Growing on Google:
A Guide on Websites for Small Businesses

Do small businesses really need a website?

An important part of running a business is figuring out where best to advertise yourself. Many small businesses run successfully without the need of a website, and instead leverage the likes of Instagram, Etsy, or YouTube to show off their products or services, such as photographers, designers, or personal trainers. Similarly, businesses with a strong referral network, like tradespeople or shop owners, can also survive without a website.

However, even if these businesses are running successfully, it doesn’t mean that they are running at full potential. Let’s take an electrician for example: whilst they may have a strong list of referrals, having a website will let them compete for local searches online, which may be more favourable for them rather than having to travel further out.

Common objections and misconceptions

It’s common to find small business owners that are against the idea of building a website. This is a fair position to take, as making a website and putting yourself out there can be initially daunting, but it’s necessary to overcome. Here are some of the most recurring objections and misconceptions I see when discussing the idea with them:

Benefits of having a website

Ultimately, there are many benefits to having your own website, but I generally like to focus on the these three:

• Credibility – Having your own website builds authority and trust with the user.
• Visibility – Being findable on Google, Microsoft Edge, and other search engines will lead to more potential customers.
• Control – No other platform allows for the same customisation that a website provides, letting you fully control your look, branding, and style.

Top website platforms for small businesses

If you’re now convinced that your business needs a website, you first need to choose if it will be custom-coded or built through a website builder. They both have their pros and cons as highlighted below:

Choosing a website builder platform

There are many different types of website builders, each with their own strengths. Here is a short breakdown of the most popular website builders, highlighting their best use cases:

Choosing the right platform

With so many options listed, you may feel spoiled for choice. To choose the right website builder for your business, consider the following:

• How often will I need to edit the site?
• How customisable does it need to be?
• What are the monthly/yearly costs of each platform?
• How easy is it to use?

There are many great options to choose from, so ultimately the best choice is the one that feels best for you to use on a daily basis. My go-to is always WordPress, but I’ve seen success on all the platforms listed above and more.

Important features that every website needs

All websites fundamentally serve the same purpose: bringing a user to your website to make a specific action. This can be as simple as buying a product or service, downloading a file, or signing up for a newsletter. More complex marketing funnels may involve sending users to another website entirely, but they use the initial website to build trust and provide the information necessary to the consumer.

But what does this all mean for small businesses? Often your website is a customer’s first impression of your business, so it needs to be welcoming and easy to navigate. Think of your site like a physical storefront. A location that is clean and professional is more likely to drive customers than something old and run down. The same applies to websites. Think: if you were a customer, would you use your website?

So what kind of features does a website need to succeed?

Core features

To successfully convert users into customers, your website needs to outline the following:

• Who you are and what your business does
• Your services and general processes
• Why the customer should choose you

The third point is exceptionally important, as if you cannot differentiate yourself from the competition then what is stopping the customer from choosing a different website with a better offer?

To do this, your website should be split up into several key areas:

• The home page – This is where most of your branded traffic (i.e. searches for your business name) will end up. It should contain a brief overview of your site, including information about your business, your services, and other resources you have.
• Service pages – These pages will target specific services that you wish to rank for on Google. For instance, a recruitment company should have separate pages for applicants and companies, as the intent behind these searches will be different.
• About page – The about page is your chance to build trust with the user, ensuring you explain and humanise your business. This is a great opportunity to talk about your history, why you do what you do, and why the customer should choose you.
• Other resources – Depending on your industry and marketing goals, you may choose to have things like blogs, guides, galleries, and other ways of driving interest to your website.
• Legal pages – In the age of cookies and data collection, websites should have a clear outline on cookie policies, privacy policies, and other important documents.

These are just the basics, as many websites offer other ways of driving traffic and instilling trust in their users. How applicable these are for your website will depend on your industry, as everything on your website still needs to be relevant above all else.

Functional essentials

Aside from what’s physically on your website, it also needs to function correctly and as optimally as possible.

• Mobile responsiveness – In the last quarter of 2024, Google reported that mobile devices generated 62.5% of total traffic, showing just how important it is that websites are built with mobile viewing in mind.
• Fast loading times – No one wants to use a website that takes an eternity to load. Studies show that even an extra second of loading can decrease a website’s conversion rate.
• SSL certificate and security – Websites need to be secure and SSL certificates ensure that. Any website without ‘https’ at the front is immediately seen as less trustworthy.

Failing to adhere to these can have a drastic impact on both your conversion rate and keyword rankings, as both users and search engines take these into consideration. For example, a slow website is annoying for a user and will likely lead to them going elsewhere. However, it also has a direct impact on your search engine rankings, so it’s imperative to fix to appease both parties.

SEO basics for websites

Speaking of SEO, it’s important for you to plan ahead for ranking on Google and other search engines. Many business owners build their website then think about SEO later down the line. Ideally, you should build it with SEO in mind to begin with, as this gives you ample time to collect data and review at a later date. Some important things to consider are:

Website costs and price breakdown

Websites have a range of costs, but not all are as expensive as you may think. It’s important to note that technically a small business can launch a website for free, but this will exclude them from a lot of features that are vital to succeed. Here’s a quick breakdown of each major cost in building a website:

Necessary costs

• Domain – You’ll need to pay for your website URL via platforms such as GoDaddy or Namecheap. However, the likes of WordPress and Wix offer built in domain payment, which can range from £5-10 per year. Some domains are free, but these will usually not follow the standard .com or .co.uk format, which looks less professional.
• Hosting – The platform you choose to host your website on will have varying costs. This can range from as little as £30 a year to upwards of £250 depending on your hosting choice.
• Plans – Website builders like WordPress and Wix offer different plans for websites, each with useful features that can help your business scale. Whilst you can technically start your website on the free plan, this will exclude you from important things like feasible storage space for files and custom code like CSS.

Optional costs

• Web design – Whilst you can design your own website with custom templates provided by the builder, it is often easier to outsource to a web designer. You can also choose paid layouts if you prefer the former option.
• SEO – It’s always a good idea to invest in SEO when starting your website, as you can start ranking for your desired keywords and give search engines time to assess your pages.

Website visibility: diagonising common issues

Once your website is live, you need to ensure that it’s visible and easy for users to find. Many people think that once a website is published that it’s always findable on Google and other search engines. This is not always the case.

Here are some of the most common visibility issues new websites can encounter:

• Not indexed – If your website isn’t indexed, it literally doesn’t exist in Google’s search results. This can happen if your site is brand new or has a “no index” tag by mistake.
• Technical SEO problems – Technical issues like broken links, slow page speed, or improper use of canonical tags can stop search engines from properly crawling and understanding your site. Even with great content, poor technical SEO can block or limit your visibility in Google search results.
• Lack of content or backlinks – Search engines rely on useful, relevant content to determine what your website is about, alongside backlinks to assess your authority. If your site lacks both, it’s unlikely to rank well, as Google won’t see it as valuable or trustworthy compared to competitors.