What to put on a website for a new business

A brand-new business needs a small, finished website more than a big, perfect one. Four or five pages cover it: a home page that says what you do and where, a services page, a short about section, a contact page with a tappable phone number, and a few photos. Get that live in your first weeks, then add to it as real jobs, photos and questions come in. Waiting until everything is ready usually means waiting a year.

Why launch small and early

When you open, people who hear about you will look you up: from a flyer, a referral, a sign on your truck, your Google Business Profile. If they find nothing, or a page that says "coming soon", some will move on. A simple site that answers their basic questions is far better than no site.

Launching small also means you do not guess. You will learn quickly what customers ask, which services they want, and which towns they call from. The site you write after three months will be better than anything you could plan on day one.

The pages a new business needs

1. Home page

The page most people see first, and often the only one. It needs:

A heading that says what you do and where. "Lawn mowing and yard cleanups in Medina, Ohio." Not your slogan.
One or two sentences expanding on that: who it is for and one concrete detail.
Your phone number, tappable, near the top.
A button to contact you or request a quote.
Your main services, as a short list with links.
A photo: you, your work, your shop or your truck.
Your service area or address and your hours.

What to put on your small business home page goes into each of these in more depth.

2. Services

One page listing what you offer, with a few lines on each. If you have one or two main services, give each a short section. If you have many, group them. You can split them into separate pages later, once you know which ones bring the most calls.

Say what is included, roughly what affects price, and who each service is for. If you are not ready to list prices, say how you quote: "Free estimates by phone or after a short visit."

3. About

For a new business, this can be a section on the home page instead of its own page. A photo of you, your name, a few lines on your background in the trade, and why you started. Customers of a new business are hiring you personally.

4. Contact

Your phone number, email, a short form (name, phone or email, what they need), your hours and your service area or address with a map link. Tell people how fast you reply.

5. Photos of your work

A small gallery or a few photos on the services page. If you have no photos from your own business yet, use photos from your previous work if you have permission, labeled honestly, or show your tools, vehicle and workspace. Then photograph every job from now on.

That is a complete first website. Five pages, or even a well-organized single page with those five sections, is enough for a new business. Redesigning a one-page website: is one page enough discusses when a single page works.

What can wait

These are useful later, but not needed to open:

A blog. Wait until you know what customers ask.
A reviews page. Wait until you have reviews worth showing. Do not post an empty one.
Town pages. Wait until you have worked in those towns.
Online booking. Useful for salons, trainers and studios; others can start with a phone number and a form.
A newsletter signup. Only if you will send one.
Careers page. When you start hiring.
Fancy features: animations, video backgrounds, chat widgets. They rarely help a new business.

What you need before you start

Gather these, and most of the site writes itself:

Your business name exactly as registered, and your logo if you have one.
The phone number and email you will use for the business.
Your service area or address, and your hours.
A list of services and what each includes.
A few photos.
Your license and insurance details, if your trade needs them.
A sentence or two about you.

Website content checklist: everything to gather before you start has the full list, with notes on what to collect for each.

Your domain and email

You can start with a free web address from your website provider and add your own domain later. If you can, get your own domain early, so you can put it on your truck, cards and signs from the start and have a business email address that matches. How to choose a domain name for your business helps you pick one.

Setting up Google at the same time

A new business should set up its Google Business Profile in the same week as the website. The profile is what shows up in Google Maps and in local search results, and it should link to your website. Make sure your business name, phone number and address or service area match exactly on both. You can start at business.google.com. Google usually needs to verify your business, which can take some time, so start early.

Mistakes new businesses make with their first website

Waiting for a logo, the perfect photos or a professional writer. Launch with what you have.
Copying a big competitor's site with dozens of pages. You do not need them yet.
Using a personal email or phone that you will not keep. Changing them later means updating every listing.
Stock photos of people who are not you. Customers can tell, and it undercuts trust.
Claims you cannot back up yet: "trusted by hundreds", "years of experience" when the business opened last month.
Leaving "Lorem ipsum" or template text in a corner of the site. Read every page before you launch.

What to do this week

Write your one-line heading: what you do, where.
List your services with two or three lines each.
Take a clear photo of yourself and a few of your work, tools or vehicle.
Decide on the phone number and email you will keep for the long run.
Set up your Google Business Profile.
Get the five pages live, then add one improvement a month.

If you would rather not build it yourself, you can see a first website for your business made from your business name and town, then change anything you like before you decide.