CNC machine shop website checklist: 12 things buyers check before they send a drawing

Buyers send the same drawing to several shops at once and go with the shops that make it easy. An engineer or a purchasing manager decides in a few minutes whether your shop is worth an RFQ. This checklist is what they look for, taken from our work on manufacturing websites. Each item comes with a quick test you can run on your own site today.

The checklist

1. What you make, on the first screen

One sentence: your main processes, the parts you make and the industries you serve. Test: can someone who has never heard of you say what you do within five seconds?

2. A page for each process

3-, 4- and 5-axis CNC milling, CNC turning, Swiss-type turning, EDM, grinding: each process you want more work in gets its own page. Test: is there a page a buyer could land on for the process they need?

3. The materials you machine

Aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, tool steel, brass, engineering plastics such as PEEK and Delrin. Name the ones you run often, in the page text. Test: are your materials on the page, or only in a PDF?

4. Tolerances and part envelope

How tight you hold and how large a part fits your machines. Test: is there a number? "Tight tolerances" is not one.

5. Quality assurance, explained

Certifications (ISO 9001, AS9100, ITAR registration), CMM inspection, first article inspection reports, and how you test and document every order. Say what it means for the buyer, for example fewer rejected parts, inspection reports shipped with the parts, an easier supplier audit. Test: does your site explain how you check quality, or does it only say "high quality"?

6. Equipment that says what it can do

A list of machine models doesn't tell a buyer whether you can hold ±0.0005" on a titanium part. For each key machine or cell, say what it lets you make and why that matters: complex parts in one setup, a shorter lead time, larger parts. Test: could a buyer tell from your equipment page whether their part fits?

7. Secondary operations

Anodizing, plating, heat treat, assembly, in-house or through partners. Buyers prefer one supplier for the finished part. Test: can a buyer see what happens after machining?

8. Volumes and lead times

Prototypes, low-volume runs, production, and the turnaround for each. Test: do you state a typical prototype turnaround and production lead time?

9. Industries and proof

Aerospace, medical, defense, energy, automotive: the industries you serve, with photos of real parts and of your shop floor, short case studies and reviews. Test: are the photos yours, or stock?

10. An RFQ form built for machining

• an upload for drawings and CAD files (STEP, IGES, DXF, PDF);
• material and finish;
• quantity and annual volume;
• critical tolerances;
• the date the parts are needed;
• an NDA option.

The RFQ link sits in the navigation on every page, and the form works on a phone. Test: send yourself a test RFQ with a STEP file from your phone. Did it go through without an error?

11. A fast reply

The shop that answers first often gets the job. Every RFQ should reach the person who quotes, with an alert, not sit in a shared inbox overnight. Test: how many hours did your test RFQ wait for an answer?

12. The same facts everywhere

One company description, address, phone and list of certifications across your site, Google Business Profile and the directories buyers and AI assistants read. ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews build their answers from these facts. Test: search your company name: do the listings say the same thing?

How to use the checklist

Give your site one point for each item it passes. Below eight, it is likely losing RFQs. In our projects the first fixes are usually the same three:

• an RFQ path that works;
• capabilities written in text, not hidden in a PDF;
• a quality story that says what it means for the buyer.

Websites for CNC machine shops →

Where machine shops lose RFQs most often

• The form doesn't fit or doesn't work: it throws an error, or it asks the wrong questions.
• The site is slow.
• It isn't clear where to send a request.

A buyer who is collecting quotes from several shops at once won't stop to figure out yours. They move on to the next one.

The closest proof from our own work: for Motic, an optics manufacturer, the new pages converted 3× better than the previous product pages. Motic case →

FAQ

What should a CNC machine shop website include?

What you make on the first screen, a page per process, materials, tolerances and part envelope, quality assurance, equipment explained, secondary operations, volumes and lead times, industries with proof, an RFQ form that takes CAD files, a fast reply and consistent facts across the web.

Should a machine shop publish its equipment list?

Yes, but not on its own. Next to each key machine, say what it lets you make. A bare list of models makes the buyer do the work.

Which files should an RFQ form accept?

STEP, IGES, DXF and PDF cover most requests. Let buyers attach several files and add an NDA option.

Do machine shops need SEO?

In our projects local SEO and organic search, together with recommendations, bring manufacturers the best RFQs. A page per process, material and industry is what gets a shop found. SEO for manufacturers →

How fast should a shop answer an RFQ?

As fast as you can, ideally the same business day. The RFQ should reach the person who quotes, not a shared inbox.