Why a checklist helps
A small business website does not need to be fancy. It needs to answer a visitor's questions quickly and make it easy for them to contact you. Many sites miss a few simple basics, and those small gaps can cost calls.
Go through the list below with your own site open on your phone. Tick off what you have, and note what is missing.
1. Clear contact details
- Your phone number at the top of the page, as a tap-to-call link on phones.
- Your email address, as a link that opens an email.
- Your address, or the area you serve if you go to customers.
- Your opening hours, if customers visit you.
- A clear button such as "Call now", "Book" or "Get a quote" on every page.
2. What you do and where
- A headline that says what you do and where, in plain words, such as "Family plumbing in Carteret, NJ".
- A short list of your main services.
- The towns, areas or countries you serve.
- Prices or a starting price, if you can share them. Visitors appreciate knowing what to expect.
3. Proof that you are real and good
- Real photos of your work, your team or your place. Avoid relying only on stock photos.
- Customer reviews or testimonials, used with permission.
- Any licenses, insurance or certifications that matter in your trade.
- A short "about" section: who you are and how long you have been doing this.
4. Works well on phones
Many customers will find you on a phone. Check that your site is easy to read and use on a small screen:
- Text is readable without zooming.
- Buttons are big enough to tap.
- Nothing spills off the side of the screen.
- Menus open and close easily.
- The phone number dials when tapped.
5. Loads fast
People leave slow sites. To keep yours fast, use compressed images at a sensible size, avoid heavy sliders and auto-playing videos, and keep plugins and scripts to the ones you really use. Google offers a free tool, PageSpeed Insights, that tests your site and suggests fixes.
6. Basics for search engines
- A unique, descriptive page title and description for every page.
- One main heading on each page that says what the page is about.
- Your business name, address and phone number written the same way on your site and your Google Business Profile.
- A link from your Google Business Profile to your website.
- A sitemap, and the site connected to Google Search Console so you can see how Google sees it.
- Short, readable web addresses, such as yourbusiness.com/services/.
7. Security and trust basics
- HTTPS, the padlock in the browser. Many hosts include a free SSL certificate.
- A professional email address on your own domain.
- A privacy policy, especially if you collect any information through forms.
- A copyright line with the current year, so visitors can see the site is looked after.
8. You own it
This one is easy to forget until it is a problem. Make sure:
- The domain is registered in your name, and you have the login.
- You have access to the hosting account, or the hosting is in your own account.
- You have, or can get, a copy of all the website files.
- You know what you pay every year, and how to cancel any monthly plan.
9. Speaks your customers' language
If many of your customers prefer another language, consider a site in that language too, or in several. Use real, checked translations rather than relying only on automatic translation, and let visitors switch languages easily. Right-to-left languages such as Hebrew and Arabic need a layout that reads correctly from right to left.
10. Kept up to date
- Hours, prices and services are current.
- Holiday closures are posted.
- Old offers and dead links are removed.
- Photos still show your work as it is today.
Put a reminder in your calendar to review your site every few months. It only takes a few minutes.
11. One clear next step on every page
Every page should end with one obvious thing to do next: call, book, ask for a quote or send a message. Do not make visitors hunt for it. If you have a contact form, keep it short. Ask only for what you need to reply, such as name, phone or email, and a short message, and tell people what happens after they send it.
A five-minute test you can do today
Ask a friend who does not know your business to open your website on their phone. Give them five minutes and ask them three questions:
- What does this business do, and where?
- How would you contact them right now?
- Is there anything that made you unsure or annoyed?
If they cannot answer the first two quickly, your site needs clearer text and more visible contact buttons. Their answer to the third question is often the most useful feedback you will get. Fix the simple things first, such as wrong hours, a missing phone link or a confusing headline. Small fixes often make the biggest difference.
Want a second pair of eyes?
If your site is missing several items on this list, or you do not have a site yet, we can help. We build a free demo of your homepage first, and you pay nothing until you approve it. Every site we build is made for phones, fast to load, and yours from day one.
Send us your business name and town at [email protected], or request your free demo.