You’ve got a website. Or you’re about to build one. Either way, you’re staring at a blank page wondering what’s supposed to go there. It’s a surprisingly hard question, and getting it wrong means visitors leave before they ever become customers.
After building sites for dozens of small businesses, we’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. Here’s the honest breakdown.
The Pages Every Small Business Website Needs
Homepage
Your homepage has one job: tell visitors what you do, who you do it for, and what they should do next. That’s it. You have about 3 seconds before someone decides to stay or bounce.
A strong homepage has:
- A clear headline. Not your company slogan. Not something clever. A plain statement of what you do and who you help. “Web design for small businesses in Olympia” beats “Crafting digital experiences” every time.
- A call to action above the fold. What do you want visitors to do? Call you? Fill out a form? Book a consultation? Make it obvious before they scroll.
- Social proof. Testimonials, reviews, client logos, or case studies. People trust other people more than they trust your marketing copy.
About Page
This is consistently one of the most-visited pages on any small business website. People want to know who they’re hiring. They want to see faces, read your story, and figure out if they trust you.
Don’t write a corporate bio. Write like a human being. Talk about why you started your business, what you believe in, and what makes you different. A photo of you — a real one, not a stock image — goes a long way.
Services or Products Page
Be specific about what you offer. Vague descriptions like “we provide solutions” don’t help anyone. List your services clearly, explain what’s included, and if possible, give people an idea of pricing.
We know — a lot of businesses don’t want to put pricing on their website. But here’s the thing: your competitors might. And the customer who can see a price range is more likely to call than the one who has to guess.
Contact Page
Make it dead simple to reach you. Phone number, email, a contact form, and your location if you have a physical address. If you want phone calls, make the phone number clickable on mobile. If you prefer emails, put the form front and center.
Don’t make people hunt for your contact information. It should be accessible from every page — ideally in the header or footer.
Pages That Earn Their Keep
Blog or Resources
A blog isn’t just for SEO (though it helps). It’s a way to show potential customers that you know what you’re talking about. Answer the questions your customers actually ask you. Write about your industry, your process, your local market.
The key is consistency. One good post a month beats ten mediocre posts followed by six months of silence.
Portfolio or Case Studies
If your work is visual — design, construction, landscaping, photography — show it. Real examples of your work are more convincing than any amount of marketing copy. Include brief descriptions of what you did and what the results were.
FAQ Page
Think about every question a potential customer asks before hiring you. Now answer all of them on one page. This saves you time on calls and emails, and it helps with SEO because you’re answering real search queries.
What to Leave Off
This is where most small business websites go wrong. They add stuff that doesn’t help — and actually hurts.
- Stock photos of handshakes and skylines. Everyone’s seen them. They make your site look generic. Use real photos of your team, your work, or your space. Even phone photos are better than corporate stock.
- Mission statements nobody reads. “We are committed to delivering excellence through innovative solutions and customer-centric approaches.” Nobody has ever read that and thought, “Yes, I want to hire them.”
- Autoplay videos or music. It’s not 2008. Nothing makes someone close a tab faster than unexpected audio.
- Walls of text with no formatting. People scan websites, they don’t read them like books. Use headings, bullet points, short paragraphs, and white space.
- Social media feeds. If your last Instagram post was three months ago, embedding your feed on your website just advertises that. Link to your social profiles, but don’t embed the feeds unless you post regularly.
- Unnecessary pages. A “News” page with one post from 2023. A “Partners” page with two logos. A “Careers” page when you’re not hiring. If a page doesn’t serve your visitors, cut it.
The One Thing That Matters Most
Your website exists to turn visitors into customers. Every page, every section, every word should move people closer to contacting you or buying from you. If something on your site doesn’t serve that goal, it’s in the way.
Keep it simple. Keep it clear. Keep it focused on the people you’re trying to reach.
Need Help With Your Local SEO?
Every website we build at South Bay Webs comes with on-page SEO baked in — fast load times, clean code, schema markup, and mobile-first design. Let’s talk about getting your business found.
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