The Small Business Website Starter Checklist
Updated October 2026 · About 15 minutes · No signup required
Everything you need to plan your website before you build it. A beginner-friendly guide to figuring out what your website should do, what it should include, and what you can skip.
Check the boxes and type your answers right on this page. They’re saved in your browser only, so you can come back later. Nothing is sent to anyone.
Why Does Your Business Need a Website?
A website gives people a place to learn about your business, understand your services, and take the next step, even when you are busy.
Think of your website as a helpful employee
It can answer common questions, display your work, collect inquiries, or help people book with you. But a website is not automatically useful just because it exists.
Example
A home organizer might use their website to show before-and-after photos, explain their process, and collect project details through a quote form.
What are the top two reasons you want a website?
Check up to two.
What Should Your Website Actually Do?
Start with the action you want a visitor to take. This helps you choose useful features instead of adding things just because they look impressive.
One primary action is enough to start
Examples: request a quote, schedule a consultation, view a menu, buy a product, or call your business. You can add secondary actions later.
Example
A mobile detailer may want visitors to request a quote. A clear service list, service-area details, and a short quote form support that goal.
My website’s main job is to help visitors:
Who Is Your Website For?
Your website should make sense to the people you want to reach, not just to you.
Picture a real customer
What are they looking for? What questions might they have? What would help them feel confident enough to contact you?
Example
A parent looking for a tutor may want to know which subjects are offered, age groups served, availability, and how to request a session.
What proof or information would help them trust my business?
What Pages Does Your Website Need?
You do not need a huge website to start. Choose pages based on the questions your customers need answered.
Common starting pages
Home: what you do, who you help, and what to do next.
About: your story, experience, and what makes your approach different.
Services or Products: what you offer and relevant details.
Contact: how people can reach you or take action.
Add only when useful
A portfolio helps visual businesses. An FAQ helps when customers ask the same questions repeatedly. A separate booking page helps if scheduling is a key action.
Which pages make sense for your business right now?
Tip: A single well-organized page may be enough for a business with a simple offer.
Essential vs. Optional Features
A feature is useful when it solves a real problem for your customers or your day-to-day operations.
Usually important
Clear navigation, readable text, mobile-friendly layouts, accurate contact information, clear calls to action, and accessible forms. An accessible website can be used by more people, including people who use screen readers or a keyboard, and it helps lower your legal risk.
Optional, depending on your business
Booking tool: helpful if clients choose appointment times.
Payment link: helpful if clients need a simple way to pay.
Quote form: helpful when you need project details before pricing.
Automated confirmation: helpful if you receive many inquiries.
Client portal: helpful only if clients genuinely need to log in and track information.
Example
A local lawn-care business may need a quote form, but not a custom customer dashboard.
What would save your business the most time?
Note: Third-party tools can have separate subscription or transaction fees.
What to Prepare Before Building
Gathering a few basics now will make the design and build process easier, whether you do it yourself or work with someone.
What’s a domain?
Your domain is your website’s address, like yourbusiness.com. You rent it by the year from a company called a registrar (such as Porkbun or GoDaddy), usually for around $10–$25 a year. It’s separate from hosting, which is the service that keeps your website online. Register your domain in your own name, even if someone else builds your site, so you never lose control of it.
You do not need everything to be perfect
If you do not have professional photos or a logo yet, start with clear written information and a simple design. Avoid publishing placeholder claims or reviews.
Your Website Planning Checklist
Use this page as your quick readiness check. It is okay if some boxes are still empty.
0 of 10 ready
My top three priorities
What Comes Next?
You have a starting plan. You do not have to build everything at once.
Choose your next step
If you are building it yourself: sketch a simple page layout, write your content, and test it on a phone.
If you are hiring someone: share your goals, pages, priorities, budget, and who will manage the site afterward.
If you already have a website: compare it with your checklist and improve one thing at a time.
Questions worth asking before you spend money
Who owns the domain and website? What are the ongoing hosting or software fees? Who handles updates? What happens if you stop paying for a service?
Remember
A good website is not defined by how many features it has. It is defined by how clearly it helps the right people take the right next step.
Want a second set of eyes on your plan?
I’m Miguelle, the designer behind MigsFlow. If you’d like help turning your checklist into a website, I offer free quotes and an $80 homepage redesign, with no pressure to move forward.
All done?
Print or save your answers to keep a copy of your plan.
Free to use and share with credit to MigsFlow. Please don’t resell or republish it as your own. This guide is general educational information, not a guarantee of business results or legal compliance.