Website guides

40 articles

• How to choose a domain name for a small business

  Choose a domain that closely matches your business name and is easy to say, spell, and remember. Prefer a simple address over a string of services and towns. Check for confusingly similar businesses, review renewal terms, and make sure the registration and account remain under your control rather than a designer’s personal account.

• Who owns your domain name, and why it matters

  Your business should be the domain registrant and have reliable control over the account that manages the registration. A web designer can handle the technical work without holding the domain in their own name. Check the registrant details, account access, recovery email, and renewal arrangements before you need to move the website.

• How to move a domain to a new provider

  To move a domain to a new registrar, confirm access and transfer eligibility, protect the existing website and email settings, unlock the domain, and use its authorization code at the new provider. A domain transfer does not move website files or mailboxes. Keep old services active until you have verified the transfer and every service that depends on the domain.

• What website hosting is, in plain English

  Website hosting is the service that keeps your website available online and delivers its pages when someone visits. Your domain is the address people use to find it, while a website builder is a tool for creating and editing it. A small business needs a reliable arrangement and clear support responsibilities, not necessarily a complicated hosting plan.

• What SSL is and why your site needs the padlock

  SSL is the familiar name for the certificate setup that enables an encrypted HTTPS connection to your website; modern connections use TLS. Your site needs working HTTPS, although browsers do not all display a padlock. Ask your provider to include certificate setup and renewal, and treat browser security warnings as problems to investigate promptly.

• Why your small business website should be built for phones first

  Your small business website should be built for phones first because a customer may need to check your services, find your hours, or call while away from a computer. Start with readable text, clear service areas, easy call buttons, and short forms. Then check those tasks on a real phone before approving the site.

• How fast should a small business website load?

  Aim for the main visible content to load within 2.5 seconds, the good threshold for Google's Largest Contentful Paint measure. That is not a promise that every page element finishes loading then. Your business details, phone link, and booking route should also respond promptly and stay steady while customers use the page on a phone.

• Click-to-call: making your phone number work on every page

  Click-to-call turns your website phone number into a link that opens a calling option on a supported device. Put it where customers decide to contact you, show the readable number, and test the destination on real phones. Keep your hours clear and remember that a recorded click does not prove someone completed a call or booked work.

• Contact forms that actually get filled out

  A useful contact form asks only for the details needed to reply and decide the next step. Keep labels clear, make optional fields truly optional, explain what happens after submission, and provide a phone alternative. Test the whole route through to the receiving inbox, including errors, spam filtering, and staff follow-up.

• How to write an About page for a local business

  Write your About page around the questions a customer has before contacting you: who runs the business, what work you do, where you work, and what hiring you feels like. Add a real photo, a few checkable details, and a clear next step. Keep your history brief and relevant.

• Should you put prices on your website?

  Yes, put prices on your website when you can explain what the customer gets for that amount. Use fixed prices for clearly defined work, realistic ranges for variable jobs, and an estimate process for work that needs inspection. State the limits beside the price so customers do not mistake a starting rate for a complete quote.

• How to take photos for your business website with a phone

  You can take useful business website photos with a phone by cleaning the lens, using steady natural light, and showing real people and finished work. Plan the shots around questions customers ask, keep before-and-after views consistent, and get permission before sharing customer property or faces. Save the originals and check how each photo looks on your website.

• Service area pages: when they help and when they hurt

  Service area pages help when each page answers a real customer's questions about getting your service in that town. They hurt when you copy the same page, swap the town name, and imply local offices or availability you do not have. Start with one clear coverage page, then add town pages only when you have useful local details.

• NAP consistency: why your name, address, and phone must match everywhere

  NAP consistency means using accurate, recognizable business name, address, and phone information wherever customers find you. Start with your website and major listings, then correct old numbers, former locations, and duplicate entries. Matching the underlying facts matters more than identical punctuation, and consistency does not mean publishing a private home address.

• Local business schema markup, explained simply

  Local business schema markup is a set of labels in your website that helps search engines understand your business details. It can describe your name, phone number, location, and opening hours. Start with accurate information customers can also read on the page, then have your website provider add and test the matching markup.

• How to set up Google Search Console for a small business

  Set up Google Search Console with a Google account your business controls, add your website, and verify ownership. Submit your sitemap, inspect your main pages, and review search performance over time. The tool helps you understand how your website appears in Google Search, but verification alone does not improve rankings or guarantee customers.

• How to tell if your website is getting you customers

  To tell whether your website brings customers, connect website inquiries with the jobs you actually book. Keep a simple record of calls and forms, ask new customers how they found you, and use Search Console to see which searches bring visits. Count suitable inquiries and completed work separately, because a visit or phone button tap is not a sale.

• Bing Places and Apple Business Connect: the listings most businesses skip

  Bing and Apple listings deserve a check because customers can find business details outside Google. Search for your business, claim the existing listing where eligible, and verify the phone, website, hours, and location. Apple Business Connect's tools now live in Apple Business; a service business account does not automatically mean eligibility for a Maps location.

• Yelp, Nextdoor, and Angi: which listings are worth your time

  Start with the listings your customers already use to find your kind of work. Yelp deserves a look for local services and storefronts, Nextdoor for neighborhood recommendations, and Angi for home projects. Keep your business details accurate before considering paid promotion, then judge spending by suitable jobs won rather than views or inquiries alone.

• How to reply to a bad review

  Reply to a bad review by acknowledging the concern, checking what happened, and offering a clear way to talk privately. Keep the response short, factual, and free of customer details. If the review breaks the platform's rules, report it, but do not assume a complaint will be removed because you disagree.

• Blogging for local businesses: does it still work?

  Blogging can still help a local business when a post answers a real customer's question and connects naturally to a service you provide. It is less useful when you publish generic tips just to fill a calendar. Fix your core service pages first, then write practical articles you can use in customer conversations and judge by relevant inquiries.

• How to write a service page that ranks and converts

  A useful service page explains one service, where you provide it, what the job involves, and how to request help. Add real evidence, clear pricing guidance, and answers to the questions customers ask before booking. Use natural search terms, but write for the person deciding whether to call you.

• Website accessibility basics for small businesses

  Website accessibility means people with disabilities can read your information and use your website. Start by checking readable text, clear contrast, useful image descriptions, labeled forms, and keyboard access. Test the steps customers actually take, such as finding a service and requesting an estimate, then fix anything that blocks them.

• Does a small business website need a privacy policy?

  If your website collects customer information, plan to explain that collection in a clear privacy policy and check which requirements apply to your business. Forms, booking tools, and tracking services all belong in that review. Ask a qualified lawyer about your situation, since your location, customers, and website features can affect the answer.

• How to get your business on Google Maps

  To get your business on Google Maps, find and claim its existing Google Business Profile or create one if none exists, then complete Google's verification process. Use your real business details and choose the right setup for a storefront or a business that visits customers. Verification lets you manage the profile; it does not guarantee a particular ranking.

• What to do when your Google Business Profile gets suspended

  If your Google Business Profile is suspended, review the stated policy issue before appealing. Correct inaccurate or ineligible information, gather documents that support the real business, and use Google's official appeals process. Keep your existing profile, record what you submit, and avoid anyone promising guaranteed reinstatement or a fixed recovery date.

• Keywords for local businesses: how customers actually search

  Local business keywords are the words customers use to find a service, describe a problem, or check whether a business serves their area. Start with your actual services, the towns you cover, and questions from real inquiries. Use those words in helpful pages instead of repeating a phrase or building a page for every variation.

• How often should you update your business website?

  Update your business website whenever a customer-facing fact changes, especially your hours, prices, services, contact details, or availability. A monthly check is a useful routine for catching mistakes, with a deeper review before busy seasons. You do not need to rewrite good pages just to make the website look active.

• Website builders vs done-for-you websites

  A website builder fits if you want to make your own changes and can set aside time to write, arrange, and check the pages. A done-for-you website fits if you would rather hand off that work. Compare the ongoing responsibilities and written terms, as well as the price, before choosing either approach.

• What a website redesign should cost and when you need one

  A website redesign should cost what it takes to solve a clear business problem, with the work and ongoing costs spelled out before you agree. Typical custom freelancer projects often cost a few thousand dollars, but a basic replacement can cost much less. Fix broken contact details or weak service descriptions before assuming you need a full rebuild.

• How to write website text when you're not a writer

  Write your website text the way you explain your work to a new customer. Say what you do, where you work, what the customer can expect, and how to contact you. Start with notes from real conversations, organize them by page, and replace broad claims with details you can honestly support.

• Emergency service businesses: how to show you're open now

  Show emergency availability by stating your actual service hours, the urgent jobs you handle, and the areas you cover beside an easy-to-use phone number. Keep your website and business listings consistent. Only claim round-the-clock service if you provide it, and explain whether an after-hours call reaches dispatch, an on-call technician, or voicemail.

• How to add a Google Map to your website the right way

  Add a Google Map by sharing the correct business listing and placing either its link or its embed on your contact page. Keep your address and directions in ordinary text beside it. Use a simple link when a map adds little value or slows the page, and never expose a private home address just to display a pin.

• What to put in your website footer

  Put your business name, main phone number, honest hours, service area or customer-facing address, and useful navigation in your website footer. Add links to relevant policies and a clear contact option. Keep it readable on a phone, and make sure its details agree with your contact page and business listings.

• Seasonal marketing for local service businesses

  Seasonal marketing means updating your website and business listings before customers need a particular service. Start with your own booking history, local conditions, and available crew time. Promote work you can deliver, explain the booking window, and keep hours and offers current so the information matches what happens when someone contacts you.

• How to get customers to leave reviews on Google without being pushy

  Ask customers for an honest Google review after they have experienced your service, and give them a direct review link or QR code. Make the request optional and let them choose their own words and rating. Use a consistent process without filtering for happy customers, offering rewards, or chasing people who do not respond.

• What makes a local business website trustworthy

  A trustworthy local business website makes it easy to check who you are, what you do, where you work, and what happens when someone contacts you. Use real photos, accurate credentials, genuine customer feedback, and clear pricing information where possible. Keep your promises modest and specific, then make sure your phone number, forms, and business details work as expected.

• How to handle leads from your website fast

  Send website inquiries to a place someone checks, assign a person to respond, and set an honest response expectation. Use an automatic receipt to confirm delivery, then follow with a useful personal reply. Keep a simple record of each inquiry, its next action, and who is responsible for following up.

• Should your business use a .com?

  A .com is a sensible first choice for a US local business when the name is clear, available, and affordable. It is not a requirement for a useful website or good search visibility. If the right .com is unavailable, compare a simple name variation with a clear alternative ending, and test both with real people.

• How to switch website providers without losing Google rankings

  Keep your existing domain, page addresses, and useful content wherever possible when switching website providers. Map any changed addresses to relevant replacement pages with permanent redirects, test the new site before launch, and monitor Search Console afterward. These steps reduce avoidable problems, but no provider can promise that rankings will stay unchanged during a move.