The details that reassure.

The contact page is missing

What it means. The page you checked looks like it belongs to a service business or has an enquiry form, but it has no email or phone link of its own, and the contact page it links to answers "page not found" (an HTTP 404 or 410 error).

Why it matters. People who click "Contact" have usually decided they want to talk to you. A dead end at that moment can send them back to the search results and on to the next business.

How to fix it. Click the contact link yourself, then put the page back or point the link at the right address.

• If the page moved or was renamed, update the menu or button, and redirect the old address to the new one (a 301 redirect) so old links and bookmarks still work.
• If it was deleted, publish it again with at least a phone number, an email address or a form.
• Add a tap-to-call (tel:) or email (mailto:) link to the header or footer, so people can reach you from any page even if a link breaks again.

How the check spots it: this runs when the page has an enquiry form (a field for an email address, phone number or message) or mentions things like "request a quote" or "our services", and has no mailto: or tel: link. The check follows the page's link to a contact page on the same site (an address containing contact, contact-us or get-in-touch) and reports this only when it answers with a 404 or 410. If there's no contact link, the page loads, or your robots.txt asks tools to stay away from it, this doesn't appear.

Placeholder text or details are still on the page

What it means. Templates and page builders come filled with stand-in content: Latin filler text that starts "Lorem…", "Your company name", "John Doe", an email address like info@example.com, a number like 0400 000 000, or social icons linking to facebook.com/yourpage. Some of it is still showing. A milder version of this finding is a page that says "coming soon" or "under construction".

Why it matters. Leftovers make a site look unfinished, and visitors remember them. A placeholder phone number or email address is worse: anyone who uses it can't reach you. A "coming soon" page gives visitors nothing to act on.

How to fix it. The report quotes what it found. Search for those words in your site editor and replace each one with the real wording, address, number or link, or delete the block. Check footers, sidebars and pages that aren't in your menu, such as the "Sample Page" and "Hello world!" post a new WordPress site starts with. Finish a "coming soon" page, or take it out of the menu until it's ready.

How the check spots it: it reads the visible text of the page you checked (not its code or comments) for well-known filler phrases and made-up contact details, such as example.com addresses and numbers like (03) 1234 5678, and looks for links to example.com or to placeholder social profiles. Any of those is "Worth fixing". If the only match is "coming soon", "under construction" or "check back soon", it's "Nice to have", because a real page can say those things.

A privacy policy can't be found

What it means. A privacy policy tells visitors what personal information you collect (through forms, bookings, newsletters, analytics or cookies), why, who you share it with and how they can ask to see or correct it. The address the check tried for yours answered "page not found".

Why it matters. People are careful about typing their details into a form, and some look for a privacy policy before they do. In Australia, the Privacy Act 1988 and its Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) apply to some businesses, depending on things like turnover and the kind of work you do. The OAIC, the privacy regulator, says most small businesses aren't covered, but some are whatever their size, such as health service providers. For businesses the Act covers, the APPs include having a clearly expressed, up-to-date privacy policy.

How to fix it. Write a policy that describes what your business actually does with people's details, publish it on its own page and link to it from the footer. WordPress has a privacy setting that starts a draft page, and Shopify has a policies section in its settings; treat any template as a starting point. The OAIC's small business guidance explains who the Act covers. If it might cover you, or you collect sensitive details such as health information, check with an adviser.

How the check spots it: it opens the page's link to an address that includes "privacy" (such as /privacy-policy/), or tries /privacy if there's no such link, and reports this only when that address answers with a 404 or 410, so a broken privacy link counts too. It's "Worth fixing" when the page has an enquiry form, otherwise "Nice to have". A policy at an address without "privacy" in it isn't recognised, and finding one doesn't show it meets any law.

The privacy policy is hard to find from this page

What it means. Your site seems to have a privacy policy (the check found a page at /privacy), but the page you checked asks for contact details in a form and doesn't link to it.

Why it matters. People decide whether to type in their name, email address or phone number right there, and that's when they want to know what happens to it. A policy that isn't linked from the form's page is one most visitors won't see. For the legal side, see the privacy policy entry.

How to fix it. Link to the policy from the site's footer, so it's on every page, and add a short line by each form's send button, such as "Read how we handle your details in our privacy policy", with the last words as the link. Use an address with "privacy" in it, such as /privacy-policy/, which is what people expect.

How the check spots it: this appears only when the page you checked has a form asking for an email address, phone number or message, has no link whose address includes "privacy", and /privacy on your site loads as a page. A link to an address without "privacy" in it isn't recognised, so this can appear even though a link exists.

Returns and refunds information can't be found

What it means. The page looks like part of an online shop, but the check couldn't find a returns and refunds page: how to send something back, how long people have, who pays postage and how refunds are paid.

Why it matters. It answers one of the questions people have before buying from a shop they don't know. In Australia, the consumer guarantees in the Australian Consumer Law apply whatever a store's policy says, and the ACCC, the consumer regulator, says businesses can't rely on policies that deny them, such as "no refunds" signs. Templates written for other countries can say exactly that.

How to fix it. Write the page in plain words: how to start a return, any change-of-mind returns you offer and their time limit, what happens with faulty items, who pays postage and when refunds are paid. Link it from the footer and near the checkout. Shopify has a refund policy in its policy settings. The ACCC's guide for businesses explains repairs, replacements and refunds; if you're unsure how your policy fits with it, ask an adviser.

How the check spots it: it treats a page as a shop when its visible text mentions "add to cart" or "add to basket", "checkout", "shopping cart", "view cart" or "buy now", it links to a /cart, /basket or /checkout page, or its structured data calls the business a store. Words inside scripts, such as a chat widget's, don't count. It looks for a link whose address includes returns, return, refunds, refund, refund-policy or returns-policy (so /return-policy and /returns_policy count); with none, it tries /returns. It reports this only when that address answers with a 404 or 410, and doesn't read or judge the policy. If your site doesn't sell online but its text uses those words, ignore this.

Shipping information can't be found

What it means. The page looks like part of an online shop, but the check couldn't find a shipping page: where you deliver, what it costs, how long it takes and how orders are tracked.

Why it matters. Delivery cost and timing are part of the price, and people want to know them before they commit; a surprise at the checkout is a reason to leave. A clear page also saves you answering "where's my order?" emails.

How to fix it. Cover where you deliver (including any pickup option), what it costs or how that's worked out, any free-delivery threshold, dispatch and delivery times, tracking, and what happens to lost or damaged parcels. Keep it to what actually happens, since customers will hold you to it, and link it from the footer and product pages. Shopify has a shipping policy in its policy settings.

How the check spots it: it spots a shop the same way as for returns and refunds, then looks for a link whose address includes shipping, shipping-policy or delivery; with none, it tries /shipping. It reports this only when that address answers with a 404 or 410, and doesn't read the page.

The ABN is missing or doesn't check out

What it means. An ABN (Australian Business Number) is the 11-digit number that identifies a business; companies also have a 9-digit ACN (Australian Company Number). Both have a built-in check: the digits must add up according to a published formula, so a mistyped number usually fails. This finding means either the number on the page fails that check, or there's no ABN on the page.

Why it matters. An ABN shows people they're dealing with a registered Australian business, and some look it up before paying a deposit. A number that fails finds nothing on ABN Lookup, which looks worse than showing none. Whether you need to show your ABN or ACN on your site, or on documents like invoices, depends on your situation; your accountant or adviser can tell you.

How to fix it. Copy the number from your registration or from ABN Lookup rather than typing it from memory, and put it in the footer as "ABN" followed by the 11 digits. Keep it as text, not part of an image, so people can copy it.

How the check spots it: it runs only on sites with a .au address. It reads the page's visible text for "ABN" followed by 11 digits, or "ACN" followed by 9, and runs the published check-digit calculation. A number that fails is "Worth fixing". When neither appears and the page has at least 150 words, it adds "No ABN on the page" as a "Nice to have" marked potential, since the number may be on a page this check doesn't read for it, such as your contact page. "Australian Business Number" written in full isn't recognised.

Some pages share most of their main text

What it means. Two or more of the sampled pages say largely the same thing in their main content. Often they're suburb or service pages made from one template with a few words swapped, or a copied page that was never rewritten.

Why it matters. Google may treat very similar pages as versions of one page and show only one of them in search. Google's spam policies also list "substantially similar pages", and pages for different cities or regions that funnel visitors to one place, under doorway abuse. Visitors get nothing new from the second page.

How to fix it. For each pair in the report, decide whether both pages need to exist.

• If they do, rewrite each around its own specifics: what's different about that service or area, local jobs, prices, photos and the questions people there ask.
• If one does the job, merge them and redirect the other address to it (a 301 redirect).
• If both must stay the same, a canonical link on the copy tells Google which is the main version.

How the check spots it: it compares the main content (inside <main>, so menus and footers don't count) of each pair of sampled pages: the page you checked and up to four it links to. Both need a <main> element and at least 90 words of three letters or more. It splits the text into overlapping five-word phrases and reports a pair when 78% or more of the smaller page's phrases appear in the other. Pages whose address has a part that is exactly contact, privacy, terms, policy, cart, checkout or similar are left out, including /contact-us/ and /privacy-policy/.

Some pages have very little to read

What it means. One or more sampled pages have fewer than 100 words of main content. That can be fine for a gallery, a booking tool or a video page, but a services, about or location page with a heading, a photo and one sentence leaves visitors with questions.

Why it matters. People arrive wanting answers, and if the page doesn't give them, they leave or call someone else. Google says it has no preferred word count, so the aim isn't a number: it's covering what a visitor needs to know.

How to fix it. Read each listed page as a first-time visitor and add what's missing: what you offer, who it's for, where you work, how pricing works and how to get in touch. Put important words in real text, not in images. If a page has nothing of its own to say, merge it into another and redirect its address. Google's guide to helpful content has questions to test a page against.

How the check spots it: it counts the words inside <main> on the page you checked and up to four pages it links to, or every word on the page, menus included, when there's no <main>. Pages under 100 words are listed. Words a script adds after the page loads don't count, and pages whose address has a part that is exactly contact, privacy, terms, policy, cart, checkout or similar are left out, including /contact-us/ and /privacy-policy/. A separate Search finding flags linked pages with under 65 words in total.

Some service pages could answer more customer questions

What it means. A sampled page looks like a service page but is short on detail: 100 to 219 words of main content, fewer than two section headings, and none of the phrases that usually signal practical information, such as "how it works", "service areas", "pricing", "quote", "booking", "FAQ" or "call us".

Why it matters. A service page is often where someone decides whether to contact you, and they have questions first. Leave the answers out and they guess, or ask someone whose page answers them. This is a suggestion from the page's words and headings, not evidence about your rankings.

How to fix it. Add short sections, each with a heading and each answering one question, using only what's true for your business:

• what's included, and what isn't
• the areas or suburbs you cover
• how pricing works, or what affects the price
• what happens after someone gets in touch, and how soon
• a clear next step: a phone number, quote form or booking link

How the check spots it: among the sampled pages (the page you checked and up to four it links to), it picks those whose address, main heading or title includes a word like services, repairs, installation, plumbing, plumber, electrical, electrician, cleaning, design or maintenance. It lists one when its main content has 100 to 219 words, fewer than two <h2> to <h4> headings inside <main>, and none of those phrases. Shorter pages are covered by very little to read.

A terms page can't be found

What it means. Terms (or terms and conditions) set out how you do business: bookings, deposits, cancellations, payment and what's included. The address the check tried for yours answered "page not found".

Why it matters. Clear terms answer questions before they turn into disagreements. They matter most if your site takes bookings or payments, which is why this is a lower-priority note: many sites that only describe a service don't have them. Terms can't take away customers' rights under the Australian Consumer Law, so terms copied from an overseas site may not hold here (see returns and refunds).

How to fix it. If you take bookings or payments, write terms that match what you actually do, publish them on their own page, and link them from the footer and wherever people book or pay. Shopify has terms of service in its policy settings. Where money or risk is involved, have a lawyer review them.

How the check spots it: it looks for a link on the page you checked whose address includes terms, terms-of-service or terms-and-conditions; with none, it tries /terms. It reports this only when that address answers with a 404 or 410. It doesn't read the terms or decide whether you need them, and it isn't a legal assessment.

The copyright year is out of date

What it means. The copyright notice, usually in the footer ("© 2019 Smith Plumbing"), shows a year from before last year.

Why it matters. People notice it, and an old year makes a site look unattended, so visitors wonder whether your prices, hours and phone number are still right.

How to fix it. Many themes print the current year automatically. On WordPress, the notice is usually in the theme's footer settings or a footer widget or block. On Wix, Squarespace and Shopify, the footer text is edited once for the whole site. On a hand-built site, a developer can have the server or a line of script print the year. Otherwise, update it each January, or leave the year out of the notice, as some sites do.

How the check spots it: it looks in the page's visible text for a four-digit year next to ©, (c) or "copyright", including ranges like "2015-2019", and takes the latest one. It reports it when that year is earlier than last year, so a notice showing last year still passes.