You're getting a website built, or rewriting the one you've got, and someone's asked what you want on it. It's a fair question that's hard to answer from scratch. Most service businesses need the same handful of things, and plenty of what ends up on small business sites does nothing.
Here's what I'd put on yours, page by page.
The first screen
Someone landing on your home page should know three things before they scroll: what you do, where you do it, and how to get in touch. "Electrician in Geelong and the Surf Coast" with a phone number beats a clever slogan every time.
On a phone, that first screen is small. Keep the heading short, put a button to call or book right under it, and make the phone number tappable.
A page for each service
This is the one most sites skip. If you do bathroom renovations, leak repairs and hot water systems, each one gets its own page.
People search for the job, not your business. Google's SEO starter guide suggests thinking about the words someone would search for to find your content, and giving every page a title that's unique and describes what's on it. One "Services" page with a list of ten things can't match ten different searches.
A good service page covers:
- what the job involves, in plain words
- who it's for and the problems it fixes
- the towns you cover
- photos of real work, if you've got them
- a few common questions, answered properly
- one clear way to get in touch
Where you work
List the towns and suburbs you cover, in words, on the pages where they matter. A map image on its own doesn't tell Google anything. If you're a service-area business working from home, you don't need to publish your address. A list of the areas you travel to does the job.
Proof that you're real
People want to see that someone like them has used you and been happy. Your Google reviews are the strongest proof you've got, so link to them or show a few on the site.
Keep it honest. The ACCC's guide to managing online reviews says businesses can't post fake reviews, hide genuine negative ones, or edit reviews after they're written. Use real reviews from real customers, word for word.
Licence numbers, memberships and certifications belong here too. A sparky's licence number on the page settles a question before anyone has to ask it.
A contact page that works
Phone, email, a short form and your hours. Keep the form short: name, phone or email, and what they need. Every extra field is a reason to give up.
Test it after launch and again every few months. A form that quietly stops sending is one of the most common problems I find on small business sites.
What you can leave out
- A blog you won't keep up. An empty one with two posts from 2021 looks worse than none.
- A long "About us" history. A short paragraph about who you are and why you do the work is plenty.
- Stock photos of people shaking hands. Real photos of your work or your team, even phone photos, beat them.
- Pop-ups and chat widgets on a small site. They get in the way on a phone.
What I'd do this week
Write down every service you want more of, and the towns you want it from. That list is the start of your page plan, and it's the first thing anyone building your site should ask for. The Australian Government's guide to business websites is a useful checklist alongside it. If you want help turning the list into a site, that's what our web design work covers, and our guide on what goes into the price of a website shows how the list affects a quote.