Most business websites don’t fail because they look bad. They fail because a visitor lands on them and can’t quickly answer three questions: what do you do, is it for me, and how do I get in touch?
This business website checklist covers everything a small business site needs in 2026, from the first sentence on the homepage to the legal and technical basics that protect you. Use it to review your current site, or as a brief before building a new one.
1. Clarity: say what you do in five seconds
Visitors decide within seconds whether to stay. Your homepage has to do the work immediately.
- A headline that says what you do, in plain words. “Kitchen renovations in Bristol” beats “Crafting spaces you love”.
- Who it’s for and where. Location matters for local businesses; audience matters for everyone.
- One main action. A clear button: call, book, request a quote. Not five competing ones.
- No jargon. Write the way your customers talk, not the way your industry does.
A quick test: show your homepage to someone who doesn’t know your business for five seconds, then ask what you do. If they can’t say it, the headline needs work.
2. Contact: make it effortless
Every extra step between interest and contact loses people.
- Contact button visible on every page, ideally in the header
- A short contact form: name, email, phone and a message field are usually enough
- Phone number clickable on mobile
- Email address written out, not only a form
- Address and map if customers visit you
- A clear promise of what happens next, such as “We reply within one working day”
- A thank-you page after the form is sent, which also lets you track enquiries
3. Trust: prove you’re real and good
People buy from businesses they trust. Show them why they should.
- Real projects or case studies, with photos and a few lines on the result
- Testimonials with a name, role or company, and a photo if possible
- Real photos of you, your team, your work or your premises. Stock photos of smiling people at laptops don’t build trust.
- An about page that tells the story behind the business and the people in it
- Logos of clients or partners, if you have permission
- Business details in the footer: company name, registration number where relevant, contact details
4. Pages: the essential structure
Most small business websites need these five pages. More is fine, but not fewer.
- Home: what you do, for whom, proof, and the main call to action
- Services: what you offer, ideally one section or page per main service
- Projects or portfolio: your work, with context
- About: who’s behind the business and why that matters
- Contact: every way to reach you, plus the form
If you offer several distinct services, give each its own page. It’s clearer for visitors and helps you appear on Google for each service separately.
5. Technical: fast, mobile and secure
You can’t see these, but your visitors feel them, and Google measures them.
- Works perfectly on mobile. Most visits to small business sites come from phones. Check every page on your own phone.
- Loads fast. Compress images, avoid heavy sliders and auto-playing videos. Test with Google PageSpeed Insights.
- HTTPS (SSL certificate). The padlock in the browser. Without it, browsers warn visitors your site isn’t secure.
- No broken links or forms. Test your contact form every few months. Forms break silently.
- Regular backups, stored outside your hosting.
- Updated software. On WordPress, keep the core, theme and plugins up to date.
6. Legal: the EU basics
If you’re in the EU or work with EU customers, these aren’t optional.
- Privacy policy explaining what data you collect and why, including contact form submissions
- Cookie consent banner if you use analytics, ads or other tracking cookies, with a real option to refuse
- Terms and conditions if you sell online or take bookings and payments
- Company details shown clearly, as required for businesses in most EU countries
7. SEO: be findable
A beautiful site nobody finds is an expensive brochure in a drawer.
- A unique title and meta description for every page, describing what’s on it
- One clear H1 heading per page, containing the main topic
- Descriptive image file names and alt text
- Google Search Console set up, so you know which searches show your site
- Google Business Profile for local businesses, with the same name, address and phone as your site
- Useful content that answers your customers’ real questions, like a blog with practical guides
If your site already exists and doesn’t appear on Google, see Why Isn’t My Website Showing Up on Google?
8. Tracking: know what works
Without data, every decision about your website is a guess.
- Google Analytics (or a privacy-friendly alternative) installed and respecting cookie consent
- Enquiries tracked as conversions, for example visits to the thank-you page
- Your own visits excluded, so you’re not counting yourself
- A monthly look at the numbers: where visitors come from, which pages they read, how many get in touch
9. Maintenance: keep it alive
A website is never really finished.
- Someone responsible for updates, backups and security
- Prices, services, team and photos reviewed at least twice a year
- Copyright year in the footer up to date. An old year makes the business look closed.
- New projects or articles added regularly, which also helps SEO
How does your website score?
Go through the list and tick what your site already has. Most sites I review are strong in one or two areas and missing basics in others, usually contact, trust or tracking. Those gaps are often quick to fix and make the biggest difference in enquiries.
If you’re planning a new site and wondering about budget, read How Much Does a Business Website Cost in 2026?
Want a second pair of eyes on your website?
Send me your website address and a few lines about your business. You get a written reply within one working day with the three things I’d fix first. Start here →