A small business website doesn't need to be clever. It needs to answer a stranger's questions quickly, on whatever device they happen to be holding, and give them an easy way to get in touch. That sounds simple, yet plenty of sites still trip over the basics.
This checklist covers the things we'd look at first on any small business site, whether it belongs to a café, a mobile dog groomer or a firm of builders. Work through it with your own site open on your phone and tick off what's already in place.
1. It works properly on a phone
In our experience, many of your customers will meet you for the first time on a small screen, often while they're out and about. If the site was designed with a desktop in mind and squeezed down afterwards, it will show.
- Text is readable without zooming in.
- Buttons and links are big enough to tap with a thumb, and not so close together that people hit the wrong one.
- Menus open and close properly, and nothing spills off the side of the screen.
- Your phone number is a tap-to-call link rather than plain text.
- Forms are short and easy to fill in on a phone keyboard.
The best test is the simplest one. Hand your phone to a friend, ask them to find your opening hours and send you a message through the site, and watch where they get stuck.
2. Contact details are easy to find
Someone looking for a plumber with water coming through the ceiling isn't going to hunt through four pages for a number. Contact details should be visible without any effort.
- Phone number and email in the header or footer of every page.
- A contact page with a simple form, for people who'd rather not ring.
- Your address and a map if customers visit you, or a clear list of the areas you cover if you go to them.
- Opening hours, including anything unusual such as late nights or closing early on Saturdays.
- Links to the social media accounts you actually keep up to date, and none to the ones you don't.
3. It loads quickly
A slow site tests people's patience, especially on a patchy mobile signal. You don't need to understand the technical side to spot the usual culprits.
- Photos that are far larger than they need to be. A picture straight off a modern phone is much bigger than any website requires.
- Auto-playing videos or sliders on the home page that take an age to appear.
- Lots of add-ons and plugins installed over the years and never removed.
- Pop-ups that cover the page before anyone has had a chance to read it.
Open your site on your phone using mobile data rather than Wi-Fi. If you find yourself waiting, so are your customers.
4. It gives people reasons to trust you
Visitors are quietly asking whether you're real, whether you're any good and whether you'll turn up. You can answer those questions without boasting.
- Real photos of your work, your premises or your team. A café's own cakes beat a stock photo of a cappuccino every time.
- Genuine reviews, either quoted with permission or linked from the platform where they were left. Never make them up.
- Any memberships, registrations or insurance that matter in your trade, such as Gas Safe registration for a heating engineer.
- A short About section that explains who's behind the business and what you care about.
- Clear prices, or at least typical starting prices, so people know roughly what to expect.
- A privacy notice if you collect any details through a form.
5. The information is up to date
Out-of-date details do more harm than people realise. A customer who turns up on a Monday because your site says you're open, only to find the shutters down, won't forget it in a hurry.
- Prices match what you actually charge today.
- Opening hours are current, including bank holidays and any seasonal changes.
- Services you no longer offer have been removed.
- Staff who have left are no longer listed, and new team members have been added.
- Any offers or events on the site have not already finished.
It helps to put a reminder in your diary every few months to read through the site with fresh eyes. It takes a few minutes and saves awkward conversations.
A few extras worth considering
Once the basics are covered, some additions suit particular businesses. A salon might add a booking button linked to the system it already uses, and a café might put its menu on a proper page rather than a blurry photo of the board. Neither is essential, but both save a little back-and-forth.
What you can probably leave out
Not every site needs a blog, a news section or a chat window in the corner. If you won't keep something up to date, it's better not to have it at all, because a blog whose last post is years old sends exactly the wrong message.
Next steps
If you've ticked almost everything, your site is in good shape. If there are gaps, many are quick fixes. And if the list has left you wondering where to start, WebFresh Studio builds and refreshes sites for small businesses. You can find out more at webfreshstudio.com or get in touch at [email protected].