What should a small business website include?

The essentials

• A clear statement of what you do, near the top of the home page
• Your location or the areas you serve
• Your services or products, with prices where you can give them
• Photos of real work, real products or your real premises
• A phone number and a WhatsApp-ready contact button
• Your opening hours

Worth adding once the essentials are in place

• A short About section with your story and how long you have traded
• Customer reviews or a couple of short testimonials
• Payment options you accept
• A map or directions if customers visit you

Write the description like you are answering a question

The most useful home page copy reads as if it is answering the question 'what do you actually do?' in plain terms. Avoid vague phrases and instead be specific: what you sell, who it suits, and what makes ordering from you straightforward.

What you can leave out

Small businesses often assume they need a blog, a countdown timer, background music or a long list of pages before the site is 'ready'. None of that is necessary. A short, accurate site that answers real questions performs better than a large one padded with content nobody reads.

Put the contact button where it gets used

Whatever else the page contains, make sure a WhatsApp-ready contact button appears near the top of the home page and again at the end, so a visitor never has to hunt for a way to reach you once they have decided to.