Marketing and presence
Website
What kind of website does your business need, and how should you build it?
Six short steps. No email or account.
- Who needs it
- Every business. Customers verify you exist before they call.
- When it matters
- Early. Even a single credible page beats nothing.
- Compare first
- Who maintains it
- Matters most when
- just started, established, growing, mature
Is this the right tool for you?
Customers who hear about you, even by referral, usually look you up before calling. A missing, outdated or confusing site makes a real business look doubtful, and a site that hides how to get in touch wastes the attention you already earned.
Signs you need it now
- Your site is out of date on services, service area, hours or prices.
- It is hard to use on a phone or slow to load.
- Visitors cannot see how to call, book or request a quote within a few seconds.
- Only one person, or a former contractor, can make changes.
When another area fits better
- You have a site and the issue is being found in local searches. Read the getting found locally guide
- You want to know who visits and what they do on the site. Read the website analytics guide
Recognise two or more of these? Sort out website next.
Tell us how your business runs and get a plan that puts website in order with everything else: what to set up first, your must-haves and what to compare.
What matters at your size
Working alone
A few clear pages built on a website builder: what you do, where, proof you do it well, and how to contact you. Own your domain name yourself.
A small team
A page per main service and area, real photos of your work, reviews, and a quote or booking form that feeds your lead inbox.
Several teams or locations
Content that someone updates regularly, connection to booking or ecommerce, tracking of where enquiries come from, and a clear owner for the site.
How the way you work changes the choice
- Trades and home services
- Phone number prominent, service area, licensing and insurance stated, photos of real jobs and a fast quote form. Most visitors are on a phone.
- Professional firms
- The site sells trust: who the people are, what you specialize in, examples of work and a clear way to book a first conversation.
- Shops and restaurants
- Hours, location, what you stock or serve and, where it fits, online ordering or a store. Keep hours accurate everywhere.
What to compare
Who maintains it
A site you cannot edit yourself becomes stale and expensive.
Speed on a phone
Most local searches are mobile. A slow site loses visitors before it loads.
Domain ownership
Make sure the domain is registered to you, not to an agency.
Local search basics
Correct name, address and phone data matter more than design for local trades.
Cost and setup effort
- Compare three routes: a builder you run yourself, a designer who builds it once, or an agency on an ongoing plan. Ongoing costs matter more than the build.
- Register the domain in the business's name and keep the login yourself, whoever builds the site.
- The slow part is writing the words and gathering photos. Have those ready before paying anyone by the hour.
Trade-offs to weigh
- Do it yourself or hire someone
- Building it yourself is cheap and you control changes; a professional gets a better result faster but you depend on them for updates.
- Website builder or custom build
- Builders are simpler to run and host for you; custom sites are more flexible but need someone to maintain them.
- Brochure or working tool
- A simple site is enough for many businesses; online booking, payments or a store add value only if customers will use them.
When to sort it out
Early. Even a single credible page beats nothing.
Your next step
Answer six short questions about how your business runs. You get an operating plan: where website fits among your priorities, the must-haves to hold every option to, and what to compare when you choose.
Where this comes first
Trades and businesses that usually sort this out early.
Often decided alongside
Other parts of marketing and presence.