What a Small Business Website Needs: A Simple Checklist

Most small business websites don't need to be large. They need to answer a customer's first questions clearly: what do you do, where, how much roughly, can I trust you, and how do I reach you. This checklist starts from those questions.

This article is part of our guide to choosing a website builder. The structure is our suggestion. Where a point comes from Google's documentation (checked 20 September 2026), we say so.

The pages

Home page

• One clear line on what you do and where you do it
• Your main services, each linking to its page
• A phone number or enquiry button that's easy to find
• A short reason to trust you: real reviews, accreditations or years in business, only if true

A page for each main service

• What the service is and who it's for
• How it works and how to book it
• Typical timings or what happens next
• A clear way to enquire

Google's SEO Starter Guide asks for content that is unique, helpful and people-first, and a page that says the same as ten other pages doesn't meet that. Write each one for a real customer's question.

About page

Say who's behind the business, what you do and why customers can rely on you. Real names and photos build trust.

Contact page

Your address (or service area), phone number, email and opening hours. If you have a public location, keep these details consistent everywhere they appear. Google's local business documentation lists name and address as required and telephone, URL and opening hours as recommended for local business markup. See local business schema markup.

Policies

A privacy policy if you collect any customer information, and terms where they apply, such as for bookings or payments. Have important legal pages checked by a professional.

The details behind the pages

• Page titles and descriptions: unique for each page. Check them with our meta title checker.
• Descriptive URLs such as /services/boiler-repair/
• Alt text on every meaningful image
• Mobile-friendly layout: test on a phone
• Speed: see Core Web Vitals for small business websites
• Accessibility: see website accessibility basics

What to leave out

• Pages with nothing to say ("Coming soon")
• Stock photos that suggest a team or premises you don't have
• Fake or unverifiable testimonials
• Long paragraphs of keywords

After launch

Add your website to your Google Business Profile, and keep your business details the same in both. See Google Business Profile guidelines. For search basics, use our SEO checklist.