A small business website is usually judged on a phone, quickly, by someone who wants one thing: an opening time, a price or a phone number. Three questions decide whether they get it. Does the page load promptly? Does it work on a small screen? Can everyone use it?
Each has published targets, so there is no need to go on a hunch. This guide sets out the targets, what to have ready for a check and what WebFresh Studio looks at.
Speed: what good looks like
Google's Web Vitals guidance names three Core Web Vitals, each with a target:
- Largest Contentful Paint, which measures loading, should happen within 2.5 seconds of the page starting to load.
- Interaction to Next Paint, which measures how quickly the page responds, should be 200 milliseconds or less.
- Cumulative Layout Shift, which measures whether things jump around, should be 0.1 or less.
The targets apply at the 75th percentile of visits, so they describe what most people see, not your best case. Google also points out that lab tests are not a substitute for real-visitor data, because results change with the device and the connection. That is why two tools can give two different answers about the same page. Google's PageSpeed Insights and the Core Web Vitals report in Search Console both report all three measures, so they are the usual places to look.
In our experience the usual causes on small sites are the same few: photos far larger than they need to be, a video or slider at the top of the home page, and add-ons nobody removed.
Mobile: what good looks like
- The page has a viewport tag, so a phone shows it at its own width rather than as a shrunken desktop page. web.dev gives
width=device-width, initial-scale=1and advises against settings that stop people zooming. - Content reflows at a width of 320 pixels without sideways scrolling, one of the W3C's WCAG 2.2 criteria (1.4.10).
- Buttons and links are easy to hit. web.dev recommends about 48 pixels with roughly 8 pixels between them. WCAG 2.2 sets a floor of 24 by 24 CSS pixels (2.5.8), with exceptions for links inside sentences and some spacing cases.
- The phone number taps to call, rather than being plain text or part of a picture.
- Forms are short enough to complete on a phone keyboard.
Accessibility: what good looks like
These come from the W3C's WCAG 2.2, the standard GOV.UK uses when it checks public sector websites:
- Text has a contrast ratio of at least 4.5 to 1 against its background, or 3 to 1 for large text (1.4.3).
- Images that carry meaning have a text alternative, and purely decorative ones are coded so assistive technology skips them (1.1.1).
- Everything works from a keyboard (2.1.1), and you can see where the focus is (2.4.7).
The Equality Act 2010 asks businesses that provide services to the public to make reasonable adjustments for disabled customers and to think ahead rather than wait for a complaint. That is general information, not legal advice.
What a check might find
Here is a made-up example. Brindle Street Barbers (fictional) has a home page with a 6 MB photo at the top, its phone number set inside an image, a pale grey "Book" button on a white background and a menu that can't be opened with the keyboard.
Each one is easy to describe in a plain-English report: slow to load, nothing to tap, hard to read and a dead end for anyone not using a mouse. None of them needs a full rebuild, and each is the sort of thing a customer notices straight away.
What to have ready
- The web address of the page you'd like checked. The home page is the usual choice, or the page where customers find your number or booking button.
- Anything you already suspect, such as "it's slow on my phone".
- Whether the site runs on WordPress or plain HTML, if you know.
What WebFresh Studio checks and sets up
Our website check is from £35 for one page. We look at how quickly the page loads, how it works on a phone, and how easy it is to use, covering readable text, good contrast, descriptive alt text and keyboard use. You get a plain-English report on what we found for that page. It isn't a full accessibility audit, and it isn't legal advice. If you'd like more pages checked, tell us and we quote first.
If something needs fixing, website fixes start from £30 for up to three small fixes on one page, with a fixed price agreed first. If the site needs more than fixes, the refresh packages rebuild it with mobile-first design. We can't promise how a page will score or where it will appear in search results.
Frequently asked questions
What do the Core Web Vitals targets mean in plain English?
Largest Contentful Paint should happen within 2.5 seconds, Interaction to Next Paint should be 200 milliseconds or less and Cumulative Layout Shift 0.1 or less. They cover loading, response and stability.
Why do two speed tools give me different results?
Some measure real visitors and some run a test in a lab. Google says lab testing can't replace real-visitor data, as results vary with the device and connection. Treat them as complementary.
Does my small business website have to meet WCAG?
WCAG 2.2 AA is the standard GOV.UK uses for public sector sites, and a sensible yardstick for any site. The Equality Act 2010 asks service providers to make reasonable adjustments. That is general information, not legal advice.
Does a website check include the fixes?
No. The check is a plain-English report on one page. Fixes are quoted separately, from £30 for up to three small fixes on one page.
What do you need from me for a check?
Your website address and the page you'd like checked, sent through the form with "Website check, business email or Google Business Profile" chosen.