a while, not proof that the site is broken. We would never lead an email with it alone.
Missing search basics
Fourteen of 37 homepages were missing basic information that search sites use to list a page. This is invisible to a visitor, so owners rarely know. It is also one of the easiest things to fix when a site is rebuilt.
Security problems
Eight of 37 had a security problem. Four were shown as not secure by the browser. Four more loaded some parts of the page in an unsafe way. Chrome has labelled every plain http page "not secure" since Chrome 68, as Google announced on the Chromium Blog in 2018. Visitors see that warning before they see the business.
A related number needs care. For 21 of the 37 businesses, the website link on the Google listing still started with http://. That is the link the listing shows, not proof the site itself has no https. Some of those sites load fine on https when you type it in. We count it as a small listing fix, separate from the 8 real security problems.
Phone problems were rarer than we expected
Only 4 of 37 were flagged for phone problems: 2 hard to use on a phone and 2 slow on a phone. Our opinion: most of these sites were rebuilt on modern templates at some point, then left alone. The template fits a phone. The content inside it is what got old.
That matters because Google indexes and ranks sites using the mobile version of their content (Google Search Central). A site that fits a phone but shows a 2019 footer and no search basics is half done.
How many problems each business had
Most of the 37 checked sites had exactly one problem (SiteRevive data, October 2026, New Jersey):
| Problems found | Sites |
|---|---|
| 1 | 24 |
| 2 | 7 |
| 3 | 4 |
| 4 | 2 |
One problem is not much to write about. The 6 sites with three or four problems are the ones where a rebuilt site would change what a customer sees. When you pick who to contact, sort by the number of real problems, not by how ugly the site looks to you.
Good reviews, weak websites
This was the most useful finding for anyone who sells websites.
The 37 checked businesses had a median Google rating of 4.9, from a median of 40 reviews. Thirty-four of the 37 were rated 4.5 or higher (SiteRevive data, October 2026, New Jersey).
These are not struggling businesses. Customers like them. The website is the part that fell behind, probably because the owner is busy doing the work. That is the same pattern we describe in businesses with good reviews but no website, one step further along: they have a site, it just stopped being looked after.
It also changes how you should write to them. A business with 4.9 stars does not need to hear that it is failing. It needs a short, true note about one thing on the site and a look at what a fixed version could be. Our guide to the cold email that offers a finished website shows that format.
Who these businesses were
The 37 checked businesses were mostly trades: 17 general contractors and 11 roofers. The rest were mixed, including kitchen and bath stores, a restaurant and a diner.
Of the 70 businesses in the top 100 with an email address, 25 used a free mailbox such as Gmail, AOL, Outlook or Yahoo rather than an address on their own domain. Our opinion: that is another sign of an owner-run business, and one more thing a new website setup can tidy up.
How SiteRevive checks a site
SiteRevive finds local businesses, skips closed, repeated and weak ones, checks each website and writes down the real problems it found. It keeps an email only if it finds it on the business's own website. It never guesses an email, a problem or a review. The labels in this article (old, not secure, hard to find, not mobile, slow, broken pages, no contact, no website) are the same plain labels the app shows on each lead.
The Google rating and review count come from each business's Google listing. The footer year comes from the text on the site itself.
Limits of this data
Read the numbers with these in mind.
- It is not random. These are the top 100 of 637 businesses, ranked by SiteRevive. The ranking favors businesses with problems, so every count here leans high compared to all New Jersey businesses.
- It is small. Thirty-seven checked sites is enough to see patterns, not enough to state rates for a state.
- It comes from 11 searches in one account. The trades reflect what was searched, mostly contractors and roofers.
- Labels are automatic. A footer year is a hint. A security label is what the browser reports at that moment. We did not check each finding again by hand for this article.
- The 33 skipped businesses had little detail recorded, so we left them out of the problem counts.
- One snapshot. Sites change. Some of these may already be fixed.
If you want stronger numbers for your own area, run the same check on your own list. The guide to finding small businesses that need a website shows how to build the list for free, and the two-minute check for bad websites sorts it fast.
What to do with this
If you sell websites to local businesses, three things follow from these counts.
- Lead with one true, visible problem. An old footer alone is too weak. A security warning or a broken menu link is something the owner can see for themselves.
- Pick busy businesses. A 4.9 rating with a weak site is a better lead than a weak site with no reviews.
- Expect some leads to be phone only. Thirty of the top 100 had no email we could find. Plan for calls or letters for those.
This is the work SiteRevive does in bulk: finding the businesses, checking each site and writing down what is wrong, so you can choose who to contact. Plans start at $97 a month, with a 7-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked. Details are on the SiteRevive pricing page.
If you are just starting out, the step-by-step guide to starting a website agency with AI shows where this kind of data fits into the whole job.
Follow-ups on this data: what an old copyright year does and does not prove, how to contact the 30 phone-only businesses, and how to check a site on a phone.
Questions people ask
What are the most common local business website problems?
In our October 2026 New Jersey data, the most common problem on 37 checked sites was an out-of-date footer year (25 of 37). Next came missing search basics (14 of 37) and security problems (8 of 37).
Is this a random sample of New Jersey businesses?
No. SiteRevive found 637 New Jersey businesses across 11 searches and ranked them. We looked at the top 100 and checked 37 in full. The ranking favors businesses with problems, so these counts lean high.
Does an old copyright year mean the website is broken?
No. It is a hint that nobody has touched the site in a while. Some sites with an old year work well. That is why we report it separately from problems a customer would hit, like a security warning.
Do businesses with bad websites have bad reviews?
Not in our data. The 37 checked businesses had a median Google rating of 4.9 from a median of 40 reviews, and 34 of 37 were rated 4.5 or higher.
Sources
- Mobile-first Indexing Best Practices, Google Search Central, read October 21, 2026.
- A secure web is here to stay, Chromium Blog (February 8, 2018), read October 21, 2026.
Ryan Shaw
Ryan Shaw makes SiteRevive. He ran a marketing agency for 15 years and worked with 100+ agency clients. He has generated $100M+ in online sales, most of it through agency clients, and has helped 15,000+ marketers with software, courses and coaching.
Earnings disclaimer. SiteRevive and this article do not promise income, sales or replies. What you earn, if anything, depends on your work, your market and your offer. Results vary and some people earn nothing.