What every small business website needs
Updated
Most small business websites have one job. They help a stranger decide to call you, book with you or walk in.
This checklist covers what that takes. You can use it to check your own site in about twenty minutes.
1. Say what you do in the first line
A visitor decides in a few seconds if they are in the right place. The top of your home page should say what you do and where you do it.
“Family dental care in Forest Hills” works. “Welcome to our website” does not.
2. Make it easy to call
Most local visitors are on a phone. Put your phone number at the top of every page, and make it a link they can tap.
Add a clear button too, like “Book a visit” or “Get a quote”. One main button per page is enough.
3. Show your hours and where you work
People want to know if you are open and if you come to them. Put your hours, your area and a simple map or list of towns in an easy place.
If you visit customers, list the towns or neighborhoods you cover. If customers visit you, show how to find you and where to park.
4. One page for each main service
A single page that lists everything is hard to read. It is also hard for Google to understand.
Give each main service its own page. Each page should say what the service is, who it is for and what happens next.
5. Real photos and real words
Stock photos of smiling people in suits look the same on every site. Real photos of your team, your office or your work build more trust.
The same goes for the words. Write the way you talk to customers, with short sentences and no jargon.
6. Proof that you are real
New visitors look for signs that other people trust you. Good signs are real reviews, licenses, years in business and the kinds of clients you serve.
Never invent reviews or numbers. It breaks trust fast, and Google can remove fake reviews from your listing.
7. Fast on a phone
A slow site loses visitors before it even opens. Big images are the most common cause.
You can test your site for free with Google PageSpeed Insights. If the mobile score is low, ask your web person to look at image sizes first.
8. A form that works
Many sites have a contact form that sends to an old email address. Some forms are broken and nobody notices for months.
Send yourself a test message once a month. Make sure it arrives, and make sure someone answers it the same day.
9. The basics for Google
You do not need to be an expert to get the basics right. Each page needs a clear title and a short description that says what the page is about.
Your business name, phone and area should match on your site and your Google Business Profile. Small differences confuse Google.
Our guide on how to show up on Google Maps covers the profile side.
10. Easy to update
Your hours change, your services change and your staff changes. If you need a developer for every small edit, the site will go out of date.
Ask how updates work before you build. A good setup lets you change simple things yourself, or gets them done fast.
What you can skip
Many features look nice but rarely bring in customers. You can usually skip these at the start:
- Sliders that rotate pictures on the home page
- A long history of the business on the home page
- Pop ups that block the page as soon as it opens
- A blog you will not have time to keep up
Start with the ten items above. Add more only when you know it helps your customers.
A quick self check
Open your site on your phone and pretend you are a new customer. Ask yourself these questions:
- Can I tell what this business does in five seconds?
- Can I call with one tap?
- Can I see the hours and the area?
- Does the page load fast?
- Would I trust this business?
If any answer is no, that is your first fix. If you want a second pair of eyes, we can look at your site and send you a short plan.
Get your free plan.
Tell us about your business. We send back a short plan in plain words.
- What to do first, what it costs, how long it takes
- Free, with no need to hire us
- The plan is yours to keep