Key numbers
Five findings
- Nearly one in three sites is turning customers away. 31% of the sites we could check were down, showed an error, were marked 'Not secure', were slow to respond, broke on phones, or still used Flash.
- One in eight is effectively offline. 567 sites were unreachable, returned an error, or showed a parked or 'under construction' page. Their owners are likely still paying for the domain.
- Google basics are the most common gap. 37% of working sites lacked at least one of a page title, a meta description or a main (H1) heading, the first things Google reads.
- Many sites look abandoned. Of the working sites that show a copyright year, 516 (19%) still say 2023 or earlier; 251 say 2020 or earlier. Visitors read that as 'is this business still open?'
- The fixes are cheap compared with the cost. Most issues take hours, not weeks, to fix, and three in four sites (75%) had at least one.
The most common problems
| Problem | Sites | Share of working sites |
|---|---|---|
| Images without alt text | 1,326 | 32.5% |
| No H1 heading | 1,117 | 27.4% |
| No structured data for Google | 986 | 24.2% |
| No social share preview (Open Graph) | 771 | 18.9% |
| No meta description | 769 | 18.9% |
| No sitemap.xml | 399 | 9.8% |
| Homepage takes over 3 seconds to respond | 349 | 8.6% |
| Mixed secure / insecure content | 269 | 6.6% |
| Very little text on the homepage | 256 | 6.3% |
| No HTTPS (browser shows 'Not secure') | 124 | 3.0% |
| Not mobile-friendly | 121 | 3.0% |
| Missing page title | 82 | 2.0% |
| Still uses Flash | 52 | 1.3% |
| Broken SSL certificate | 42 | 1.0% |
Base: the 4,078 sites that loaded normally. One site can have several problems.
By industry
| Industry | Sites checked | Problem customers notice | Missing Google basics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cafés, restaurants, bakeries & caterers | 642 | 38% | 48% |
| Renovation, interior design & home services | 303 | 34% | 25% |
| Logistics, freight, couriers & movers | 58 | 43% | 45% |
| All businesses checked | 4,645 | 31% | 37% |
Groups are built from the directory categories each site was listed under. The logistics group is small, so treat its figures as indicative.
More on each industry: cafés & restaurants, renovation & interior design, logistics & freight.
Why these problems cost money
'Not secure' warnings
Browsers warn visitors before they even see your page. Many leave immediately, especially before filling in a form.
Slow loading
Visitors on phones give up within seconds, and Google uses speed as a ranking signal.
Broken on mobile
Most local searches happen on phones. Tiny text and sideways scrolling send people to a competitor.
Missing Google basics
Without a clear title, description and heading, Google has to guess what your page is about, and often ranks it lower.
Check your own site in 5 minutes
- Open it on your phone. Is everything readable without zooming?
- Look at the address bar. Is there a padlock, or a 'Not secure' warning?
- Scroll to the footer. Is the copyright year current?
- Search Google for your business name. Does the result show a clear title and description?
- Run it through PageSpeed Insights. Is the mobile score above 50?
Want a second opinion? Get in touch and I'll take a look.
How we did it
In October 2026 we ran an automated, read-only check of 4,970 Singapore business homepages listed in public business directories and chamber of commerce member lists. Each homepage was loaded once, as a visitor would, and checked for availability, HTTPS, mobile settings, response time, page title, description, headings, structured data, image alt text, sitemap and copyright year.
325 sites blocked automated visits and are excluded, leaving 4,645 checked sites, of which 4,078 loaded normally. Response time measures how fast the homepage HTML arrived, not full page rendering. The sample comes from directories, not a random survey of all Singapore businesses. No individual businesses are named.
You're welcome to cite these figures with a link to this page.