Quick answer: A small business website design project usually runs through discovery, planning the pages and content, design, build, testing and launch, and takes anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. Expect to provide your goals, information about your customers, your logo and brand details, photos and most of the written content (or budget for a copywriter). A good result is a fast, mobile friendly site that explains clearly what you do, shows why people should trust you and makes it easy to get in touch, built on a CMS you can update yourself.
For many small business owners, hiring a web designer is a new experience, and it is hard to know what is normal. How long should it take? What will I need to do? What should I get at the end? This guide sets out what a well run project looks like so you can plan, budget and spot problems early.
Start with what the website is for
A website is a business tool, so begin with the business goal. Common ones are:
- Generating phone calls and enquiries
- Booking appointments
- Selling products online
- Supporting existing customers with information
- Building credibility so referrals and adverts convert
A good designer will ask about this first. If the first conversation is all about colours and fonts, be cautious. Design matters, but only in service of the goal.
The typical process
1. Discovery
The designer learns about your business, customers, competitors and goals. Expect questions such as who your best customers are, why they choose you, what they ask before buying and which competitors you admire or worry about. This stage often includes reviewing your current site and analytics, if you have them.
2. Planning and structure
Next comes the sitemap (the list of pages and how they are organised) and often wireframes, which are simple layouts showing what goes where without final design. This is the cheapest point to make changes, so take time to review it properly.
3. Content
Content is the most common cause of delays. Someone has to write the words, gather the photos and collect testimonials. Agree early who is responsible. If you are writing it yourself, start now. If you want help, a copywriter is often a good investment. Clear words do more for enquiries than almost any design choice.
4. Design
The designer creates visual designs, usually starting with the home page and one inner page. Expect one or two rounds of revisions. Give feedback in terms of goals (“Visitors need to see our phone number sooner”) rather than personal taste where possible.
5. Build
The approved design is built on a CMS, most often WordPress for small businesses, though other platforms exist. Content is added, forms are set up, and basic SEO settings are configured.
6. Testing
The site is tested on different browsers, phones and tablets. Forms are checked to make sure enquiries arrive. Speed is measured. You should get a chance to review everything on a staging site before launch.
7. Launch and handover
The site goes live, redirects are set up from any old URLs, analytics is installed and you receive training on updating content. Make sure you get login details for everything: hosting, domain, CMS and analytics.
Pages most small businesses need
- Home page. Explains what you do, who for and why you, with a clear next step. A strong value proposition is essential here. See our guide on how to write a clear value proposition.
- Service or product pages. One page per main service, so each can explain the details and rank in search.
- About page. Your story, team and what makes you different. Real photos help.
- Testimonials or case studies. Proof from real customers.
- Contact page. Phone, email, form, address, map and opening hours.
- Blog or news, if you will genuinely keep it updated.
- Privacy policy and terms, as required for your business.
What makes a small business site work
Clarity
Visitors should understand what you do within seconds. Plain headlines beat clever ones.
Trust
Reviews, accreditations, real photos, a physical address and a professional look all reassure visitors that you are a real, reliable business.
Easy contact
Phone numbers that can be tapped on mobile, short forms, and calls to action on every page. Our guide to homepage conversion covers this in more depth.
Mobile friendly
Many of your visitors will be on phones. The site should be responsive and comfortable to use on a small screen. Google also favours mobile friendly pages in mobile search results.
Speed
Slow pages lose visitors. Good hosting, optimised images and caching make a big difference.
Search basics
Each page should have a sensible title tag, meta description, headings and descriptive URLs. Local businesses need consistent contact details and a Google My Business listing.
Costs and timelines
Costs vary widely depending on the number of pages, custom design versus a theme, content help, features such as booking or ecommerce, and who you hire. A freelancer customising a theme will cost less than an agency producing a custom design with strategy, copywriting and SEO. Our guide to WordPress website cost explains the main price factors.
Timelines depend heavily on content. A simple site with content ready can launch in a few weeks. A larger site, or one waiting on content and approvals, may take two or three months.
Do not forget ongoing costs: hosting, domain renewal, premium plugin licences, and maintenance for updates, backups and security.
What you will need to provide
- Clear goals and a decision maker who can approve work
- Logo files and any brand guidelines
- Photos of your team, premises and work
- Written content, or input for a copywriter
- Testimonials and reviews
- Access to your domain, current hosting and analytics
- Timely feedback at each stage
Questions to ask a designer
- Can I see small business sites you have built, and can I speak to those clients?
- What does your process look like, and how many revision rounds are included?
- Who writes the content?
- Which CMS do you use, and will I be able to update the site myself?
- Who owns the site, design files and domain when we finish?
- How do you handle SEO and redirects from my old site?
- What happens after launch? Do you offer maintenance and support?
- What is not included in the quote?
Warning signs
- A price that seems far too low with no clear scope
- No questions about your business or customers
- The designer registers your domain in their own name
- No staging site or testing before launch
- Vague answers about ownership and access
- A site that cannot be updated without the designer
FAQ
How long does a small business website take?
Usually four to twelve weeks, depending on size and how quickly content and feedback arrive.
Should I use a template or custom design?
A well chosen theme works for many small businesses on a tight budget. Custom design suits businesses that need to stand out or have specific requirements.
Can I update the site myself?
You should be able to. Ask for training and a short guide at handover.
Do I need a blog?
Only if you will keep it updated with useful content. An abandoned blog looks worse than none.
Get a site that works as hard as you do
A small business website should bring in enquiries, build trust and be easy to manage. Knowing what to expect helps you choose the right partner and get the most from the project. To see how we approach this, read how we help businesses turn visitors into customers.
