What a local business website needs

The short answer

A local business website needs to say what you do, show how to contact you and work well on a phone, all within the first screen. Add a page for each main service, a page about you and a clear next step on every page, and you have the base most local businesses need.

The pages to start with

• Home page: what you do, who you do it for and how to get in touch, without scrolling.
• Service pages: one page for each main thing you offer. People search for specific services, and a page for each helps them find you.
• About page: who is behind the business. People buy from people they feel they know.
• Contact page: your phone number, WhatsApp, an enquiry form and where you work.
• Frequently asked questions: the questions you answer again and again.

Details that win trust

• Your real name, phone number and email, shown clearly.
• Your registrations, memberships or insurance, only where they are true.
• Honest descriptions of what you do, without exaggeration.
• Reviews and examples of work, only when they are real and you have permission.
• A privacy notice that matches what your forms actually do.

Built for phones

Most visitors will be on a phone. That means readable text without zooming, buttons large enough to tap, a call button within reach and pages that load quickly on a mobile connection.

Easy ways to get in touch

Offer more than one way: a call button, WhatsApp and a short enquiry form. Ask only for what you need on the form, because every extra field loses some people.

The search basics

Each page should have one clear main heading, a unique title and description, readable page addresses and sensible headings. These technical and on-page basics are the foundation for being found. Our guide to technical SEO basics explains them step by step.

What to leave out

• Slow, heavy sliders and auto-playing video.
• Stock text that could describe any business.
• Pop-ups that cover the page on a phone.
• Anything you cannot back up, such as awards or claims you cannot prove.

Next step

If you would like a site built around this checklist, tell us about your business. We will reply with clear next steps and a free, fixed, written quote.