Guide

What makes a good local business website?

You don't need anything fancy. Open your site on your phone and your computer and check these ten things. If you can tick most of them, you're in good shape.

The checklist

• It loads quickly on a phone. If it takes more than a few seconds on mobile data, people give up.
• Opening hours are easy to find, ideally near the top, and they're correct.
• Your address and a map are on the site, so people can find you.
• There's one clear next step, such as Book, Order, Call or Get directions, that's always easy to tap.
• Prices or a menu are on the page, not hidden in a PDF that's hard to read on a phone.
• The text is big enough to read without pinching and zooming.
• Photos look like your business: your food, your shop, your work.
• It says what you do and where, in plain words, such as "Barbers in Hull" rather than just your name.
• It's up to date: no old offers, last year's Christmas hours or closed phone numbers.
• You can get changes made easily when your prices or hours change.

The most common problems

The things I see most often are slow pages, menus in PDFs, phone numbers that can't be tapped, and opening hours that are out of date. All of them are quick to fix, and they make a real difference to whether someone visits.