Plenty of owners build their first website themselves, on Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy or WordPress. It's a reasonable choice when you're starting out: it costs little, and nobody knows your business better than you do.
After more than fifteen years building websites, I've seen the same handful of things decide whether a do-it-yourself website brings in customers or just sits there. None of them need a designer. Here they are, in the order I'd tackle them.
- Make it obvious what you do, where you do it and how to reach you.
- Design for the phone first, and make your number tappable.
- Real photos and plain words beat stock images and slogans.
- Keep it fast, current and in your name.
Start with the three things every visitor needs
Someone landing on your website wants three answers in a few seconds: what you do, where you do it and how to reach you. If they have to scroll or guess, many will go back to Google and pick the next result.
Build it for the phone first
Most people will see your website on a phone, often in a hurry, between other things. A layout that looks great on your laptop can be hard to use on a small screen: tiny text, buttons too close together, menus that don't open.
- 1Open your website on your phone, not your computer.
- 2Count to five. Can you tell what the business does and where?
- 3Try to call or send a message without zooming in.
- 4Ask a friend to do the same and watch where they get stuck.
Make calling you effortless
For most local businesses a phone call is the best lead you can get. Make it a one-tap action everywhere it appears.
- Put your number in the header, so it's on every page
- Make it a tappable link that opens the phone app
- Add a short "Call or text" next to it
- Show your business hours nearby
- A phone number inside an image, which can't be tapped
- A contact form as the only way to reach you
- Different numbers on different pages
- Hiding contact details at the bottom of the page
Write the way you talk
You don't need to sound like a big company. Short sentences, real details and the words your customers use will do more than any slogan. If you'd say it to a customer at the door, it belongs on your website.
- "We paint homes in Cypress and NW Houston."
- "Free estimates, usually within 48 hours."
- "Owner John James walks every job himself."
- "Delivering excellence in every project."
- "Your satisfaction is our priority."
- "Innovative solutions for all your needs."
Show your real work
Photos of your own jobs, your team and your vehicles build trust in a way stock photos can't. They don't need to be professional. A recent phone photo in good daylight is perfect.
Say where you work
Google needs to know which areas you serve, and so do your visitors. Name your city and the nearby towns or neighborhoods in plain text on your pages, not only inside a map or an image.
Keep it fast
A slow website loses people before they see anything. The most common cause on do-it-yourself websites is huge photos uploaded straight from a camera or phone, followed by too many add-ons, widgets and animations.
- 1Go to PageSpeed Insights (pagespeed.web.dev) and enter your website address.
- 2Look at the mobile score first. That's what most visitors experience.
- 3Open the suggestions and look for anything about image sizes.
- 4Resize big photos to about 2000 pixels wide before uploading them again.
Claim your Google Business Profile
For a local business, your Google Business Profile is often seen more than your website. It's free, and it's what shows up on the map when someone searches near you. Link it to your website, and keep the details the same everywhere.
Give every page one next step
Every page should end with one clear thing to do next: call, request a quote, book a visit. When a page offers five different options, people often pick none of them.
Keep it up to date
An outdated website quietly costs you customers. Old prices, a service you stopped offering or last year's holiday hours make people wonder if you're still in business.
Make sure you own your domain
Your domain (yourbusiness.com) is one of your most valuable assets online. It should be registered in your name, with your email, not in the name of a friend, a relative or a former web designer.
Know when it's time to get help
Doing it yourself makes sense when you're starting out. It stops making sense when the website takes hours you don't have, or when you notice it isn't bringing in calls anymore. That's usually the moment to hand it over, so you can get back to running the business.
Send us your website and we'll tell you, in plain words, the first three things we'd fix. No sales pitch, and no obligation.
