Small business website checklist: what every site needs

Nov 9, 2026 · Taylor

This small business website checklist covers what to include. A small business website doesn't need to be big. For most sole traders and local businesses, one to five pages is plenty. What matters is that the right things are on it, and that they're correct.

Use this checklist for a new site or to check an existing one. It's built so you can print it and tick it off, or just read down the list on your phone. For each item there's a short reason why it matters.

Business.gov.au, the Australian Government's small business site, says the pages on your website will depend on your business needs, and tells owners to put the most important information first. It suggests pages like "about us", contact details or a contact form, descriptions of your services, customer reviews and testimonials, and frequently asked questions. This checklist turns that into things you can actually tick.

The checklist

• What you do and where. Say it in the first line, in plain words: "Plumber in Parramatta" or "Hair salon in Newtown". Visitors decide in seconds whether they're in the right place.
• A tap-to-call button and contact details. Your phone number should be tappable on a phone, with your email and address nearby. Business.gov.au lists contact details or a contact form among the pages a business website might include.
• Opening hours. Include public holidays if they differ. Wrong hours are one of the quickest ways to annoy a customer before they've met you.
• Prices, or "from" prices. You don't have to list everything. A "from" price helps people know whether you're in their range, and saves you answering the same question again and again.
• Photos of the real business. Your own shopfront, work and team beat stock photos, because people want to see who they're dealing with. Photos taken on a phone are fine if they're sharp and well lit.
• A map or your service area. Customers need to know whether you're near them or cover their suburb. If you travel to customers, list the suburbs or region.
• A way to book or enquire. A simple contact form, a "book now" link or a clear "call us" is enough. Make the next step obvious, and tell people when to expect a reply.
• Works on phones. Business.gov.au says mobile devices are responsible for over half of the world's internet traffic, and tells owners to design their website to work on mobiles as well as desktop computers. Google says it uses the mobile version of a site's content for indexing and ranking. Test yours on your own phone.
• The secure padlock. The padlock in the browser means the connection to your site is private. Chrome's help page says a site without a private connection shows a "Not secure" symbol, and that the site owner must secure it with HTTPS. Web.dev's guidance is to protect all your websites with HTTPS, even if they don't handle sensitive information.
• Your own web address. An address like yourbusiness.com.au looks established and is yours to keep if you change providers. Business.gov.au says you can register one through a registrar listed on the .auDA website. Need one? We suggest Hover, which sells .com.au addresses too. Any seller works.
• Up to date. Check the hours, prices, address, phone number and photos regularly. An out-of-date site can be worse than no site, because it sends customers to the wrong place. Pick a date, such as the first of each quarter, and check.

How do I use the checklist?

Open your website on your phone and go down the list. Be honest: if you have to hunt for something, a customer will too.

• All ticked: nice work. Put a reminder in your calendar to check again in a few months.
• A few missing: fix the missing items first. Hours, phone and prices usually matter most.
• Lots missing: it may be easier to start fresh than to patch the old site.

What pages does a small business website need?

For most small businesses, five pages or fewer is enough:

1. Home: what you do, where, and a button to call or book.
2. Services and prices: what you offer, with "from" prices.
3. About: who you are, with a real photo.
4. Contact: phone, email, address, map or service area, hours.
5. FAQ (optional): the questions you answer every week.

Business.gov.au says to put the most important information first, so whoever lands on your home page should see what you do, where, and how to reach you without hunting around.

What mistakes should I avoid?

• Hiding your phone number. If the only way to reach you is a form, some customers will give up. Put your number where people can see it and tap it.
• Huge photos. Large photos can make a page slow. Google's web.dev guidance says the main content should appear within 2.5 seconds of the page starting to load, so resize photos before you upload them.
• "Coming soon" pages. A simple finished page beats an unfinished big one. Launch the basics, then add to it.
• Forgetting the site after launch. Hours, prices and photos change. Put a reminder in your calendar.

Nice extras, if you have time

You don't need these on day one:

• Customer reviews and testimonials. Business.gov.au lists these as an option. Only use real ones from real customers, with permission.
• Frequently asked questions. Answer the three questions you hear every week.
• An about page. A short story about you and why you do it.
• Terms and conditions. Business.gov.au lists these too, especially if you sell online.

Where to go from here

If you want to build it yourself, our list of the 10 best free website builders for Australian small businesses compares the main options, with prices and sources.

If you'd rather have it done for you, that's what we do. Yes Boss Websites is our own service, so we're not neutral: you describe your business in a sentence, we build and write the site, and you see it before you pay. It's A$9 a month or A$89 a year with no setup fee, hosting, a free web address and up to two changes a month included.

Frequently asked questions

What should a small business website include?

The checklist above: what you do and where, tap-to-call and contact details, opening hours, prices or "from" prices, photos of the real business, a map or service area, a way to book or enquire, a site that works on phones, the secure padlock, your own web address, and up-to-date details.

How many pages does a small business website need?

For most small businesses, five pages or fewer is enough: Home, Services and prices, About, Contact, and optionally FAQ.

How often should I check my website?

Hours, prices and photos change, so put a reminder in your calendar. Pick a date, such as the first of each quarter, and check.

Does my small business website need the padlock?

Chrome's help page says a site without a private connection shows a "Not secure" symbol, and that the site owner must secure it with HTTPS. Web.dev's guidance is to protect all your websites with HTTPS, even if they don't handle sensitive information.

Sources

Facts quoted from the pages below, checked 9 November 2026.

• Set up a business website, business.gov.au
• Register a domain name, business.gov.au
• Mobile-first indexing best practices, Google Search Central
• Check if a site's connection is secure, Chrome Help
• Why HTTPS matters, web.dev
• Web Vitals, web.dev
• Yes Boss Websites pricing (our own site)