The small business website checklist: pages, features and listings every local business needs.
Most small business sites are missing the same few things: prices, hours that match Google, a button that calls, and anything that tells the owner what the site brought in. Use this list to check your current site or to brief a new one.
The short answer
A small business website needs a home page that says what you do, where, and how to reach you in one screen; a services or menu page with prices; hours and location; an about page; contact with click-to-call and a form; and reviews. Add booking, ordering or a quote form to suit your trade. Outside the site, a complete Google Business Profile and the same name, address and hours everywhere matter as much as the site itself.
Pages every small business site needs
| Page | What it must answer |
|---|---|
| Home | What you do, where, and the one thing to do next, before anyone scrolls |
| Services or menu | What you offer and what it costs, as text rather than a photo of a flyer |
| Hours and location | Today's hours, holiday hours, address, parking, the towns you serve |
| About | Who runs it, how long you have been at it, licenses and insurance if your trade needs them |
| Contact | Click-to-call, a short form that lands in your inbox, directions |
| Reviews or proof | Recent reviews and photos of real work |
| Privacy and accessibility | How you handle what people send you, and how to reach you if the site does not work for them |
Features by type of business
| Business | Must have |
|---|---|
| Restaurants and cafes | Menu as real text, hours, ordering and reservations connected to Toast, Square, DoorDash, OpenTable or Resy. See restaurant websites. |
| Salons, barbers and spas | Services and prices, staff, booking through Square Appointments, Vagaro or Booksy. See salon and spa websites. |
| Trades and home services | Click-to-call, a quote request form, service area towns, licenses and insurance. See home services websites. |
| Clinics | Appointment requests, insurance accepted, new patient information. See clinic websites. |
| Retail | What you stock, hours, pickup or delivery, events. See retail websites. |
| Childcare and schools | Enrollment or waitlist form, tuition, licensing, a parent FAQ. See childcare websites. |
| Law firms | Practice areas, an intake form, who you represent. See law firm websites. |
The parts visitors never see
- Fast on a phone. Test it at pagespeed.web.dev on the mobile tab.
- Usable by people with disabilities: readable contrast, working keyboard navigation, labeled forms. WCAG 2.2 AA is the current standard.
- A secure address (https) and a domain registered in your name.
- Email at your own domain rather than a free address.
- A unique page title and description on every page.
- Structured data that states your business type, hours and area, matching what the page says.
- Tracking for calls, forms and bookings, so you know what the site brings in.
- Backups, and someone who notices when the site goes down.
Your Google Business Profile
Google says local results are ranked on relevance, distance and prominence, and that more reviews and positive ratings can help a business's local ranking. The profile is free. Fill it in completely:
- Claim and verify it, with you as the primary owner.
- Pick the most accurate primary category.
- Hours, including holiday hours, matching your site exactly.
- Services or menu, with prices where you can.
- Photos of your place, team and work, added regularly.
- A link to your site and a way to book or order.
- Replies to reviews, good and bad. Ask every customer, never only the happy ones.
We set this up with every website we build. Get Found on Google keeps it current for $99 a month.
Ready for AI answers
When someone asks ChatGPT or Google for a recommendation, the answer is built from what the engine can read and cross-check. Write your hours, prices, services and towns served as plain text on the site; keep them identical on Google, Bing, Apple Maps, Yelp and Facebook; and answer common customer questions in a short FAQ. Our guide to showing up in AI answers goes further.
Questions owners ask us
Do I need a website for my small business?
Yes, if customers look you up before they call, visit or book, which most do. A Google Business Profile gets you on the map, and a website is where they check prices, hours and whether you do what they need. It is also what AI assistants read when someone asks for a recommendation.
How many pages does a small business website need?
Five to ten covers most local businesses: home, services or menu, about, contact, and a page for reviews or work, plus a page for each main service if people search for them separately. Our $499 build includes up to 10.
Should I put prices on my website?
Where you can, yes. Customers use prices to decide whether to call, and AI assistants can only quote numbers they can find. If jobs vary, give a starting price or a typical range.
Do I need a blog on my business website?
Not unless you will keep it going. A few useful pages that answer customer questions do more than a blog last updated two years ago. Spend the time on your Google Business Profile first.
Is a Facebook page enough instead of a website?
It helps, but people who do not follow you rarely see it, and you do not control it. A website shows up for searches from people who have never heard of you, and it is yours.
What does your $499 site include from this checklist?
The pages, click-to-call and forms, one backend system such as bookings or a menu editor, WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility, a load time under a second on a phone, structured facts for search and AI, Google Business Profile setup and tracking of calls, forms and bookings.
Do I need an accessibility statement on my site?
It is good practice: it tells visitors who have trouble using the site how to reach you and what you have done. Pair it with a site that actually meets WCAG 2.2 AA, because a statement alone fixes nothing.
Related
Want us to check your current site against this list?
Every project starts with a signed contract and a working demo: $200 for a website, or a website and apps, and a quoted demo price for everything else.