What should a small business website have on it?

What do customers look for first on a small business website?

They want to know, in a few seconds, whether you do what they need, near them, at a time that works, and how to reach you. A website that answers that on the first screen makes it easy to call you. One that makes them hunt sends them back to the search results. Humfrid writes every item below into your website from a few texts, so you don’t start from a blank page.

Here is the order to put things in, most important first:

1. What you do, in plain words. One line at the top, like “Wedding and birthday cakes, made to order,” says more than a slogan.
2. Where you are, or the areas you serve. Your address if customers come to you. The towns or neighborhoods you cover if you go to them.
3. Your hours. Include the days you’re closed and any seasonal hours.
4. How to reach you. A phone number people can tap to call, plus text or email if you answer those. Put it at the top and again at the bottom of every page.
5. Prices, or a starting point. A range or a “from” price works.
6. Photos of your real work. Your products, your space, jobs you’ve finished.
7. Reviews. Real ones from real customers, or a link to where they are.
8. How to book or order. One clear next step: call, text, book online or order online.

Use the words your customers use. Google’s SEO Starter Guide notes that some users might search for “charcuterie”, while others might search for “cheese board”. Name your services and towns in plain text, not only inside a picture.

Should I put prices on my website?

Yes, at least a starting point. People want to know whether you’re in their range before they reach out, and a price on the page answers that before they have to ask.

If every job is different, give a range, a “from” price, or what changes the price. If you can’t price ahead, say how you quote: a free estimate, a visit fee, or a quote by text from a photo.

Why do real photos and reviews matter so much?

Because they’re the proof. Anyone can write “quality work.” A photo or a customer’s review shows it.

Google’s SEO Starter Guide says to use images that are sharp and clear, and place them near text that’s relevant to the image. Put the photo of a deck next to the line about decks. Stock photos of strangers tell a customer nothing about you.

Reviews have to be real, and that’s the law. The FTC’s rule on reviews bans reviews and testimonials that misrepresent that they are by someone who does not exist or by someone who did not have actual experience with the business or its products or services. Quote real customers who said yes to being quoted, or link to your reviews on Google.

How Humfrid does this for you

Humfrid writes everything on this list for you, from your texts. There’s no copy to write and no website builder to learn. You text your business name, then answer a few questions about what you do, where you work, your hours and how people reach you. Send photos if you have them. Your website is ready within a day. Nothing goes live without your OK, and if you don’t like a line, you text back what to change.

After that, you keep it current the same way:

• “Add Saturday hours, 9 to 1.”
• “We now make gluten-free cakes.”
• “Here are three photos of the new deck.”

Photos and voice notes work, and there’s no app, no computer and no login. Your own .com web address, in your name, and a contact form are included. Every plan includes online booking you manage by text and online payments, so customers can book and pay right on your site, and a blog made from the photos you text. Humfrid also helps you set up your Google Business Profile and keep it complete, and writes posts and review replies for you to post. You can see your website free for 14 days and pay only when you want it live on your own .com.

What makes a small business website easy to use on a phone?

Build it for the phone first, because that’s where many of your visitors are. Pew Research Center reports that 91% of U.S. adults own a smartphone. Google also says it uses the mobile version of a site’s content, crawled with the smartphone agent, for indexing and ranking.

On a phone, that means:

• Your phone number is a link that starts a call when tapped.
• Buttons are big enough for a thumb, and the main one says what it does: Call, Book, Order.
• Text is readable without zooming, in short sections with clear headings.
• Nothing covers the page. Google’s page experience checklist asks, “Do your pages avoid using intrusive interstitials?”, which means pop-ups that block what people came to read.

Open your site on your phone and try to call, find your hours and book. Anything that takes more than a couple of taps gets fixed first.

What makes a website trustworthy?

Accurate facts, a real business clearly behind it, and nothing that feels like a trick. Google’s guidance on helpful content says that trust is most important, and that any form of deception makes a page untrustworthy to both users and our automated quality systems.

For a small business, that means a name that matches your sign, a line about who runs it, your license or insurance if your work calls for one, a secure address (https), and a phone number that reaches you. Google’s own rules for Business Profiles ask for a number that’s under the direct control of the business. A Humfrid website shows your own number, so calls come straight to you.

Keep those details the same everywhere. Google says businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up in local search results.

What can a small business website skip?

Most small sites can skip extra pages and anything written for search engines instead of people. Google even lists “Things we believe you shouldn’t focus on” in its starter guide.

You can skip	Why
A blog nobody keeps up	A last post from two years ago looks worse than none. With Humfrid, your blog posts are written from the photos you text.
Lots of pages	One to three pages covers most small businesses.
Writing to a length	Google says there’s no magical word count target, minimum or maximum.
Repeating keywords	Google calls repeating the same words over and over tiring for users.

Spend the time you save on what matters more: keeping your hours, prices and photos current. With Humfrid, each of those is a text.

How many pages does a small business website need?

Often just one to three. A single page can hold everything on the checklist above, in that order, and many small businesses never need more.

Add a page when a section gets too long to scroll, or for a service people look for on its own. After that, the work is changing facts when they change. See how often to update your business website.

Text Humfrid your business name, and you’ll see your website within a day.