Introduction
Every web designer will tell you that you need more features. Every website builder will upsell you on extras. The result: small businesses either overpay for websites with features they don’t need, or get overwhelmed and end up with something that doesn’t work.
Here’s what your small business website actually needs—and what you can skip.
Must-Haves
Clear Contact Information
What You Need
Visitors should find your contact details instantly:
- Phone number (clickable on mobile)
- Email address
- Physical address (if you have one)
- Business hours
Where to Put It
- Header or footer of every page
- Dedicated contact page
- Google Maps embed for location-based businesses
Why It Matters
If someone can’t figure out how to contact you in five seconds, they’ll contact your competitor instead.
Mobile-Friendly Design
What This Means
Your website works properly on phones:
- Text is readable without zooming
- Buttons are easy to tap
- Pages load quickly
- Navigation works on small screens
Why It’s Essential
More than half your visitors are on phones. A website that doesn’t work on mobile is barely a website at all.
How to Check
- View your site on your phone
- Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test (free)
- Ask friends to try it on different phones
What You Do (Clearly Stated)
The Problem
Many business websites bury what they actually do. Visitors land on the homepage and can’t immediately tell what the business offers.
The Fix
Within seconds of landing, visitors should know:
- What service or product you provide
- Who it’s for
- Your location/service area
Example
Bad: “Welcome to ABC Solutions. We believe in excellence and customer satisfaction.”
Good: “Residential plumbing for the Hills District. Same-day service, no call-out fee.”
Basic Pages
Homepage
- What you do
- Who you serve
- Why choose you
- Clear call to action
About Page
- Your story (briefly)
- Your team (if relevant)
- Why you’re credible
- Human element
Services/Products
- What you offer
- Pricing or “request a quote”
- Enough detail to understand
Contact Page
- All contact methods
- Form for enquiries
- Location map (if relevant)
- Business hours
Speed That Doesn’t Frustrate
The Standard
Pages should load in under 3 seconds. Every second longer loses visitors.
Common Speed Killers
- Huge image files
- Too many plugins
- Cheap hosting
- Bloated website builders
Quick Fixes
- Compress images before uploading
- Remove unused plugins
- Consider better hosting
- Test with Google PageSpeed Insights
Security Certificate (HTTPS)
What It Is
The padlock icon showing your site is secure.
Why You Need It
- Google penalises non-secure sites in search
- Browsers warn visitors your site is “not secure”
- Required for any form submissions
- Builds trust
How to Get It
Most hosting providers include free SSL certificates. If yours doesn’t, it should.
Important But Not Critical
Google Business Profile Connection
What It Does
Links your website to your Google Business listing, helping local search.
For Local Businesses
Your Google Business Profile is often more important than your website for local discovery. Make sure:
- Profile is claimed and complete
- Website link is correct
- Information matches between them
- Reviews are being collected
Basic SEO Setup
The Essentials
- Unique titles for each page
- Descriptions that summarise page content
- Your location mentioned naturally
- Your services mentioned naturally
Don’t Overcomplicate
For most small businesses, being found locally matters more than ranking nationally. Focus on:
- Being found for “[service] + [suburb]”
- Having accurate business information
- Getting reviews
Testimonials or Reviews
Why They Help
Social proof builds trust:
- Shows real customers are happy
- Reduces perceived risk
- Answers “is this business legit?”
How to Include
- Quote from happy customers (with permission)
- Links to Google/Facebook reviews
- Case studies for service businesses
Photos of Your Work
For Service Businesses
Show what you do:
- Before and after
- Completed projects
- Your team at work
For Retail/Hospitality
- Your products
- Your space
- Your team
Quality Matters
Bad photos hurt more than help. Use decent lighting, clean backgrounds, and images that show you in a good light.
Nice to Have (But Not Essential)
Blog
When It Helps
- You enjoy creating content
- You have expertise to share
- You’ll actually maintain it
When to Skip
- You won’t update it regularly
- You’d rather focus on serving customers
- A blog with two posts from 2019 looks worse than no blog
Online Booking
When It Helps
- You take appointments (salons, consultants, etc.)
- Phone bookings are a bottleneck
- You want 24/7 booking availability
When to Skip
- Your bookings are complex
- You need to speak to customers first
- The cost outweighs the benefit
Live Chat
When It Helps
- You can actually respond quickly
- Your customers have quick questions
- You have staff available
When to Skip
- You can’t monitor it consistently
- A chat widget that never responds is worse than none
E-commerce
When You Need It
- You sell products online
- Customers expect to buy without calling
When to Skip
- You sell services, not products
- Your products need consultation first
- The complexity isn’t worth it
What You Can Skip
Fancy Animations
Moving elements, parallax scrolling, and elaborate effects:
- Slow down your site
- Distract from content
- Often look dated quickly
- Add cost and complexity
Slider/Carousel on Homepage
That rotating banner with multiple images:
- Most visitors only see the first slide
- Slows page loading
- Looks dated
- Takes space from actual content
Music or Auto-Playing Video
Please don’t. Just don’t.
Stock Photos of Generic Business People
Handshakes in conference rooms. Smiling customer service reps. Everyone knows these are fake.
Use real photos of your business, your team, your work—or no photos at all.
The Bottom Line
A good small business website:
- Clearly explains what you do
- Works on phones
- Loads quickly
- Makes it easy to contact you
- Looks professional (not fancy, professional)
Everything else is optional. Start with the essentials, add what makes sense for your business, and ignore the rest.
You don’t need the most impressive website. You need a website that works.
Your website is one part of a larger digital ecosystem. Ash Ganda explores how businesses can connect web, cloud, and mobile for maximum impact.
Cosmos Web Tech operates under the Ganda Tech Services umbrella, delivering end-to-end technology solutions for Australian businesses.