Small Business Websites
What to Prepare Before Hiring a Web Designer: A Simple Checklist
Six things to gather before you hire a web designer, from logo files to domain logins, so your site gets built faster.
November 5, 2026
By Ashley Carre | October 15, 2026 | 3 min read
The short answer
Most small business websites need five pages: Home, Services, About, FAQ, and Contact. Each page answers one question a customer has before they call you. Start with those five, make each one clear, and add service or city pages later if you want more traffic from Google.
Visitors scan a small business website for three answers. Can you help me? Can I trust you? How do I reach you? Each page should answer at least one of them, fast.
Here are the five pages I build for almost every client, and what goes on each one.
Your home page has about five seconds to tell people they’re in the right place. The top of the page should answer three questions:
“Quality Service You Can Trust” answers none of them. “Roof Repair in Dayton, Ohio” answers two. Add a “Get a Free Quote” button and you’ve answered all three.
Below that, add a short list of your services, a few reviews, and one more button to contact you.
List every service you offer using the words a customer would type into Google, like “water heater repair.” Fancy names like “thermal system solutions” don’t get searched.
For each service, add a few lines on what’s included, who it’s for, and how to book. If one service brings in most of your money, give it its own page. Google usually ranks a page about one topic better than a page about ten.
People hire people. Your About page shows there’s a real person behind the business.
Include:
Skip the long company history. Keep it short and human.
Yes. An FAQ page saves you time on the phone. It also helps you show up in Google and in AI tools like ChatGPT, which pull answers from pages like this.
Write down the questions customers ask you every week. Do you offer free quotes? What areas do you serve? How soon can you start? Answer each one in two to four sentences.
Make it easy. That’s the whole job.
Every extra form field costs you leads. If you don’t need it to call someone back, cut it.
Add pages when you have a clear reason. Good reasons:
On my plan, extra pages are a one-time $100 each, and a blog is a one-time $200. The monthly price stays the same.
Want people to find those pages? Read how to get your small business found on Google.
Five is the right start for most service businesses. You can add service pages, city pages, or a blog as you grow.
It can work for a very simple business. The downside is that Google has only one page to show, so you come up in fewer searches.
You don’t need one to launch. A blog helps when you want more traffic from Google over time and can post a few helpful articles each year.
If your prices are simple, yes. Clear prices filter out people who aren’t a good fit. If every job is different, share a starting price or a range.
Custom design, hosting, and unlimited edits for $150 a month. Try it free for 15 days.
Want to see what you get first? Read the services page or the FAQ.
Six things to gather before you hire a web designer, from logo files to domain logins, so your site gets built faster.
Real numbers for DIY builders, one-time builds, and monthly website plans, plus what each one costs over three years.
Monthly plan or one-time payment? A plain look at ownership, upkeep, and risk so you can pick the right fit for your business.