Website for a side business: what you really need

A side business usually needs one good page, not a full website: what you offer, who it is for, when you are available, a few photos, and a way to get in touch. Put it on a short domain of your own, keep it cheap and quick to update, and resist adding anything that needs regular attention. You can grow it into a bigger site if the side business grows into a main one.

Why "less" is the right goal

When the business runs on evenings and weekends, the site has to fit the same hours. Every page you add is a page that can go out of date. A blog you start in March and abandon in May looks worse than no blog. The aim is a site that is accurate for months without you touching it.

That also keeps costs in proportion. A side business might bring in a modest amount each month; it should not spend a big share of that on website plans, apps and add-ons.

The one page that works

Picture a single page that scrolls. From top to bottom:

A headline that says what you offer and where. "Custom cakes for birthdays and weddings in Lancaster County." "Weekend handyman repairs in north Raleigh."
A short paragraph about you. Who you are, how you got into this, and the fact that it is a side business if that matters to customers. Many customers like knowing they are dealing with one careful person.
What you offer, as a short list, with prices or "from" prices if you can give them.
Photos of your work. Six good ones are better than thirty mixed ones.
When you are available. "I take orders two weeks ahead and deliver Saturdays." "Evenings after 6 and weekends."
How to reach you. A form, an email address, and a phone or text number if you want calls.

That is a complete website. Add a second page only when you have something that does not fit, such as a full price list or a gallery of past wedding cakes.

What to spend on, and what to skip

Worth paying for:

Your own domain name. It is a small yearly cost, it looks serious, and it stays yours when you change anything else. Do you need your own domain? explains why it beats a free address.
An email on that domain, or at least a separate free mailbox used only for the business, so orders do not get lost among personal mail.

Usually not worth it yet:

Paid apps for bookings, chat, popups or newsletters.
A multi-page site with a page for every service.
An online store, unless you really ship products. A "buy" or "order" button linked to a PayPal or Stripe payment page can do the job for simple orders; adding a PayPal or Stripe button shows how.
Professional photos. Good daylight phone photos are enough to start.
Paying for advertising before the page itself is clear.

Keep your day job and your side business apart

A few things are worth separating from the start:

Phone number. A second number for the business, such as a free internet calling number or a cheap second line, keeps customers off your personal phone during work hours. You choose when to answer.
Email. Use a business address, not your work email and not your personal one.
Home address. If customers do not come to you, do not publish it. List the towns you cover instead.
Time on the site. Avoid working on the side business from your employer's computer or during work hours. Some employment agreements also say things about outside work; read yours, and ask an attorney if anything is unclear.

Taxes and permits for side income vary by state and town. An accountant can tell you what applies to you; the website does not need to mention it.

Set expectations so customers are not disappointed

Side businesses lose goodwill when customers expect a quick answer and get one two days later. Say how it works, plainly, near the contact form:

"I reply to messages each evening."
"Orders need at least ten days' notice."
"I work weekends only, so quotes are scheduled for Saturday mornings."

People are surprisingly happy to wait when they know the wait in advance.

Make it easy to change from your phone

Your availability will change: busy seasons, holidays, a new menu of cakes. Pick a setup where you can edit text and swap a photo from your phone in a few minutes. If changing your availability means waiting for someone else, the page will be wrong exactly when it matters.

A "temporarily not taking new orders" line you can switch on and off is particularly useful for a side business.

When to grow beyond one page

Move to a fuller site when:

you have more than one clearly separate service that each needs explaining,
customers keep asking the same questions the page does not answer,
the side business is about to become your main income.

At that point, plan a proper few-page site. Your first business website: a step-by-step plan walks through it in order.

This weekend

Write your one-sentence headline: what you offer and where.
Pick your six best photos.
Write down your availability and lead time.
Register a short domain in your own name.
Decide how customers should reach you, and set up a business email or number for it.

If you would rather not build even the one page yourself, you can see a first website for your business put together from those details, and change it when the business changes.