Business websites
A practical website checklist for local businesses.
A local business website should explain your services, show enough evidence to help visitors understand your business, and make the next step easy. Start with the information customers ask for, then organise it into clear pages.
Start with customer questions, not a page count
List the questions people ask before they enquire: What do you offer? Is it suitable for them? Where do you operate? What information do you need from them? Use these questions to decide your pages instead of copying another business’s menu.
A salon may need services, its team, examples of work and location details. A product retailer also needs product information and a defined shopping journey. The useful structure depends on the business.
Check before you continue
- Write one clear sentence explaining the business and its audience.
- List your main services or product categories.
- Choose the action you want a visitor to take: contact, book, enquire or buy.
Prepare specific service information
Describe each service in language a customer would use. Include what it covers, who it is for and any important limits. If you publish prices or durations, make sure the business has confirmed them and can keep them current.
Salon 414’s live website shows a small selection of popular services with prices and durations, then offers a route to all services. That gives visitors a starting point without making the homepage carry every detail.
Check before you continue
- Prepare service names and short descriptions.
- Confirm pricing, opening hours and location details before publishing.
- Use a separate page when a service needs more explanation.
Choose images that explain the business
Images should do a job: show the space, demonstrate the work or introduce the people. Prepare images you have permission to use and note what each one shows. Avoid repeating a decorative image where visitors need practical information.
For the featured Salon 414 project, interior imagery helps visitors see the space. The portfolio case study uses actual project imagery and links to the live website.
Check before you continue
- Collect relevant, publishable business and project photos.
- Write a short, factual description for meaningful images.
- Check that the important part of each image remains visible on mobile.
Test the contact path on a phone
A visible button is only useful if it opens the intended destination. Check phone, email, messaging and booking links on a real device where possible. If the action opens an external service, visitors should understand where they are going.
Review navigation and text without relying on hover. A visitor should be able to read the offer, move between pages and reach the next step with touch or a keyboard.
Check before you continue
- Open every contact link and confirm its destination.
- Check navigation, line breaks and image crops on a narrow screen.
- Read the page without animation to confirm that no information depends on motion.
Bring a usable brief to the first conversation
Send your business summary, audience, main services, desired action and existing website address. Add any branding, content and reference links you already have. Missing material can be identified while the scope is discussed.
A custom quote should reflect agreed pages, features and design requirements. A checklist helps define that scope; it does not replace the project discussion.