Before you approve a new website, try using it to become a customer. Pick a service, work out whether the business is a good fit, and follow the contact route from beginning to end.
That simple exercise can reveal gaps a design review misses: an unclear service description, a hard-to-find phone number, or a form that looks finished but never reaches the right inbox. Use this checklist to decide what your small-business website needs before launch, or what to fix on the site you already have.
1. Say what you do near the top
Your opening words should help a new visitor recognize that they are in the right place. State the service, the kind of customer you serve, and the location or area you cover where that matters.
A hypothetical cleaning business might open with: “Home cleaning in Cedar Falls, with one-time and recurring appointments.” A short follow-up can explain anything important about how the service works.
Read your opening without the business name or photographs. Can someone still tell what you offer? If the answer is unclear, make the wording more specific before adding more design.
2. Answer the questions that decide whether someone contacts you
Start with the questions customers already ask by phone or message. Explain the main services, who they suit, what is included, and any important limits.
Useful details depend on the business. A repair service might explain what equipment it works on. A salon might distinguish appointments from walk-ins. A home-service company might list the towns it covers and explain how estimates work.
If you publish prices, keep them accurate and explain what changes the total. If the work needs an individual quote, say what information you need to prepare one. Customers should be able to understand the next step without guessing.
3. Show evidence you can stand behind
Use real photographs of your work, premises, products, or team where appropriate and with permission. Add short captions that explain what someone is looking at. A visitor should not have to infer which part of a project your business handled.
Use testimonials only when they are genuine and you have permission to republish them. Check names, wording, and any claims about the work. Include qualifications, memberships, or years of experience only when they are accurate and current.
A new business can explain its process and show the people doing the work without pretending to have a long client list.
4. Choose a clear primary action
Decide what you most want a suitable visitor to do: call, request a quote, book an appointment, or ask a question. Make that option easy to find near the top and again after the information that helps someone decide.
Label the action plainly. “Request a quote” tells a customer more than “Get started.” Keep an alternative contact method visible if you can reliably monitor it.
Make the wording match the result. A button labeled “Book an appointment” should lead to a working booking process. If it only sends a request that someone must confirm, say so.
5. Check what happens after the click
Follow every contact route on a phone and a computer. Phone links should use the right number. Email links should open a message to the right address. Booking links should reach the correct business and service.
For a contact form, ask only for information you need at that stage. A name, a reply method, and a short description may be enough for an initial inquiry. W3C's form guidance recommends keeping forms simple, labeling fields clearly, and explaining errors and successful submissions.
Submit a clearly labeled test through your own form. Confirm that it arrives in the intended inbox, that you can reply, and that the customer sees a useful confirmation. If you state a response time, choose one your business can consistently meet.
Assign someone to handle inquiries and decide what happens when that person is away. The website's contact process continues after the message arrives.
6. Make the essentials easy to use on a phone
Read the service information on a small screen. Open the menu, tap the contact buttons, and complete the form. Check that text is readable, controls have room around them, and important information is not hidden behind a banner or overlay.
Accessibility belongs in this review too. W3C recommends sufficient contrast, clear navigation, visible form labels, and layouts that work at different screen sizes. Ask your website provider to check keyboard navigation and meaningful text descriptions for informative images as well.
Try the site on a mobile connection, not only office Wi-Fi. If large images make the important content slow to appear, have them resized and optimized.
7. Agree on the work after launch
Write down who handles domain renewals, hosting, website changes, and business email. Confirm that you know how to request an update and what ongoing support includes.
Make a short list of information that can go stale: opening hours, service areas, prices, staff details, booking links, and seasonal notices. Update your website and business profiles together when those details change.
After launch, note the questions customers still ask and whether inquiries reach you successfully. Those observations can guide the next small improvement.
Your final launch check
- A new visitor can explain what the business does and who it serves.
- Services, contact details, and location or service-area information are correct.
- Photos, testimonials, and claims are genuine and approved for use.
- The main action is clear, and every contact route has been tested.
- Test inquiries reach someone responsible for answering them.
- The site is usable on a phone and has had an accessibility review.
- Someone is responsible for renewals, updates, and ongoing checks.
If this check turns up a few problems, focused improvements may be enough. BOS offers new websites, redesigns, and fixes to existing sites, with optional ongoing maintenance. Tell BOS what you need built or improved to discuss a project scoped around your business.