Getting Started
What Should a Small Business Website Include?
Most small business websites fail the same test: a visitor lands on them and still can't answer "what do they do, and how do I contact them?" within a few seconds. Before you worry about extras, here's what actually needs to be there — and what can wait.
The core pages almost every business needs
- Home — who you are, what you do, and a clear next step, in the first screen someone sees
- About — builds trust with real information: your story, your team, how long you've been in business
- Services (or Products) — specific enough that a visitor knows if you're the right fit
- Contact — a form, phone number, address, and hours, without making someone hunt for it
Beyond those four, most small businesses benefit from a handful more: individual pages per major service (better for both visitors and SEO than one crowded page), a testimonials or reviews section, and an FAQ page that answers the questions you get asked on every sales call.
The features that actually build trust
- Real photos of your team, location, or work — stock photography is easy to spot and trusts less
- Genuine reviews or testimonials, ideally with a name and specific detail, not just a star rating
- Credentials, certifications, or years in business, shown clearly rather than buried in an About page
- A face or name behind the business — people trust businesses, but they trust people more
The features that generate leads, not just look good
A beautiful site that doesn't make it obvious how to contact you is a missed opportunity on every page. The goal isn't more content — it's a clear path from "I'm interested" to "I've reached out."
- A contact form that's short and works on the first try — three fields beats ten
- Click-to-call and click-to-email links that work on mobile without copy-pasting
- A booking or scheduling link, if appointments are part of how you do business
- A clear call-to-action repeated near the top and bottom of every page, not just the homepage
One CTA beats five
Pick the single action you most want a visitor to take — call, book, or request a quote — and make it the obvious choice everywhere. Competing calls-to-action on the same page usually mean visitors take none of them.
Technical basics that are easy to overlook
- Mobile optimization — most visitors will arrive on a phone, not a desktop
- Fast load times — a slow site loses visitors before they see anything
- An SSL certificate (the padlock in the address bar) — expected by visitors and by search engines
- A basic SEO foundation — page titles, descriptions, and structure that help you get found
- Analytics, so you actually know what's working instead of guessing
Nice-to-haves that can wait
Not everything needs to launch on day one. A blog, a photo gallery, embedded videos, or a members' area are all genuinely useful — but they're additions to a solid foundation, not a substitute for one. Launch with the essentials working well, then add from there.
E-commerce, directories, memberships, booking systems, integrations, advanced forms, multilingual, and other specialized or custom functionality aren't included automatically, but are available as add-ons or custom quotes. Our Website plan covers up to 20 standard pages — enough for the essentials above and then some, without an extra invoice for each one.
4
Core pages nearly every small business site needs at minimum
3 sec.
About how long a visitor gives you before deciding to stay or leave
1
Clear call-to-action is more effective than several competing ones
Frequently asked questions
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