Step 1: Get a domain in your name
Your domain is your web address (yourbusiness.com). Buy it from a registrar like GoDaddy, Namecheap or Squarespace Domains, and make sure it's registered to you, not to a designer. Short, easy to say, and ideally your business name.
Step 2: Pick how you'll build it
| Option | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Website builder (Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy) | Owners with time who want to do it themselves | Your time, generic templates, SEO you have to learn yourself |
| WordPress | Flexible sites, lots of plugins | Updates, security and plugins to maintain |
| Hire a designer or agency | Owners who'd rather spend their time on paying work | Unclear pricing, long contracts, not owning your domain |
Step 3: Plan your pages
- Home: what you do, where, and how to contact you, all on the first screen.
- A page for each main service: this is where most of your Google traffic will come from.
- Service area: the towns you cover, or a page per main town.
- About: who you are, how long you've been in business, licenses and insurance.
- Reviews and photos of your work.
- Contact: phone, form, hours and service area.
Step 4: Use real photos
Photos of your actual work, crew and trucks build trust far better than stock images. Phone photos are fine if they're well-lit and in focus.
Step 5: Make it work on phones and load fast
Test it on your own phone. Is the phone number tappable? Can you read everything without zooming? Does it load quickly on cell data? Large images are the most common cause of slow sites; resize them before uploading.
Step 6: Cover the SEO basics
- A unique page title and description for each page, with the service and town
- One clear main heading per page
- Your business name, address and phone in the footer, matching your Google profile
- Link your Google Business Profile to the site
- Submit your site to Google Search Console
If you'd rather not do it yourself
We build websites for local service businesses, usually live in about two weeks, as part of a flat monthly plan that includes SEO. See our website design service.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a website for my business for free?+
Builders like Wix and Google Sites offer free plans, but they usually show the builder's branding and don't include a custom domain. A domain alone typically costs about $10 to $20 a year.
What pages should a small business website have?+
At minimum: home, a page for each main service, service area, about, reviews or past work, and contact.
Should I build my own website or hire someone?+
If you have time and enjoy it, a builder works. If your time is better spent on paying jobs, or you want it to rank on Google, hiring someone who does SEO is usually worth it.