A good small business website does a simple job well: it tells people what you do, where you do it and how to get in touch, and it works properly on a phone. Getting there takes a little planning, the right pages and some care with the details.
This guide collects our articles on planning, building and improving a website, from writing a brief and comparing quotes to launching and turning more visitors into enquiries.
Planning your website
Costs, platforms and how to brief a designer.
How to Start a Business Website (Step-by-Step Guide for Founders & Small Businesses)A seven-step guide to launching a business website properly: defining its purpose, choosing a platform, securing your domain and hosting, structuring for SEO, and building for conversion and scale from…Read the guideHow Much Does a Website Really Cost? A Practical Pricing GuideIf you have started searching for a new website, you have probably noticed the price range is enormous. One quote says $500, the next…Read the guideHow to Choose the Right Platform for a Small Business Website in AustraliaWordPress, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace or custom? Your platform shapes your SEO, performance and ability to scale. A practical comparison for Australian small businesses, built around alignment with your goals rather…Read the guideBest Website Builders for Creating a Business Website on Google in AustraliaThere is no single best website builder, only the best one for your goals. An honest comparison of WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace and custom builds, based on real client results…Read the guideHow to Write a Website Brief: A Simple Guide for Small BusinessesA short website brief helps designers quote on the same job and saves surprises later. What to include, section by section, without any technical jargon.Read the guideSelling Online in Australia: What to Sort Before You Launch Your StoreA practical checklist for Australian small businesses planning to sell online: platform, payments, GST, shipping, refunds, privacy, security and the essential pages.Read the guide
Key pages
What each important page needs to do.
What Makes a Good Homepage? A Section-by-Section GuideYour home page has seconds to tell visitors they are in the right place. What to include section by section, and the common mistakes that make people leave.Read the guideHow to Structure a Service Page That Ranks and ConvertsService pages do the heavy lifting on most small business websites. A section-by-section structure that helps customers find you and gives them a reason to get in touch.Read the guide
Words that convert
Copy, headlines and calls to action.
Design, speed and accessibility
A site that is fast, readable and works for everyone.
Mobile-First Web Design: What It Means for Your BusinessMost local searches happen on phones. What mobile-first design means, why it matters for customers and Google, and a 10-minute check you can run on your own website.Read the guideIs Your Website Accessible? What WCAG 2.2 Means for Australian BusinessesThe Australian Human Rights Commission has lifted its recommended benchmark to WCAG 2.2 Level AA. Here is what website accessibility actually means for a small business site, and four checks…Read the guideWhy Is My Website Slow? What Core Web Vitals Actually MeasureGoogle measures website speed with three numbers: LCP, INP and CLS. Here is what each one means, where the scores come from, and what to fix first.Read the guide
Tools that save time
Features that answer customers and take bookings for you.
Does Your Small Business Website Need a Chatbot?A chatbot can answer questions and capture enquiries after hours, or it can get in the way and give wrong answers. How to decide whether your website needs one.Read the guideMissed Calls Are Missed Jobs: What an AI Receptionist Can (and Can’t) DoAn AI receptionist can answer calls, take enquiry details and book jobs when you cannot get to the phone. Here is where it helps, where it does not, and what…Read the guide
Launch and improve
Go live properly, then keep getting better.
Website Launch Checklist: What to Check Before You Go LiveA practical checklist for launching a new or redesigned website: content, forms, mobile, speed, search engines, redirects, tracking, security and the first week after launch.Read the guideWhy Your Website Gets Visitors but No EnquiriesPeople are visiting your website but not getting in touch. The common reasons, from unclear offers to broken forms, and a checklist you can work through yourself.Read the guide
More guides on this topic are on the way. They are added here as soon as they are published.