Small Business Website Checklist, by Danielle Lemons

Twelve practical checks for a business owner reviewing their own website, one item at a time.

Danielle Lemons is Vice President of Operations at DirecTech Connect. Her web design business, daniellelemons.com, is woman-owned and veteran-owned.

Open your site on a phone and on a computer, then work through this list. Each item is something a customer will notice, whether or not they ever say so.

Your headline says what you do and where. A visitor should understand within a few seconds what you sell and which town or area you serve. If the first thing they read is a slogan, rewrite it. The guide to what belongs above the fold walks through the order.
Your phone number is tap-to-call. Put the number near the top of every page, and confirm that tapping it on your own phone opens the dialer. Test it on a real phone, not only in a desktop browser.
Each main service has its own page. One page that lists everything makes it harder for customers and search engines to find the right answer. Give each core service a page with its own heading and a clear next step. How many pages a small business website needs covers how to decide.
Your photos are real. Use pictures of your team, your work and your location wherever you can. Generic stock photos make a business look interchangeable.
Your Google Business Profile matches your website. The business name, address, phone number and hours should be identical in both places. If they differ, customers and search engines both get mixed signals. Google Business Profile basics for local businesses explains what to check.
Your hours are current. Update holiday and seasonal hours on the site and on your Google Business Profile at the same time, so the two never disagree.
The site loads quickly on a phone. Load your homepage on a phone using cellular data, not only office Wi-Fi. If a page feels slow to you, it will feel slower to a customer with a weak signal.
Your contact form works. Submit it yourself from a phone and from a computer, then confirm the message reaches your inbox or phone. Repeat this check after any change to the form or the site.
Your reviews are visible and recent. Link to your reviews from the site, and ask recent customers for new ones on a regular schedule. How to ask customers for reviews gives a simple way to do it.
The address starts with https. Your site should load over a secure connection, with a padlock in the browser's address bar. Check a few inner pages, not just the homepage.
Your contact details appear on every page. Keep your phone number, email and service area in the header or footer, so a visitor never has to hunt for a contact page. Three things to check first when a local business website is not bringing in calls covers this and related fixes.
Someone owns the updates. Decide who changes the site, how changes are requested, and who gets notified when something breaks. What a website maintenance plan should cover lists the parts worth writing down.

Next step

If you go through this list and find more gaps than you expected, that is normal. Start with the first item that customers would notice, fix it, and move down the list. To talk through your own site, call Danielle at 615-861-9042 or email danielle@directech.net.

More on the Websites page, or browse the Writing page for longer guides.