What a small business website needs to do
A small business website has one main job: turn a visitor into an enquiry. Everything on this checklist serves that job. Before worrying about colours or animation, check that someone on a phone can tell what you do, where you do it and how to get in touch, within a few seconds of landing.
If your site does that, the rest is refinement. If it doesn't, no amount of design will fix it.
The first screen
The first thing people see decides whether they scroll or leave. It should carry:
What you do, in plain words, as the main heading. "Electrical work for homes and businesses in Bendigo" beats a slogan every time.
Where you work, so people in your area know it's for them.
One main action: call, book, shop or send an enquiry. One clear button beats four competing ones.
A real photo of your team, premises, vehicles or work.
A little proof, such as a review or a line about who you work with. Only true claims, and only ones you can back up.
The pages you need
Most small businesses need fewer pages than they think, but each one should do a clear job.
Home: the summary and the routes into everything else.
A page for each main service or product line. One page listing everything you do rarely ranks for any of it.
About: who you are, with real photos of real people.
Contact: phone, email, a short form, your address or service area, and hours.
Reviews or customer stories, so people can see the work.
Areas you serve, if you work across several towns, written honestly for each place.
Common questions, answered plainly.
A privacy policy that explains what you do with the details people send you.
Rule of thumb: if customers ask the same question on the phone every week, the answer belongs on your website, on the page where they would look for it.
Built for phones first
Plenty of your visitors will arrive on a phone, often in a hurry. Check your site on your own phone, outside on mobile data, and look for:
A phone number you can tap to call.
Forms short enough to fill in with a thumb.
Text big enough to read without zooming.
Pages that load quickly.
No pop-ups covering the content before people have read a word.
Easy to find on Google
A website nobody finds can't do its job. The basics:
A clear, unique title and description on every page.
One heading per page that says what the page is about.
A page per service, as above.
The same business name, address and phone number as your Google Business Profile.
Descriptions on your images, so search engines and screen readers know what they show.
The site added to Google Search Console.
Our guide to local SEO for regional businesses goes further, and the Google Business Profile checklist covers the profile your site should link to.
Tracking what it brings in
You should be able to answer one question every month: how many enquiries did the website bring in, and from which pages? That takes:
Website analytics set up and connected to your accounts.
Form enquiries sent to an inbox someone actually checks.
Call tracking, so you know which page or ad rang the phone.
What you should own
This is the part people skip until something goes wrong. Before launch, make sure these are in your name:
The domain name.
Admin access to the website, so you can change text, photos and hours yourself.
The hosting account or billing.
Analytics and Search Console accounts.
Your photos and copy.
If a developer or agency owns any of these and the relationship ends, getting them back can take weeks. When we build a site, it's built in Framer, you own the site, the domain and the files, and hosting is billed to you directly.
File tip: before a website project starts, gather your logo files, a list of your services, a folder of real photos and the five questions customers ask most. It's the quickest way to a strong first draft.
Make it match everything else
Your website is one part of how people see your business. It should look like your shopfront signage, your vehicles, your uniforms and your business cards: the same logo, colours and tone. If they don't match yet, a short set of brand guidelines is the fastest fix.
Common questions
How many pages does a small business website need?
Enough for a home page, a page for each main service, an about page, a contact page and any area pages you can write honestly. For many small businesses that's between six and fifteen pages.
Should I be able to update it myself?
Yes. Choose a platform where you can change text, photos, prices and hours without calling a developer. Small changes shouldn't wait on anyone.
How often should a website be updated?
Whenever your services, hours or photos change, with a proper review every year or two. A site with old photos and last year's hours tells people the business isn't paying attention.
Ready for a site that makes the phone ring? See our website design service: a strategy call, copy written for you, local SEO setup, forms and call tracking, and 30 days of tweaks after launch.
