"You don't have a website" is one of the few cold-email openers that's both specific and easy to check. It's also easy to get wrong: plenty of businesses that look site-less have one under a different name. Here's how to find the real ones.
How many local businesses have no website?
We check each business's website before it reaches anyone's list. Of the 594,667 businesses we've checked so far, 395,465 (66%) had no website. The share depends heavily on the trade:
- trucking and transport: 81% of those checked had none
- retail stores: 80%
- salons and personal care: 71%
- clinics and health practices: 69%
- contractors and trades: 63%
- restaurants and food: 55%
- professional offices: 45%
- hotels and lodging: 37%
- fitness and recreation: 28%
By state, the largest counts of checked, site-less businesses are in Illinois (58,130), Arizona (27,541), California (25,446) and Wisconsin (21,916). These reflect where we've checked most so far, not a ranking of every state.
How to check properly
A quick search misses a lot. Before you write "you don't have a website", check:
- The email domain: if the contact email is [email protected], there's probably a site at that domain, even if it's a parked page.
- Different names: the legal name (from the state filing) and the trading name often differ. Search both, plus the phone number.
- Directories and social pages: a Facebook page, a Google Business Profile or a Yelp listing isn't a website, but it changes what you should say.
- Parked or broken domains: a domain showing "coming soon" or an expired page is a strong lead: they wanted a site and don't have one.
Our check matches what we find against the business's name, address, phone and email domain. "No website" means we looked and found none; businesses we haven't checked yet are never counted as having no website.
Which ones to write to first
- New businesses: they haven't hired anyone yet. See why new businesses are the best leads.
- Trades where customers search before they call: salons, clinics, contractors and restaurants.
- Businesses with an email on file: a site-less business with a verified email can be reached today.
What to say
Keep it short and specific:
- say what you found ("I looked for your business online and only found the state listing");
- say why it matters to them, not to you ("most people check a website before they call a salon");
- offer one small, concrete next step: two examples from similar businesses, or a one-page mockup.
Don't attach a full proposal, and don't claim they're losing customers you can't count. More in our cold email checklist.
How we help
BeatTheDoor checks every business for a website before it reaches your list, so "no website" is something you can say with confidence. See leads for web designers, the counts by state, or book a 15-minute demo.
Counts from our database on October 9, 2026, covering only businesses whose website we've already checked.