Whether you're planning a new site or wondering why your current one isn't bringing in leads, run through this checklist. Most sites we audit are missing at least three of these.
Nico Plyley4 min read
A good small business website doesn't have to be complicated. It has to do a few things very well: tell people what you do, convince them you're the right choice, and make it easy to reach you. Everything on this list supports one of those three jobs.
Grab your phone, pull up your website, and check off each item as you go.
Within about five seconds, a visitor should know what you offer and that you serve their area. "Welcome to our website" fails this test. "Residential AC Repair in Mesa and Gilbert" passes it. Your main headline is also one of the strongest signals Google reads, so make it count.
Every page should make it obvious how to get in touch, but what that looks like depends on how you like to work. A plumber or HVAC company usually wants the phone ringing, so a tappable phone number in the header makes sense. A consultant, photographer, or designer may get better leads from a quote form or booking link, where customers share the details up front and you can reply on your own schedule.
Pick the one or two actions you actually want, like "Call Now," "Get a Free Quote," or "Book an Appointment." Put the main one in the header and repeat it down the page. If you do list your phone number, make it tappable on mobile. Visitors shouldn't have to hunt for how to hire you.
Most local searches happen on a phone. Check that text is readable without zooming, buttons are easy to tap, and nothing runs off the side of the screen. If your site was designed on a desktop and "shrunk" for mobile, it shows.
Aim for your main content to appear in under 2.5 seconds on mobile. Test it with Google PageSpeed Insights. If you're well over that, our guide on why websites get slow walks through the usual causes.
Stock photos of smiling people in headsets are everywhere, and visitors tune them out. Photos of your actual team, your shop, your vehicles, and your finished work tell people you're real and local.
Show a few of your best reviews right on the homepage, with the customer's name and city if they're comfortable sharing it. Link to your Google reviews so visitors can see the full picture. If your Google profile isn't fully set up yet, start with our Google Business Profile guide.
People like hiring people. A short story about who you are, why you started, and how long you've served the Valley does a lot of quiet selling. Include a photo of the owner or team.
A gallery, portfolio, case studies, or before-and-after photos. Proof beats promises.
If you offer drain cleaning, water heater repair, and repiping, each one deserves its own page. A single "Services" page with a bulleted list can't rank for three different searches. Separate pages can.
If you serve several cities, a page for each one, with genuinely local content and not just the city name swapped out, helps you show up in those searches. It's the approach we use for our own Scottsdale, Queen Creek, and Surprise pages.
These happen behind the scenes, but they matter:
Keep it short: name, phone or email, and a message. Then test it. You'd be surprised how many sites have a form that's been silently failing for months. Send yourself a test every few months, and make sure submissions don't land in spam.
If you'd like a second set of eyes, we build sites for small businesses all over the Valley, and every one of these items is part of our standard process. See what's included on our services page or tell us about your business.
Missing a few of these?
Tell us about your site and we'll let you know which fixes will make the biggest difference.
Get an Honest OpinionNico Plyley
Lead Developer
Nico Plyley is the co-founder of Phoenix Tech Lab, where he builds fast, modern websites and helps local businesses get found online through smart SEO and digital strategy. A self-taught developer who started coding at age 10, Nico brings more than a decade of hands-on experience turning ideas into clean, practical web solutions, with a focus on sites that are easy for clients to manage and built to grow. Based in Phoenix, he's passionate about helping small businesses compete online without the jargon or the runaround. When he's not writing code, you'll find him logging hours as a student pilot or working with reptiles, a lifelong interest rooted in his background in herpetology and zoology.
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We build fast, custom websites for Valley businesses with every item on this list built in.
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