Short answer: every generation now looks for local businesses on a phone, but they don't all want to finish the job the same way. Some will book online at 10pm. Some will call. Some will read every review before doing either. The best local website doesn't pick one. It makes every path obvious: a number you can tap, a booking or contact option that takes a minute, and enough plain information that nobody has to guess.
First, who we mean
We use Pew Research Center's generation ranges: Baby Boomers were born 1946 to 1964, Gen X 1965 to 1980, Millennials 1981 to 1996, and Gen Z from 1997 on. These are broad groups, not personality types. Plenty of 70-year-olds book everything online, and plenty of 25-year-olds would rather call.
Almost everyone is on a phone
That gap is smaller than many business owners expect. Your oldest customers are very likely looking you up on a phone too. That's why the phone version of your site is the version that matters most, for every age group, not just the youngest.
Different ways to the same yes
Where generations differ is less about devices and more about the last step. Design for the paths, not the birth years:
- The caller wants your number, big and tappable, at the top of every page, and your hours right next to it.
- The booker wants to pick a time online without talking to anyone, ideally in under a minute.
- The researcher wants reviews, prices or price ranges, and real photos before deciding.
- The texter wants a quick way to ask a question, like a short form or text option, without committing to a call.
Each of these people could be any age. A site that serves all four doesn't need four designs. It needs one clear page with every path visible.
What that means for your site
- Put a tap-to-call number in the header of every page, not just the contact page.
- Offer one online option, booking or a short request form, and keep it to the fewest fields you need.
- Make text easy to read: body text around 16px or larger, strong contrast, no light gray on white.
- Show real proof: reviews, real photos and your hours, close to the button that asks people to act.
- Keep the words plain. Clear beats clever for every generation.
What to avoid
- Designing only for yourself, or only for your youngest customers.
- Hiding the phone number to push everyone online, or hiding booking to push everyone to call.
- Tiny text, low contrast and buttons that need two tries to hit.
- Guessing. Ask a few customers of different ages how they found you, and watch one of them use your site.
[Your example: how customers of different ages reached a client, such as calls versus online bookings, described without invented numbers.]
Sources
- Mobile Fact Sheet, Pew Research Center (smartphone ownership by age, 2025 survey)
- Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins, Pew Research Center
