What a small business website checklist covers
Quick answer
A small business website checklist has three parts. Seven pages: a homepage that says what the business does and for whom, a page for each service or product, an about page, a contact page with a phone number that taps to call, a reviews or work page, an FAQ, and a privacy policy. Twenty details that belong on every page, from the same business name and address as the Google Business Profile to one next step and the HTTPS lock. And the add-on the industry needs: a booking link, a connected store, or a service-area page. Check the pages once, the details at launch and after every change, and the whole list twice a year.
Each page answers a question a customer has before they call, book or buy: what do you do, is it for me, who is behind it, how do I reach you, can I trust you, what does it involve, and what happens to my information. Seven clear pages do more than twenty that repeat each other. Add a page when it answers a different question; combine pages when they say the same thing.
The list below is written for an owner going page by page on a phone. Every item says what the page must include, who supplies it and when to check it again. It does not cover choosing a builder, writing the copy or the technical go-live steps; those have their own posts.
The small business website checklist at a glance
The table is the master list. Where a row says builder, that means whoever builds the site: a freelancer, a builder plan the owner runs, or Theo working from a chat with the owner. Read the section on any page that came up short.
| Page | What it must include | Who supplies it | Check it again |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homepage | The service and the area in the first sentence, one next step, three to five links into the site, real photos | Owner writes the sentence and picks the photos; the builder lays it out | After any change to services, area or hours |
| Service or product pages | One page per service, what is included, who it is for, the price or what changes it, a next step | Owner lists the jobs and prices; the builder writes one page each | Monthly for prices; when a service is added or dropped |
| About page | Owner or team names, real photos, years in business, licenses and certifications where they apply | Owner | When someone joins or leaves; yearly for the years-in-business line |
| Contact page | A phone number that taps to call, an address that opens in maps, hours, a three-field form, a line on when you reply | Owner supplies the details; the builder wires the form and tests it on a phone | Monthly: send a test message; each season for hours |
| Reviews or work page | Real reviews with a first name and a date, photos of finished work, before and after where it fits | Owner collects them | Monthly: add the newest, retire the stale |
| FAQ page | The five to ten questions customers ask by phone, each answered in two to four sentences | Owner writes the questions from real calls | Quarterly: add the question the phone keeps getting |
| Privacy policy | What the site collects through forms and analytics, why, and how to ask for it to be removed, linked from every footer | Builder drafts it; owner reads it | When a form, pixel or analytics tool is added |
1. Homepage
A first-time visitor should know within a few seconds what the business does, who it serves, where, and what to do next. Lead with the service in the words a customer would use, such as "Residential electrician in Tucson", not a slogan, and put the phone number and one next step in the first screen. On a phone that first screen is about the size of a business card, so the headline, the button and the number have to fit in it without scrolling.
The demo barbershop homepage below shows the first screen: one next step in the header and two buttons under the headline; further down the same site the services carry prices, so a visitor who has picked a cut has nothing left to ask before booking.
- A headline that names the service and the area.
- One next step in the first screen: call, book, get a quote or shop.
- Three to five links into the site: services, reviews, about, contact.
- Real photos of the team, the shop or the work.
- Two or three reviews, or the license number, within the first two screens.
2. A page for each service or product
A visitor on a service page wants to know whether you handle their exact need, what is included, what affects the price and how to start. One page per service answers that. One long page called Services does not, and it gives Google nothing to match when someone searches for "water heater replacement" rather than "plumbing". The rule for how many pages: one for each job a customer would search for by name. A plumber who does drain cleaning, water heaters and repiping needs three pages; a bakery that does wedding cakes, custom cookies and daily bread needs three as well.
Product sellers follow the same rule with a page per product, which a connected store supplies. The service page examples walk through finished pages line by line, and the demo plumbing site below is the pattern for a trade: one page each for repair, drains and water heaters, plus a page for each town served.
- One page per service, titled the way customers say the job.
- What is included and what is not.
- Who it is for: the property type, the situation, the area.
- The price, a starting price, or the three things that change it.
- One or two reviews about that specific job, not the business in general.
- A next step at the bottom of the page.
3. About page
The about page answers who the customer is dealing with. It does not need a company history. It needs the owner's name and a real photo, the years in this work, the licenses or certifications the trade uses, and a few sentences on how a job goes from first call to finish. Keep it to one screen of text and a few photos; the proof lives on the reviews page, and the about page only has to make the person behind the business real.
- Owner or team names with real photos, not stock.
- Years in business and the area served.
- Licenses, insurance and certifications where the trade has them.
- How a job goes, in three or four sentences: first call, visit or estimate, the work, the follow-up.
4. Contact page
Most contact pages are checked on a laptop and used on a phone. On the phone, the number should tap to call, the address should open in maps, and the form should ask for three things: a name, a phone number or email, and what the customer needs. Every extra field turns away a few of the people who would have sent the message. The contact page examples show the layouts that get the call and the ones that lose it.
- A phone number that taps to call.
- An address that opens in maps, or the service area if there is no shop.
- Hours, including the days you are closed.
- A three-field form and a line that says when you reply.
- A test message sent from your own phone once a month, so a form that quietly stopped sending is caught the same month.
5. Reviews or work page
Customers do not take a business at its word; they look for proof close to the claim. One page collects it, and the homepage and each service page carry two or three pieces of it next to the claim they support. The reviews page is also the page that dates fastest: when the newest review is from two years ago, the page reads as a business that stopped.
- Reviews with the reviewer's first name and the date, taken from Google or the review site customers use.
- Photos of finished work, taken by the business, with a caption that says what the job was.
- Before and after where the trade has one: landscaping, cleaning, dental, remodels.
- Retire reviews and photos that no longer match the business.
6. FAQ page
Customers leave when one practical question goes unanswered: does the estimate cost anything, do you come out on weekends, do you take my insurance, what is the return policy. Take the questions from real calls and emails and answer each in two to four sentences. Put the answer that decides the sale on the page where the decision happens; the FAQ holds what is left.
- The five to ten questions the phone gets most often.
- Cost questions answered with a range or the factors, never skipped.
- Timing: how soon, how long, and what happens after contact.
- The one thing the business does not do, said plainly, so the wrong callers stop calling.
7. Privacy policy
A contact form collects names and emails, analytics collects visit data, and a pixel, if one is set, collects more. A privacy page says what the site collects, why, who it is shared with, and how a person asks for it to be removed. It is a short page, linked from the footer of every page; a business that sells online adds terms of sale with delivery and returns. Update it the day a new form, pixel or analytics tool goes on the site, not at the next redesign.
- What is collected: the form fields, the analytics tool, and any Meta or TikTok pixel.
- Why it is collected, who sees it, and the email address to write to for removal.
- A link in the footer of every page, and a note beside any form that collects an email for marketing.
The 20 details that belong on every page
The pages are the skeleton. These twenty details apply to every page and are the difference between a site that looks finished and one that works. They are grouped by what they protect: trust, the phone, Google, and upkeep. Check them at launch and again after any change; the cadence table further down says who does the recurring ones and how often.
- Trust: the same business name, address and phone number as the Google Business Profile in the footer, with links to that profile and to the one or two social accounts the business keeps current.
- Trust: one next step per page: call, book, get a quote or shop, never all four.
- Trust: a heading at the top that says what the page is, in the customer's words.
- Trust: real photos with a caption and a short alt text that says what is in them, and no stock photo where a real one could stand.
- Trust: a review, a license number or a years-in-business line within two screens of any claim.
- Phone: readable without pinching, with buttons big enough for a thumb.
- Phone: the page loads in a few seconds on a mobile connection; oversized photos are the usual cause when it does not.
- Phone: the number taps to call and the address opens in maps on every page, not only the contact page.
- Phone: the menu opens and closes, and every link in it goes somewhere.
- Phone: forms work with a thumb and confirm on screen that the message was sent.
- Google: HTTPS, the lock in the browser bar, on every page and every image.
- Google: one page title and one description per page that say what the page is and where, since that is usually the text Google shows.
- Google: the page is linked from at least one other page, so Google and visitors can reach it.
- Google: the site is connected to Google Search Console and Google Analytics, so the owner can see which pages get shown and visited.
- Google: the business is listed on Google Business Profile with the site linked, and the hours match.
- Upkeep: no dead links and no pages marked coming soon.
- Upkeep: hours, prices and the team page match what a customer would find in person this week.
- Upkeep: the newest review or photo on the site is from the last few months.
- Upkeep: the copyright year in the footer and any dated page carry the current year.
- Upkeep: one person is named as the one who makes changes, and knows how.
What gets a small business website found on Google
The pages are half the job. In Theo's audit of 5,974 small business websites, 48 percent of the 4,027 sites with search data got an estimated zero visitors a month from Google search. The median site got an estimated one visitor a month from Google search. The sample is the sites whose owners ran the free audit, not a random draw, and the full numbers are in The State of Small Business Websites 2026. No platform escaped it: in the same report, the share of sites with an estimated zero visitors a month from Google search ran from 35 percent on WordPress (687 sites with search data) to 56 percent on GoDaddy Website Builder (145), with Shopify at 50 percent (1,125) and Wix at 47 percent (272). Three items give Google something to find; the rest is the pages themselves.
The guide to getting a website on Google covers the setup step by step for an owner doing it alone.
- A Google Business Profile with the same name, address, phone number and hours as the site, linking to the site. Theo's Boost checklist walks an owner through this listing and the others that matter: Facebook, Apple Business Connect, Bing Places and Yelp.
- The site connected to Google Search Console, so Google knows the pages exist and reports which searches show them. On Theo the connection is made once the owner's domain is active; submitting new pages through Search Console is part of the search work on Starter and Pro.
- A page for each service, so a search for the job has a page to match, and a new page whenever a new job or a new town comes up.
Add-ons by industry
The seven pages are the base. Some businesses need one more, and which one depends on how customers buy. Theo's industry pages list what a plumber's, dentist's, restaurant's or law firm's site needs beyond the base.
The demo restaurant site whose homepage is below carries the restaurant add-ons further down: the menu written as text so search engines read it, hours and the address on every page, and ordering and catering buttons pointing at the tools the kitchen already uses.
- Appointment businesses (salons, clinics, therapists, tutors): a booking link on every page to the tool already in use, such as Calendly, Acuity, Square Appointments or Mindbody, and a new-client page that says what the first visit involves. Theo links to the booking tool the business already uses.
- Trades (plumbers, electricians, HVAC, roofers, landscapers): a service-area page that names the towns, and a request link to the dispatch tool, such as Jobber, Housecall Pro or ServiceTitan.
- Restaurants: the menu as text on the page, not a PDF, plus hours and a reservation or ordering link through Toast or OpenTable.
- Product sellers: the products on the site with a cart. A Shopify or Wix store connects directly on every plan, checkout completes on the store, and the owner clicks Refresh my products after a change; sellers on Etsy, Square Online, WooCommerce, Big Cartel or Gumroad keep their checkout and the site links to their listings.
- Health practices (dentists, therapists, med spas): an insurance and financing page, a new patient page, and an appointment request that goes to the practice's own tool. The forms on the site collect a name, contact details and a short message, nothing more.
- Nonprofits, churches and event businesses: a donate or ticket link, such as Eventbrite, and a calendar that is kept current.
Which items to do first: a rule by stage
Not every item is worth the same on day one. The order depends on where the business is, and the table gives the order for the three common starting points.
- Fix anything a customer would notice this week before anything Google would notice this quarter.
- Finish pages before adding pages: a half-built FAQ costs more than no FAQ.
| Stage | Do first | Do next | Can wait |
|---|---|---|---|
| No website yet | Homepage, one page per service, contact page with a number that taps to call, privacy policy | About page, reviews page, Google Business Profile linked to the site | FAQ page, and any add-on beyond the booking or store link customers already use |
| Site under three years old | Search Console and Analytics connected; one page per service where a single Services page stands in | Reviews page with dates; the 20 details on every page | A redesign: the pages need finishing, not restyling |
| Site older than three years | The upkeep group: hours, prices, team, dead links, the newest review | HTTPS and the phone checks, page titles, a service-area page if the towns are not named | New pages, until the existing ones are current |
Common mistakes and the fix for each
These are the items that come up short most often when an owner runs the list on an existing site. Each one has a fix that takes less than an afternoon.
| Mistake | What it costs | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| A slogan where the plain sentence should be | The visitor cannot tell if you do the job or serve the area | Replace it with the service and the area: Residential electrician in Tucson |
| One page called Services | No page matches a search for the specific job | Split it: one page per job, named the way customers say it |
| Stock photos on the about page | The page reads as anyone's business | One photo of the owner, one of the team, one of the shop or the truck |
| An eight-field form and no phone number | Fewer messages, and the ones that arrive come from people with time to spare | Three fields and a number that taps to call |
| A strip of logos instead of reviews | Nothing a customer can check | Five reviews with a first name and a date, copied from Google |
| An FAQ written for search engines | Questions nobody asked, answers nobody reads | The five to ten questions the phone gets, answered in two to four sentences |
| A contact form and no privacy page | Names and emails collected with no page saying why | A short privacy policy linked from every footer |
| Hours and prices from last year | A wasted trip or a surprised customer, and a review that says so | A monthly ten-minute pass on hours, prices and the team page |
| Pages marked coming soon | A visitor who leaves, and a page Google has nothing to show for | Unpublish it until it has content |
How to tell the checklist is working
A finished checklist shows up in three numbers, and all three are free to read.
One customer site shows the shape of the curve. Buy My Lunch runs school lunch ordering and has been on Theo since June 2026. In its own Search Console data through September 27, 2026, clicks from Google search went from 131 in one 90-day period to 929 in the next, impressions rose from 7,500 to 61,700, and the average position moved from 13 to 8 as the growth work published pages. Every site starts from a different place and nobody can promise a ranking; the point is that the three numbers to watch are the same for any business, and the pages came before the clicks.
- Calls and form messages: count them for the month before and the month after the pass. The contact page, the tap-to-call number and the one next step move this number first.
- Search Console impressions and clicks: impressions rise when Google starts showing the new service pages; clicks follow as the pages climb.
- Google Business Profile views and direction requests: these move once the profile and the site carry the same name, hours and address.
When to run the small business website checklist again
A website goes stale in small ways: a price changes, a team member leaves, hours change for the season, the reviews page stops at last year. The table sets a cadence for each item and names who does it. Most of it is ten minutes a month for the owner; the technical items belong to whoever runs the site.
The website maintenance checklist covers the routine items between passes: links, forms, speed and the pages that quietly went out of date.
| What to check | How often | Who does it |
|---|---|---|
| Hours, prices, the team page | Monthly, ten minutes | Owner |
| Send a test message through the form and call the number from a phone | Monthly | Owner |
| Newest review and newest photo | Monthly | Owner collects them and adds them |
| Search Console: which pages get shown, which get clicked | Monthly | Owner reads it |
| Dead links, coming-soon pages, footer year | Quarterly | Owner; on Starter and Pro, technical fixes are part of the ongoing work |
| FAQ: add the question the phone kept getting | Quarterly | Owner |
| Speed and phone check on the homepage and the busiest service page | Quarterly | Owner on a phone |
| Privacy policy | When a form, pixel or tool is added | Whoever adds the tool |
| New service pages and posts | Weekly on Starter and Pro; elsewhere, when the owner asks | Theo on Starter and Pro; otherwise the owner or the builder |
| The full seven-page pass | Twice a year, and after any change to services, area, staff or ownership | Owner, with this page open |
Frequently asked questions
How much does a small business website cost?
A freelancer or an agency quotes a project fee for the build and then a retainer or hourly rate for changes; a builder charges a monthly fee and leaves the pages to you. Basic, Theo's site-and-hosting plan, is $29.99 a month and covers the build, the hosting and 1,500 chat credits a month for changes. Starter, at $69.99 a month and free for the first 30 days, adds the ongoing work to get the pages found; Pro is $129.99 a month. The pricing page lists what each plan includes.
How long does it take to build the seven pages?
Gathering the material is the long part: the service list, the photos, the hours, the licenses and a few reviews usually take longer than the build itself. Start with the master table and fill in what each row asks for. With Theo the first preview is usually ready in minutes from a chat about your business; you refine it in the same chat, publish when it reads right, and connect your own domain after that.
Who owns the website, and what happens if I cancel?
You do, including the seven pages and every photo and review on them; Theo hosts the site, and on Pro you can copy the code through read-only GitHub access. There is no contract to serve out: cancel any time, the confirmation shows the date your subscription ends, and you can copy the pages and images out and take them elsewhere before then.
What pages should a small business website have?
Seven: a homepage, a page for each service or product, an about page, a contact page, a reviews or work page, an FAQ and a privacy policy. Industry add-ons come after: a booking link for appointment businesses, a connected store for product sellers, a service-area page for local trades. Add any other page only when it answers a question none of these do.
What are the must-haves on every page of a small business website?
The same business name, address and phone number as the Google Business Profile, one next step, a plain heading, real photos, HTTPS, a page that reads on a phone and loads in a few seconds, and no dead links. The twenty details above group them as trust, phone, Google and upkeep. Check them at launch and after every change.
Should a small business put prices on its website?
Yes, where the price is stable: a starting price, a package or a range. Where every job is different, list the three things that change the price and explain how an estimate works. A page with no price and no explanation sends the visitor to a competitor's page that has one.
Does a small business website need a blog?
Not on day one; the seven pages come first. A blog earns its place when each post answers a question customers search for, such as what a water heater replacement costs in your town, and that is the kind of page the ongoing work on Starter and Pro writes and submits to Google through Search Console. A blog whose newest post is two years old reads as a business that stopped, so leave it out until someone will keep it going.
Is a one-page website enough for a small business?
It is enough to be found by name and to get a call. It is not enough to be found for the job: a search for water heater replacement has no page to match on a one-page site, and Google shows one page per result. Start with one page if that is what there is time for, then split the services out one page at a time.
The small business website checklist, built and kept current by Theo
Theo builds the seven pages from a chat with the owner, hosts the site, and changes any of them when the owner types the request in plain English. Basic, at $29.99 a month, covers the build and the hosting. Starter, at $69.99 a month and free for the first 30 days, adds the ongoing work the Google section of this checklist describes: keyword research, new service pages and posts, technical fixes and submitting the pages to Google through Search Console; Pro is $129.99 a month with more pages each week. An owner with a site already can run the free website audit to see which of these items the current site misses and which fixes come first, no login needed; an owner without one can build the site free and see it before deciding.
More like this in the guides and under building a small business website. The numbers behind it are in Theo's research.