A small business website doesn’t need to be large. It needs to answer the questions customers have before they get in touch, and make getting in touch easy.
Most good small business websites share the same foundations: clear information about what you do, where you do it and how to contact you, presented in a way that works well on a phone.
This checklist covers the essentials for a UK small business, whatever your industry.
The core pages
Most small businesses need some version of these:
- Home: who you are, what you do, where, and the main action you want visitors to take
- Services or products: what you offer, explained clearly
- About: the people and story behind the business, where it helps customers decide
- Contact: every way to reach you, with location details if customers visit
- Legal pages: privacy notice, cookie information and any terms you need
Depending on the business, you might add pricing, a menu, a gallery, reviews, frequently asked questions, location pages or a blog.
More pages aren’t automatically better. Each page should have a clear reason to exist.
A clear first impression
Within a few seconds of landing on your homepage, a visitor should know:
- What your business does
- Who it is for
- Where you are, or which areas you serve
- What to do next
If someone has to scroll, guess or click around to work out whether you can help them, many will leave.
Easy contact options
Make it simple to get in touch using the methods you actually monitor:
- A phone number that can be tapped to call on mobile
- An email address on your own domain
- A contact or enquiry form that has been tested
- WhatsApp, if you use it for business
- Booking or ordering links, if relevant
Put the main contact option somewhere visible on every page, not only on the contact page.
Clear information about your services
Customers want to understand what they’re getting. For each main service or product, explain:
- What it is
- Who it’s for
- What’s included
- How it works or what happens next
- Pricing, or how pricing works, where you’re comfortable sharing it
Specific information builds trust. Vague descriptions that could apply to any business don’t.
Location and opening hours
For local businesses, include:
- Your address, if customers visit you
- A map or directions link
- Opening hours, including any seasonal changes
- The areas you cover, if you travel to customers
- Parking or transport information where it genuinely helps
Keep these consistent with your Google Business Profile and other listings. Our article on why SEO still matters for small business websites explains why consistency helps people find you.
Trust signals
People often check a business before contacting it. Help them feel confident with:
- Genuine reviews or testimonials
- Photos of your real premises, team or work
- Examples of previous work, where relevant
- Memberships or accreditations you genuinely hold
- How long you’ve been trading, if it’s a strength
Only include claims you can stand behind.
Legal and business information
UK websites have a few legal points to consider. This isn’t legal advice, but these are the areas to check:
- Privacy notice. If your website collects personal information, such as names and email addresses through an enquiry form, you should explain how that information is used. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) publishes guidance for small businesses.
- Cookies. If your website uses cookies that aren’t strictly necessary, such as for analytics or advertising, visitors generally need to be told and given a choice. The ICO’s guidance covers this too.
- Company details. If you trade as a limited company, certain company information needs to be shown on your website. GOV.UK explains what is required.
- Terms. If you sell online or take bookings or deposits, clear terms help both you and your customers.
A website that works on mobile
Many customers will only ever see your website on a phone. Check that:
- Text is readable without zooming
- Buttons are easy to tap
- Menus and price lists are readable on a small screen
- Pages load quickly
- Forms are easy to fill in on a phone
Features for your type of business
Some features are essential for particular industries:
- Restaurants and takeaways: menus, table booking, online ordering, allergen information handled carefully
- Gyms and studios: memberships, class timetables, facilities, enquiry forms
- Salons and barbers: treatment or service lists, prices, online booking
- Trades and services: service areas, examples of work, quote requests
The things behind the scenes
Visitors won’t see these, but they matter:
- A domain name you know the arrangements for
- Reliable, secure hosting with an SSL certificate
- Regular backups
- Basic search setup, such as page titles and descriptions
- A way to see how many people visit and enquire
Our guide on choosing hosting and a domain name explains these in plain English.
A quick checklist
- Clear homepage message
- Main services or products explained
- Contact options on every page
- Location, hours or service areas
- Reviews or examples of work
- Privacy notice and cookie information
- Company details, if you’re a limited company
- Works well on mobile
- Forms tested
- Hosting, domain, SSL and backups in place
Final thoughts
The best small business websites aren’t the biggest or the flashiest. They’re clear, accurate, easy to use on a phone, and make the next step obvious.
SMBL Digital designs and looks after websites for UK small businesses, from local services to restaurants, gyms and salons. If you’re planning a new website and want help deciding what to include, get in touch for a free proposal, or see what we offer.
