What should a small business website include?
By Dale Sutton · Updated 14 September 2026
A small-business website needs six things above everything else: a headline that says what you do, for whom, and where; a visible way to contact you on every page; proof — reviews, real work, a real person; clear service pages with pricing guidance; a fast, clean mobile experience; and tracking so you know if it's working. Most of what else gets added is decoration.
The non-negotiables, in order
- A headline that a stranger understands in three seconds: what you do, who for, where. 'Emergency plumber, northern suburbs, 24/7' beats 'Welcome to our website' every time.
- A call to action above the fold on every page — call, quote or book — and a phone number that's tappable on mobile.
- Proof. Google reviews embedded, photos of real work, a real photo of you. Stock images of handshakes cost you trust.
- One page per main service, each answering what it is, who it's for, what it costs roughly, and how to start.
- A contact form that works, with three or four fields, delivering somewhere you actually read.
- Mobile first. More than half of local searches happen on a phone, usually with one hand.
- Speed. Under 2.5 seconds to show the main content, or people leave before they've seen your headline.
- Google Analytics with conversion tracking, so 'is the website working?' has an answer.
Pages: what to include and what to skip
| Page | Include? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Home | Yes | Headline, what you do, proof, services summary, CTA. Not a wall of text. |
| One page per service | Yes | This is where search traffic lands and where enquiries come from. |
| About | Yes | A real person, real experience. Short. It's the most-visited page after home for a service business. |
| Contact | Yes | Form, phone, email, area served, hours. |
| Service area / locations | If you serve distinct areas | Only where you have something real to say. Never mass-generated suburb pages. |
| Pricing or 'from' prices | Yes, where you can | Visitors self-qualify. Hiding prices loses more enquiries than it protects. |
| Blog | Later | Only if you'll actually write. An abandoned blog with three 2019 posts hurts more than no blog. |
| Gallery / portfolio | If visual work | Real photos, captioned. Not a slideshow of stock. |
What it's fine to leave out
Sliders, video backgrounds, a mission statement, a news section you won't update, social feeds, chat widgets that nobody staffs, a 'meet the team' page for a team of one, and any page that exists because a template had it. Every element on a small-business site should either build trust or move the visitor toward contacting you. If it does neither, it's slowing the page down.
Related questions
How much does a website cost in Perth?
A professionally built small-business website in Perth typically costs $2,000–$10,000+, depending on design, content, integrations and functionality. Oria Digital website builds start from $3,500 + GST for a conversion-focused site of five to eight pages, and from $6,500 + GST for sites with custom functionality or integrations. You get a fixed written quote after a free audit.
How long does a website take to build?
Most Oria Digital website builds take three to five weeks from the point content is available. A Website Tune-Up on an existing site is usually one to two weeks, and an AI enquiry assistant takes about two weeks to install and tune. Timelines are confirmed in writing in your quote before any work starts.
Why is my website getting traffic but no enquiries?
Usually one of five things: the headline doesn't say what you do and who for, there's no clear call to action above the fold, the site is slow or awkward on mobile, there's no proof to trust, or the enquiry form is long, buried or broken. The traffic is often fine. A Website Tune-Up identifies which of these applies and fixes the top items.
Do you work with WordPress?
Yes — WordPress is the main platform, including custom themes, plugins, Advanced Custom Fields, WooCommerce and improving existing WordPress sites without rebuilding them. Oria Digital also builds on Next.js where that genuinely suits the job better. The platform is chosen for the business, not the other way around.
Want this applied to your own site? Start with the free audit, or go straight to Small Business Web Design.