What Should a Small Business Website Include?

Most owners I talk to don’t need a bigger website. They need one that does a few things properly. A site can have twenty pages and still lose the customer who just wanted your phone number. Here’s what I put into every small business website I build, why each part is there, and what you can safely leave for later.

Start with the one job the site has to do

Before pages or design, decide the main action. Call for a quote, book an appointment, visit the shop, buy a product. Pick one. It decides what sits at the top of every page and what we measure after launch. A site that tries to push five actions at once usually gets none of them. If you can’t pick, think about which enquiry turns into paying work most often. That’s the one.

The pages most small businesses need

You don’t need many. You need the right ones, each with a clear purpose. For most service businesses, this is the core.

Why one page per service matters

A single “Services” page with six bullet points is the most common gap I see. Someone searching for one specific job wants a page about that job. A dedicated page lets you explain what’s included, who it’s for, the area you cover and what happens next. It also gives Google something specific to show for that search. I wrote more on what a service page needs to turn interest into an enquiry.

Enquiry paths on every page

People don’t always start on the home page. They land on a service page from Google or an ad, so every page has to make the next step obvious. On a phone, that means a tap to call button that’s always easy to reach. A short form for people who’d rather not call, asking only what you actually need to reply. Your hours, so people know when to expect an answer. And a line on what happens after they send it. Then test it. A form that looks fine but never reaches your inbox is worse than no form at all.

Speed and the phone layout

Most of your visitors will likely be on a phone, often in a hurry. The site should load quickly on mobile data, with text that’s readable without zooming and buttons big enough to tap. Large, uncompressed photos are the usual reason a small business site feels slow. I size every image for the screen it’s shown on and check each page on a real phone before launch. Speed isn’t a design extra. It decides whether people stay long enough to read anything.

Trust signals that are real

People are deciding whether to let you into their home or hand you a project. Help them. Real photos of your work, your team or your vehicles beat any stock image. Genuine reviews or testimonials you have permission to use. Licences, insurance or association memberships if you have them. A clear service area and a real phone number. Never invent any of it. One honest review does more than a wall of vague praise, and made up proof is the fastest way to lose a customer who checks.

Local search basics

If you serve customers in a set area, a few basics belong in the build, not as an extra later. A page title and description for every page that say what it is and where. Your business name, address or service area and phone number written the same way as on your Google Business Profile. Headings that describe the content. A site Google can crawl, with a sitemap submitted in Search Console. Your Business Profile matters as much as the site itself, and my Business Profile checklist covers that side.

What can wait

A blog, a booking system, a client portal, live chat, animations, a careers page. Some of these will be worth adding. Few of them need to be there on launch day. I’d rather launch a lean site that works, watch what people actually do on it, and add the next feature when there’s a reason. Adding a page later is easy. Removing a feature nobody uses still means you paid for it.

What it costs with me

A landing page starts at $1,500. A business website of up to ten pages is $3,900 to $4,900, with copywriting included at the top of that range. Online stores and custom builds start at $6,500. Care after launch is optional at $79 to $249 a month. All prices are CAD plus applicable GST/HST. The full scopes are on the packages page, and I explain what moves a quote in how much a website costs in Canada.

Where to start

Write down the one action you want from visitors and the services you want more of. Then pull together your logins, logo and photos. My post on what to have ready before hiring a web designer lists the rest. You can see how I build websites for businesses across Canada, or book a free thirty minute call and I’ll tell you what your site needs and what it can do without.