A small business website has one job: turn the people who find you into calls, bookings or quote requests. Pretty design helps, but it isn't enough. Many good-looking sites still lose customers because the phone number is hard to find, the pages load slowly or Google can't tell what the business does.

Use this checklist to review your current site or to brief whoever builds your next one. Each item is something you can check yourself in a few minutes.

Foundations

1. A domain and email that match your business. yourbusiness.com and hello@yourbusiness.com look more trustworthy than a free email address. Make sure the domain is registered in your name, not your web designer's.

2. HTTPS everywhere. Your address bar should show a padlock on every page. Browsers flag sites without it as "Not secure", which scares visitors away from your forms.

3. Built for mobile first. Most local searches happen on phones. Open your site on your own phone: can you read the text without zooming, tap the buttons easily and find the phone number in seconds?

4. Fast loading. If your main content takes more than about 2.5 seconds to appear, you're losing visitors. Test your homepage in Google PageSpeed Insights and look at the Core Web Vitals results.

Turning visitors into customers

5. A clear headline above the fold. In one sentence, the top of your homepage should say what you do, where and for whom. "Licensed Electrician in Tampa, Same-Week Appointments" beats "Welcome to Our Website".

6. Click-to-call phone and visible contact options. Put your phone number in the header on every page and make it tappable on mobile. If you use WhatsApp or text messages, add those too.

7. A short contact form. Name, phone or email, and a short message. Every extra field lowers the number of people who finish it.

8. One page per service. A single "Services" page listing everything can't rank for each service. A plumber should have separate pages for drain cleaning, water heaters and leak repair. Each page can then match what people search for.

9. Real proof. Reviews, photos of your actual work, before-and-after examples, certifications and short case stories. Stock photos don't convince anyone.

10. A clear next step on every page. Each page should end with one obvious action: call, book, request a quote. Don't make visitors look for it.

Getting found on Google

11. A unique title and meta description for every page. The title is the blue link people see in Google. Each page needs its own, with the service and location, like "Water Heater Repair in Orlando | Your Business".

12. A complete Google Business Profile that matches your site. Your business name, address and phone number should be exactly the same on your website, your Google Business Profile and directories. Link your profile to your site.

13. Structured data (schema). LocalBusiness schema tells Google your hours, location, services and reviews in a format it reads directly. It's invisible to visitors but helps search engines, and AI search tools, understand your business.

14. Analytics and conversion tracking. Set up Google Analytics 4 and track calls, form submissions and bookings. Without this, you can't tell which pages or campaigns bring customers.

Ownership and maintenance

15. You own everything and can update it. You should have admin access to your domain, hosting, website and analytics. And you should be able to change your hours, prices or photos without paying a developer every time.

Bonus: if you serve customers in two languages

If a large share of your customers speak Spanish, a Spanish version of your key pages can open a market your competitors ignore. Do it properly: full translations of each page, a language switcher and hreflang tags so Google shows the right version to each person.

Quick self-audit

| Area | Check | Yes / No | |—|—|—| | Foundations | Own domain, HTTPS, works on mobile, loads fast | | | Conversion | Clear headline, click-to-call, short form, one page per service | | | Trust | Reviews, real photos, next step on every page | | | Google | Unique titles, Business Profile, schema, tracking | | | Ownership | Admin access to everything, easy to update | |

If you answered "no" to three or more, your website is probably costing you customers every month.

Frequently asked questions

How many pages does a small business website need? Usually at least 5 to 10: home, one page for each main service, about, reviews or portfolio, and contact. Service businesses that cover several cities may add location pages, but only with genuinely useful local content.

Do I need a blog at launch? No. Get your service pages right first. A blog helps later, once you can publish useful articles regularly.

Should I use a website builder or hire someone? It depends on your time, budget and goals. We compared both options in Best Website Builder for a Small Business or a Done-for-You Service.

How much does a small business website cost? It ranges widely depending on the number of pages, custom design and features. See our affordable web design options for what's included at each level.

Next step

Want an outside view of your current site? Our SEO audit reviews the technical, content and conversion issues holding it back. If you're ready for a new site built around this checklist, see our small business web design service.