Start with the work you can credibly sell.
“Businesses that need a new website” is too broad to research consistently. The brief becomes useful when it names the company type, territory, commercial context and website condition that would make your service relevant.
Independent boutique hotels within 40 km of Brussels that rely on a third-party booking path, excluding chains and properties currently under renovation.
What counts as a credible website opportunity?
A credible opportunity is visible, specific and connected to something the company is trying to achieve. It describes the current experience; it does not claim to know conversion rates, revenue or customer complaints that are not public.
- A hotel sends every booking to a marketplace instead of offering a direct path.
- A restaurant publishes its menu as an unreadable PDF and has no reservation flow.
- A clinic asks new patients to coordinate every request by phone or email.
- A professional firm has unclear positioning and no evidence-rich case studies.
- A portfolio is slow or difficult to browse on a mobile screen.
Avoid shallow audit language.
Generic observations make generic outreach. “Your website looks dated” is subjective and easy to dismiss. “Your project gallery requires desktop-sized images and hides the project categories on mobile” gives the recipient something concrete to assess.
The list should also exclude companies where the evidence does not support your offer. A minimal website may be intentional. A recent redesign may already be doing its job. Human review should be willing to reject a row instead of forcing an angle.
Match the decision-maker to the project.
The owner is often relevant in a small business, but not automatically. A marketing lead may own positioning and conversion work; an operations lead may own booking or intake. The right role depends on the opportunity recorded in the row.
Turn evidence into a grounded opening.
Observation: a boutique hotel sends booking enquiries to a third-party marketplace. Relevant angle: a direct-booking journey that keeps more of the guest relationship on the hotel's own site. Opening: mention the current path and ask whether increasing direct enquiries is a priority—without claiming it is losing a specific amount of revenue.
The list should shorten preparation, not replace judgment.
A verified list gives you the company, person, evidence and a defensible starting angle. You still decide whether the project matches your capabilities and how to approach the person respectfully. That final judgment is part of good outreach.