The small business website checklist: 47 things to get right
The short version
47 items, grouped into 9 sections: homepage (7), services (5), about (5), contact (5), SEO (6), AEO (5), accessibility (5), performance (5), legal (4). Some are about what the visitor sees, some are about what\'s in the code, some are about what\'s in the legal footer. Skip any of them and you\'re leaving conversions, rankings, or compliance on the table.
The order matters too. Start with the visitor-facing content (items 1-22), add the SEO basics before launch (items 23-28), layer on AEO + accessibility + performance once the site is live (items 29-43), and add the legal pages before any paid traffic (items 44-47). The 5-step order of operations is below.
The 9 sections at a glance
Each section has between 4 and 7 items. Total: 47. Click any section name to jump to the full list.
| Section | Items | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Homepage | 7 | What the visitor sees in the first 5 seconds |
| Services / Products | 5 | Detail pages, process, proof |
| About | 5 | Real photos, story, credentials |
| Contact | 5 | Form, phone, email, address, response time |
| SEO | 6 | Title, meta, sitemap, robots, structured data |
| AEO | 5 | llms.txt, FAQPage, HowTo, Article |
| Accessibility | 5 | Lighthouse 100, contrast, keyboard, alt text |
| Performance | 5 | LCP, page weight, no render-blocking JS |
| Legal | 4 | Privacy, terms, cookies, accessibility statement |
| Total | 47 | Visitor-facing + code + legal |
The 47 items
The full list, grouped by section. Each item is a one-line description that a small business owner can act on without developer help. Items 23-47 (the SEO, AEO, accessibility, performance, and legal sections) are mostly invisible to the visitor but matter for rankings, AI citations, compliance, and conversion rates.
Section 1 — Homepage (7 items, #1-7)
The homepage has 5 seconds to communicate who you are, what you do, and why the visitor should care. These 7 items are the floor.
#1
Clear value proposition above the fold. One sentence: what you do + for whom + why you're different. If the visitor has to scroll to figure out what the business does, the page has failed.
#2
Primary CTA visible without scrolling. One button, one action. "Get a quote", "Book a consult", "Start your project" — whatever the main conversion is. Not 3 CTAs competing for attention.
#3
Hero image or video that shows your actual work. Not stock photography. A real photo of your team, your shop, your work in progress. Visitors can tell the difference.
#4
Trust signals above the fold or one scroll down. Years in business, customer count, certifications, "licensed + insured", BBB rating, industry awards. Real numbers, not vague claims.
#5
Service overview with 3-5 main offerings. Not your full menu — your 3-5 main services, with one line each + a link to the detail page. Scannable in 10 seconds.
#6
Social proof: testimonials, logos, reviews. At least 3 testimonials with real names + companies, or 3-5 client logos (if you have permission), or a "4.8/5 on Google" badge with a link. Pick one — multiple formats compete and dilute.
#7
Mobile-first layout. 60%+ of your traffic is on a phone. Design for the phone first, then expand to tablet + desktop. Lighthouse mobile 90+ is the minimum.
Section 2 — Services / Products (5 items, #8-12)
Your services page (or product page) is where commercial intent converts. These 5 items turn a generic "we do stuff" page into a real sales surface.
#8
Each service has its own page (or section). Don't lump 5 services into one paragraph. Each one deserves a dedicated page that can rank for its own commercial query.
#9
Service description: what it is, who it's for, what it costs. The 3 essentials. Skip the "we pride ourselves on quality" filler — visitors want facts.
#10
Process / how it works (3-5 steps with visual). "Step 1: discovery call. Step 2: proposal. Step 3: kickoff." The visitor wants to know what they're signing up for. HowTo schema is the AEO gold for this section.
#11
FAQ specific to each service. 3-5 questions per service, the ones your customers actually ask. Not invented Q&A for SEO — real Q&A from your inbox. FAQPage schema surfaces this for AI citation.
#12
Before/after examples or case studies. A photo pair, a project walkthrough, a "we did X for client Y" with numbers. Proof that the service delivers.
Section 3 — About (5 items, #13-17)
The about page is where trust gets built (or lost). These 5 items make it real instead of generic.
#13
Real photo of the owner or team. Not stock photography. A real photo of you, in your space, doing your work. Visitors can tell the difference.
#14
Origin story (1 paragraph, why you started). Not a 5-paragraph autobiography. One paragraph on why you do this. People buy from people they understand.
#15
Credentials, certifications, training. Real ones. If you have a master's, a license, a board certification, an apprenticeship — list it. Visitors Google these before booking.
#16
Service area (if local) or coverage (if remote). "Serving Ocala, Belleview, and the greater Marion County area" or "Remote-first, working with clients in 12 states." Specificity builds trust.
#17
Community involvement / values (if real). Chamber of commerce, local nonprofit board, trade association, volunteer work. Skip if it's not real — fake values read as fake values.
Section 4 — Contact (5 items, #18-22)
The contact section is where the conversion happens. These 5 items make it as easy as possible to reach you.
#18
Contact form with 3-4 fields. Name, email, message. Phone optional. More than 4 fields and the abandonment rate climbs; fewer than 3 and you get low-quality leads.
#19
Phone number visible on every page. In the header or footer, on every page. Not buried in the contact section. Local service businesses especially — phone calls are the primary conversion.
#20
Email address visible. As a mailto: link, not just a form. Some prospects prefer email. The canonical on-site email per the studio's contact line.
#21
Physical address (if applicable) or service area. Required for local SEO. A Google Maps embed is the strongest version — it ties the site to a verified location.
#22
Response time stated. "We reply within 1 business day" or "Same-day responses during business hours." Sets expectations and reduces "did they get my message?" follow-ups.
Section 5 — SEO (6 items, #23-28)
SEO is the foundation of organic search visibility. These 6 items are the minimum viable SEO setup. Skip any of them and you're leaving rankings on the table.
#23
Unique <title> tag per page. 60 characters max. The page topic first, brand last. Same