Small business web design: a plain-English guide.

Every small business should have a website. Here’s why, how to choose between building it yourself and hiring someone, what makes a good small business website, and what happens when you have one built.

Does every small business need a website?

I’d highly recommend that every small business has one. Your website is your shop window to the rest of the world.

A lot of small businesses start out with a social media profile, but that can only get you so far. There’s so much competition online in almost every industry that you need something that promotes your brand and sets you apart. And a social media profile is only easy to find for people already on that site, which leaves out everyone searching on Google or asking an AI tool.

Build it yourself or hire someone?

There are lots of ways to get a website: build it yourself, use a website builder, hire a freelancer or go to a larger agency. Which one suits you depends on:

• How technical you are. Do you have the skills to build a professional-looking website?
• How much time you have. A professional will do the job in a fraction of the time it would take you. Doing it yourself costs nothing but your time, but that time adds up.
• Your budget. A professionally designed website costs anything from around £1,500 to tens of thousands of pounds, depending on the size of the project. That matters most when you’re starting out. (There’s more on prices in How much does a website cost?)

I often end up working with clients who started by building something themselves. When they’re ready to take things to the next level, I take on what they’ve built and turn it into something that helps push their business forward.

How can I build a website myself?

If you want to build your own website, platforms such as Squarespace and Wix are a really good place to start. They have all the tools you need, you don’t need any particular technical knowledge to set up something that works and does the job, and they’re not particularly expensive when you’re starting out.

Before you start, it’s worth reading where DIY websites usually go wrong.

What makes a good small business website?

Every small business website needs:

• Good-quality content that answers the questions your customers are asking.
• Decent images, not just stock photos.
• The technical basics covered. There’s more on those in What is SEO and why do I need it?
• A strong call to action, so visitors know what to do next.

What makes a website look professional?

A few things make the biggest difference:

• A small colour palette: a few key colours that complement each other.
• A nice, readable font.
• Strong, consistent design motifs carried through the whole website, whether that’s colour, icons, symbols or backgrounds. On this website, it’s the magenta full stop at the end of every heading.
• Room to breathe: plenty of space around the text and images, so nothing feels crammed.
• Easy to use on a phone: text that’s big enough to read and buttons that are easy to tap.

One of the websites I’m most proud of is actually this one. I love the look and the layout, and I think it really captures the brand I’m trying to create.

What your home page needs to say

In the first few seconds, your home page needs to answer two questions for a visitor: who are you, and is this for me? By the time they’ve scrolled down the page, they should understand who you are and what you’re offering.

Use clear headings and avoid jargon. Loads of websites are full of stock phrases, buzzwords and jargon intended to stir up emotion. They tell the reader absolutely nothing about what you actually offer.

Turning visitors into enquiries

Once customers have found your website and understand what you offer, what do you want them to do? Fill in a form, pick up the phone, send an email or buy a product? Decide, then focus every page on getting them to do it, with a clear call to action they can’t miss.

Your own photos, stock or AI?

If you’ve got your own photos, that’s ideal.

Stock photos have a place, but it’s really important not to overdo it. They can look really obviously like stock photos, and it’s not unheard of to see the same photo on several websites in the same industry.

AI image tools get round that, but they bring a new problem: AI images have a certain look that gives them away, and that tells people they’re not authentic. People crave authenticity. A few hours with your phone camera, in different settings around your business, can be very valuable.

Quick wins for an existing website

If you already have a website, the quickest wins depend on whether it was built by a professional. The ones I see most often are:

• missing technical SEO basics
• inconsistent design
• poor use of images
• vague copy that doesn’t mean anything to anyone.

Swapping vague copy for clear headings that answer the questions your visitors are asking makes a big difference. A website audit will find the rest.

How to choose a web designer

The key thing is connecting with your web designer. Make sure they understand you and your business. You want a sense that they’re really working for you, with your business’s best interests at heart.

Get a clear specification of the work that’s going to be done, and a quote. Don’t be afraid to ask exactly what you’re getting for your money, and don’t forget the things that are easy to miss:

• Who will be responsible for maintaining the website after it’s launched?
• Will they optimise it for SEO?
• Who will provide the words and the images?

Does your web designer need to be local?

It doesn’t matter whether your web designer is local. I’ve worked with some clients for many years without ever meeting them in person. These days video calls make meetings so easy that it isn’t necessary.

That said, it is nice to meet face to face. I’m based in Winchester, and I’m always happy to meet clients for a chat and a coffee, to get to know them and really understand their business.

What happens when you have a website built

1. A chat. We meet up, online or in person, and talk about your business: what you do, what your aims are and what you want the website to do.
2. A specification and a price. I take that away and write a specification, with a price. We go through it together to make sure it matches what you had in mind.
3. The build. Once we’ve agreed the requirements and the cost, I start building, and I check in with you every step of the way to make sure you’re happy with the direction. If you’re not, I’d much rather you told me, and we’ll change direction. There’s no ego: I’ve got no problem with someone telling me they don’t like what I’ve done and starting again.
4. Launch. When we’re both happy, we agree a launch date and I handle the rest, including moving your customers or data across from your old system if you need it. Then your new website goes live.

What you need to bring

Really, all you need is yourself and your ideas about your business. If you already have a logo, the words, photos or a domain name, that’s great. If you don’t, we can create them together. It’s no problem at all.

How long does it take to build a website?

A really basic website can be ready in about a week from the agreed start. Usually it takes longer, anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, depending on how complex it is. The more time we have, the more back and forth we can have to get everything exactly right for you, so in some ways the deadline is yours: how quickly do you need it?

What slows a project down is moving too far from the original requirements. We can end up building things that don’t get used, and that adds to the cost. That’s why it’s so important to nail the requirements down at the start.

After launch

Once your website is live, I can show you how to update and manage it, and give you all the logins you need. Everything is owned by you, and I’ll make sure you have access to all of it.

I’m usually happy to look after the website for you from then on, from the technical side through to updating the content if you’d like me to. I’ll keep it secure and up to date.

Tell me about your business and I’ll tell you honestly the best way to get the website it needs, even if that’s building it yourself.