What should a small business website include? A checklist
Short answer
A small business website needs five things above all: a clear headline saying what you do and where, an obvious way to contact you (tap-to-call on phones), your services with prices or price ranges, proof you're good (reviews, photos of real work), and the practical details (hours, service area, location). It also has to load fast, work perfectly on phones, and use HTTPS.
What should visitors see first?
- What you do and where: “Lawn care and landscaping in Tacoma” beats “Welcome to our website.”
- The main action: a call button, a quote request, or a booking link.
- A real photo of your work, team, or storefront, not generic stock imagery if you can avoid it.
How should people contact me?
- A phone number that's tappable on mobile, in the header or a sticky bar.
- A short contact form. Ask only for what you need, usually name, phone, and a sentence about the job.
- Your hours and service area, so people know if you can help before they call.
How much should I say about services and prices?
List each service in plain words, with prices or “starting at” ranges if you can. Pricing transparency filters out bad-fit leads and builds trust with good ones. If every job is custom, explain what affects the price.
What builds trust?
- Real customer reviews, ideally pulled from Google.
- Photos of actual jobs, before and after where it fits.
- Licenses, insurance, certifications, and years in business.
- A short “about” section with a real name and face.
What technical basics matter?
- Mobile-first design: most local searches happen on phones.
- Speed: aim for pages that load in a couple of seconds or less on a phone.
- HTTPS: no “Not Secure” warning. See how to fix it.
- Basic SEO: page titles and descriptions that mention your service and city, plus a link from your Google Business Profile.
- A privacy policy if you collect any information through forms.
What can I skip?
Auto-playing videos, pop-ups on page load, sliders that rotate through five messages, and pages that exist only because a template had them. Every extra element is something a visitor has to get past to reach your phone number.
Common questions
How many pages does a small business website need?
Often three to five: home, services, about, and contact, plus a page per major service if you want to rank for each one. A single well-built page can work for very simple businesses.
Should I put prices on my website?
If you can, yes, even as ranges. It saves you calls from people who can't afford you and builds trust with those who can.
Do I need a blog?
Not to start. A blog helps over time by answering the questions customers search for, but contact info, services, and reviews come first.
Founder of Hardline WebWorks in Lacey, Washington. Web developer with a background in networking and offensive security. About Isaiah