Small Business Website Checklist: 30 Things to Check

Most small business websites do not fail because they look dated. They fail because a visitor cannot tell quickly what the business does, does not trust it enough to get in touch, or cannot find the button to do it. Then the owner has no way of knowing, because nothing is tracked.

This checklist covers 30 things to check, grouped into eight areas. Tick them off as you go. Open your site on your phone and work through it with fresh eyes, as if you were a customer seeing it for the first time.

Your website is one part of a wider system. Our small business marketing guide shows how it connects to search, ads and follow-up.

Message: can visitors tell what you do?

You have a few seconds to answer three questions: what do you do, who is it for, and where. If the top of your homepage does not answer all three, nothing else on the page gets a chance.

• 1. The headline says what you do in plain words, not a slogan
• 2. The area you serve is visible near the top, such as "Serving Oakville, Burlington and Milton"
• 3. Each main service has its own page explaining what is included
• 4. Copy is written to the customer ("you") about their problem, not only about your company

A test that works: show your homepage to someone who does not know your business for five seconds, then ask what you do and where. If they hesitate, rewrite the headline.

Trust: will they believe you?

People are choosing between you and a few other businesses they found in the same search. Trust signals help them pick you without having to ask.

• 5. Real photos of your work, team or premises, not only stock images
• 6. Genuine customer reviews or testimonials, shared with permission, or a link to your Google reviews
• 7. An about page with real people, how long you have operated and what you stand for
• 8. Relevant licences, certifications, insurance or memberships mentioned where they apply

Never invent testimonials or use photos of someone else's work. Beyond the trust problem, fake or misleading reviews can amount to deceptive marketing under Canadian law. Our guide on how to get more Google reviews covers how to collect real ones.

Conversion: is the next step obvious?

A visitor who is convinced still needs a clear, easy way to act. Every page should make that step obvious.

• 9. One main call to action, such as "Request a quote" or "Book a free class", visible on every page
• 10. Forms ask only for what you need to reply, usually name, contact detail and a short message
• 11. You have submitted your own form and confirmed the message arrives where someone will see it
• 12. Visitors see a confirmation that says what happens next and roughly when you will reply

Item 11 catches more problems than you would expect. Forms quietly break after updates, or send to an inbox nobody checks. And a working form is only half the job; how fast you answer decides whether the enquiry becomes a customer. Our article on speed to lead explains why.

Speed and mobile

Many local customers will see your site on a phone, often on the move. A slow or awkward mobile experience sends them back to the search results.

• 13. Pages load quickly on a phone using mobile data, not just office Wi-Fi
• 14. Text is readable without zooming and buttons are easy to tap
• 15. Images are compressed and sized for the web, not uploaded straight from a camera
• 16. No pop-ups cover the content as soon as the page loads on mobile

Google offers a free tool called PageSpeed Insights that tests a page and suggests fixes. Treat the score as a guide rather than a goal; what matters is that real visitors are not left waiting.

SEO basics

You do not need to be an SEO expert, but a few basics make a real difference to whether people can find you.

• 17. Each page has a unique title describing the page, including the location where relevant
• 18. Your business name and contact details match your Google Business Profile exactly
• 19. Your site is verified in Google Search Console and a sitemap has been submitted
• 20. Old page addresses redirect to the new ones after any redesign

For the local side, including location pages and how to avoid the doorway page trap, see our local SEO guide. If you serve customers at their location, our guide to Google Business Profile for service-area businesses covers the profile setup.

Tracking: do you know what it produces?

Without tracking, you cannot tell whether your website, your ads or your Google profile are producing enquiries. You end up guessing where to spend time and money.

• 21. An analytics tool, such as Google Analytics, is installed and recording visits
• 22. Form submissions and other key actions are tracked as conversions
• 23. Each enquiry records where it came from, such as Google search, Maps, ads or social

If you run ads, conversion tracking is essential, because ad platforms use it to decide who to show your ads to. Check it is set up before you spend anything on ads.

Legal and privacy

Almost every business website collects personal information, through contact forms, booking tools, newsletter sign-ups or analytics. In Canada, the main federal law for private-sector businesses is PIPEDA, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. Some provinces have their own similar laws, but in Ontario, PIPEDA generally applies to businesses.

In general terms, PIPEDA expects organizations to be open about why they collect personal information, to get meaningful consent, to collect only what they need, to protect it and to let people access their information. A clear privacy policy is how you explain that to visitors.

• 24. A privacy policy, linked in the footer, that explains in plain language what you collect, why, who you share it with and how to contact you about it
• 25. Forms say briefly how you will use the information, with a link to the privacy policy
• 26. Any marketing email or text sign-up uses clear, separate consent rather than a pre-ticked box
• 27. Your legal business name and a way to contact you are easy to find

Item 26 relates to Canada's anti-spam legislation, which governs commercial electronic messages. Our guide on AI follow-up and CASL explains the consent rules. This checklist is general information, not legal advice; for anything specific to your business, check the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada's guidance or speak with a lawyer.

Accessibility basics

An accessible website works for people with disabilities, including people who use screen readers, keyboard navigation or larger text. It also tends to be clearer and easier for everyone.

In Ontario, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) sets accessibility standards. Its website requirements apply to certain organizations, including private businesses with 50 or more employees in Ontario, and refer to the international Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Smaller businesses may not have the same legal obligation, but the basics below are good practice whatever your size.

• 28. Images that carry meaning have descriptive alt text
• 29. Text has enough contrast against its background and is not placed over busy photos
• 30. The site can be used with a keyboard alone, and form fields have visible labels

Try tabbing through your site with the keyboard. If you cannot tell where you are or cannot reach the form, neither can someone who relies on a keyboard.

If you tick everything here, your site is in better shape than most. If you would rather have a site built with all of this from the start, see our website builds, or book a call and we will go through your current site together.

Questions owners ask