Answers
Answers about business websites
What a service-business website has to do, who should own it, when to rebuild and when not to, and the rules an owner can be held to.
93 answers, each standing on its own. The service behind them: Websites, built or upgraded. Other topics are on the Answers page; the glossary defines the terms.
Should you upgrade your website or rebuild it?
When to fix the website you have and when to build a new one: the signs for each, what to keep either way, and the questions to settle first.
What should a service business homepage say?
The four things a service business homepage has to say in the first screen, what to cut, and how to give visitors one clear next step.
Why does my website get no inquiries?
The six usual reasons a service business website brings in no inquiries, how to check each one yourself in an afternoon, and what to fix first.
Should a small service business have a blog?
When a blog helps a small service business get found and chosen, when it is wasted effort, and what to publish instead of news posts nobody reads.
How do you choose a website platform for a small business?
What matters when picking a website platform: ownership, ease of editing, speed on a phone, how hard it is to leave, and cost over time.
What is a conversion rate, and how do you improve it on a service website?
What a conversion rate means for a service business website, how to measure it honestly, and the plain changes that usually turn more visitors into inquiries.
What should a contact form ask?
The few questions a service business contact form needs, the ones to drop, and how to make sure every message actually reaches you.
Should a small business use a chatbot on its website?
When a chatbot helps a small service business website, when it gets in the way, and what to check before you add one to your site.
What does looking after a small business website involve?
The routine jobs that keep a small business website working, safe and current, how often to do each, and who should own them.
Do you need a website if you already get customers from social media?
Social media can bring in work, but a profile is rented space. What a website gives a business that social cannot, and when social alone is enough.
Who should own your business's domain name?
Your business should own its domain name, in its own name and its own registrar account. What goes wrong otherwise, and how to check who holds yours today.
Should a service business put prices on its website?
Prices can screen out poor-fit inquiries, but complex jobs are hard to price up front. The trade-offs, and a middle ground most service businesses can use.
How do you make a website trustworthy to a new visitor?
New visitors decide fast whether a business is real. Signals that matter: contact details, real photos, honest reviews, clear process, current content.
Does a small business website really need to work well on phones?
Most visitors carry a smartphone and many will find you on one. Why phones matter, plus a simple checklist any owner can run on their own site.
What is a call to action, and what makes a good one?
A call to action tells a visitor the one next step to take, such as call or book. What makes a clear one, where it goes, and weak versus clear examples.
What is a landing page, and when does a small business need one?
A landing page is a single page built for one campaign, ad or flyer, with one offer and one next step. When it helps, and when the homepage is enough.
How should you describe your services on your website?
Describe each service in your customers' words: what is included, who it is for, how it works and what happens next, with real examples of past jobs.
What is website accessibility, and why does it matter for a small business?
Website accessibility means people with disabilities can use your site. What the Justice Department's guidance says, and simple checks any owner can run.
What photos should a service business use on its website?
Use real photos of your team and your work, with permission from anyone shown. Avoid stock presented as your own, and keep images light for fast phones.
What should you get from a website review?
A useful website review is a plain, ranked list of what to keep, fix or replace, with reasons. What it should check and the red flags to watch for.
How long does it take to build or upgrade a small business website?
How long a small business website takes depends on content, decisions and approvals more than the build itself. Where projects stall and how to speed it up.
Does a small business website need a privacy policy?
If your website form collects names, emails or phone numbers, a privacy policy is often expected. What California's Attorney General and the FTC say.
What should a small business put on its About page?
A small business About page should show who is behind the work, real photos, where and how you work, what you will not do and how to get in touch.
Does a small business website need HTTPS?
HTTPS keeps what visitors send through your website private. Why it matters for contact forms and trust, and a quick check any owner can run.
Can AI write your website copy?
AI can draft website copy, but facts, prices, claims, your voice and real examples need a person. What Google and the FTC say, and a simple way to use it.
How do you choose a domain name for a small business?
Pick a domain that is short, easy to say and spell, and close to your business name, then check for trademark conflicts before you register it.
Should a small business have more than one website?
Most small businesses are better off with one website. Why a second site often splits effort and confuses customers, and when a separate site makes sense.
What should a small business look for in website hosting?
Good hosting is in your name, keeps backups you can restore, has support you can reach and clear renewal terms. What to check before you sign up or switch.
Does a small business need website analytics?
Website analytics shows visits, pages and where visitors came from. What it can and cannot tell a small business, and how to keep it simple and private.
What should a website say after someone sends an inquiry?
After someone sends an inquiry, your site should confirm it arrived, say when and how you will reply, and what to do if it is urgent. What to include.
Who owns the website a designer built for you?
Paying for a website does not automatically make you the copyright owner. What the U.S. Copyright Office says, and how a written contract settles it.
What should a website design contract include?
The points a website design contract should pin down: scope, revisions, who supplies content, ownership of the design and files, logins and handover.
How can you tell if your business website has been hacked, and what do you do first?
The signs owners actually notice when a business website has been hacked, and the first steps to take, drawing on federal guidance, before you delete anything.
How many pages does a small business website need?
A plain starter page list for a service business website, when a one-page site is enough, and when a service deserves a page of its own.
How do you get control of your website back when the designer has disappeared?
What to do when a web designer disappears with your logins: domain recovery through the registrar, hosting and platform account recovery, or a rebuild.
Can you put customer reviews and testimonials on your website?
Yes, with care. What the FTC says about using customer reviews and testimonials on your own site: real experiences, disclosed connections, typical results.
Should your business email use your own domain instead of a free address?
Why a service business usually does better with email at its own domain than a free address: customer trust, control when staff leave, mail that stays put.
Is a website template good enough for a small business?
When a website template is enough for a small service business, when custom design can be worth it, and the few things that matter more than either one.
How do you spot a fake domain or website renewal notice?
How to tell a fake domain or website renewal notice from a real one, check it with your own registrar, and report it to the FTC or your Attorney General.
Can you use photos you found online on your business website?
Copyright basics for owners: why a photo found online is usually not free to use, what an image license covers, and what to do about a demand letter.
Should your website have a Spanish version?
When a Spanish version of a business website is worth it, what Census data on home languages shows, and why unchecked machine translation can backfire.
Should your website show your license number and insurance?
How customers check a license with the state, what Florida's law says about license numbers in contractor ads, and how to mention insurance honestly.
Do you need a logo before you build a website?
A new website needs a clear name, one or two colors and real photos at the start. A logo can usually wait, and a plain-text stand-in works until then.
Should a service business use video on its website?
When video helps a service business website, what it can cost in page weight and slow loading, and why videos with speech need captions.
Should a small business website use pop-ups?
What Nielsen Norman Group found about pop-ups, how they can get in the way of inquiries, and gentler ways to ask for an email address or feedback.
What should you ask before hiring a web designer?
What to ask a web designer before you hire: who owns the domain, design and logins, who writes the words, phone speed, inquiries and what follows launch.
What is the difference between a domain, hosting and a website, and how do you find out who hosts yours?
A domain is the address, hosting is the space and the website is what visitors see. Who should hold each, and how to find out who hosts your site.
What happens if your business domain name expires?
ICANN's policy makes registrars send reminders and sets renewal rules after expiry. What stops working, how long you have and the risk of losing the name.
Why is my website slow, and does it matter?
A slow website usually has causes an owner can see: heavy photos, too many add-ons or a small plan. Why speed matters, a quick check and what to ask.
Should you turn on domain privacy for your business domain?
Domain privacy hides your contact details from the public record. The catch is who is listed as owner. Privacy vs proxy, and how to stay the registrant.
What is a bounce rate, and should a service business worry about it?
Bounce rate is the share of Google Analytics visits that were not engaged. Why a one-page visit that ends in a call is fine, and why inquiries matter more.
Can you use AI-generated images on your business website?
Using AI-generated images on a business website: what the U.S. Copyright Office says about ownership, the honesty line and what to check first.
What can you do if someone copies your website's words or photos?
If someone copies your website's words or photos: save proof, ask first, then a DMCA takedown notice and Google's legal removal request.
Do accessibility widgets or overlays make a website compliant?
The FTC alleged a plug-in seller's compliance claims were false or unsupported. What the case said, what a widget may miss, and what to do instead.
Should you build your own website or pay someone to build it?
When a website you build yourself on a builder is enough, the parts owners often miss, where the hours go, and when paying someone to build it makes sense.
Can you move a website built on Wix or Squarespace to another company?
What Wix and Squarespace say can and cannot leave their platforms, why the domain can usually move when the site cannot, and how to switch safely.
My website gets traffic but no customers. Who can fix that?
Find where your website loses people: visits that never ask, inquiries that go cold, or quotes that never close. A quick test for each, and who to hire.
Google Workspace or Microsoft 365: which should a small business use for email?
What Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 business plans include, how a small business usually chooses between them, and how to keep the account in its name.
What is a unique selling proposition, and does a service business need one?
A plain definition of a unique selling proposition, how a service business finds one in its real jobs, the tests it should pass and where it belongs.
What should an owner look at in Google Analytics, and what can you ignore?
The few Google Analytics numbers worth a monthly look for a service business, what Google means by a session, and the reports most owners can skip.
Can you see who visits your website?
What website analytics can and cannot show about visitors, why Google Analytics bars personal details, and how a visitor tells you who they are.
Why is my website down, and what should I check first?
The owner's order of checks when a business website will not load: you or everyone, the domain, the hosting, a recent change, a hack, an outage.
What should you do if your business email account is hacked?
The first-hour steps when a business inbox is taken over, from Google's and Microsoft's own guidance, then who to warn and where to report it.
Why is my website's contact form not sending me emails?
The owner's test for a contact form that has gone quiet, the usual causes you can check yourself, and a backup so no inquiry is lost meanwhile.
What should you check before a new website goes live?
A small business website checklist for launch: test every phone link and form, check the details, keep old addresses working and own the logins.
What should a small business do if it gets an ADA website demand letter or lawsuit?
Do not ignore an ADA website demand letter and do not pay before a lawyer reads it. What to keep, what the Justice Department says, and what to fix.
What reading level should a small business website be written at?
No single grade fits every business website. Write for your actual readers in short, plain sentences, and treat a readability score as a check.
How do you make a website easy for older customers to read and use?
What W3C's guidance on older web users points to: text that enlarges, strong contrast, clear links, time and simple forms, plus phone checks.
Does a small business website need an accessibility statement?
What an accessibility statement is, what W3C suggests it include, what it cannot do on its own, and why a working way to report problems matters most.
What is a CMS, and what are plugins on a website?
A content management system in plain words, the two kinds owners usually meet, what plugins are, and why each one needs updates and an owner.
Is WordPress a good choice for a small business website?
WordPress.org against WordPress.com, what WordPress gives a small business, the upkeep it asks for, and who it usually suits. Upkeep matters most.
What happens when your website's security certificate expires?
What visitors see when a site's security certificate lapses, who usually renews it, and why renewals are coming more often as certificate lifetimes shrink.
Why did your business email stop working, and what do you check first?
The usual reasons business email stops arriving, the order to check them in, who to call, and how to keep a website move from cutting off your email.
What can you do if someone registered a domain with your business name?
How to tell a squatter from a fair claim, the two routes to a domain that uses your name (ICANN's dispute policy and federal court), and what to do first.
How much website traffic should a small business get?
Why no single traffic number fits a service business, the comparisons that say more, and what Google Analytics' peer benchmarks can show.
What is a favicon, and does a small business website need one?
The small icon in a browser tab and beside your site's name on Google: what it is, what Google asks of it, how it fits your logo, and when to check it.
What is a brand style guide, and does a small business need one?
A one-page brand style guide for a small business: logo files, colors, fonts, the name and the tone, plus readable colors and who keeps the files.
Should a new business put up a coming soon page, and what should it say?
When a coming soon page helps a new business and when it hurts, what to put on it, how builders handle one, and when to replace it with a real site.
Can a small business use a Google Form as its website contact or intake form?
What a Google Form does well as a contact or intake form, the settings to check first, what never to collect, and when a built-in form is better.
Should a service business put its cancellation and refund policy on its website?
Why a short cancellation and refund policy where people book prevents arguments, how to word it, and what the FTC's Cooling-Off Rule covers.
Is the GoDaddy website builder good enough for a service business?
What GoDaddy says its builders do, how domain and site are kept apart, and what to check about ownership and leaving later. No prices or ranking.
Can you make your business logo in Canva, and do you own it?
What Canva's content license says about using its templates and elements in a logo or business name, and how to make a first logo you can protect.
Should a service business take payments on its website?
When taking payments online helps a service business, when a call and a quote should come first, and how to keep card details off your own web pages.
What is a tracking pixel, and does a service business's website need one?
What a tracking pixel is, why ad platforms ask for one, what it sends to a third party, and why health pages carry extra risk under federal guidance.
Do you need a web designer or a web developer?
A web designer shapes how a site looks and guides visitors; a developer builds and runs it. Which one a service business usually needs, and what to ask.
Is an AI website builder good enough for a service business?
What Wix and Squarespace say their AI builders do, what still needs the owner, Google's view on AI-made pages, and what to check before you commit to one.
What can you claim in your ads: 'best', 'guaranteed', 'lowest price', or naming a competitor?
The FTC's ad basics for a small service business: proof before an ad runs, 'number one' and price claims, guarantees, free offers and naming competitors.
Does a small business website in the US need a cookie banner?
Whether a small US business website needs a cookie banner: what one is, where the rules come from, what California's privacy law covers, and what to do.
How much does a website cost for a small business?
What decides the cost of a small business website, the running costs owners forget, and how to compare quotes, without a price list.
What are the steps in building a website, and what does the owner do at each one?
The steps of a website build in order, from kickoff to the first month after launch, with what the owner supplies, what to approve and what comes back.
How do you compare quotes from web designers?
How to line up web designer quotes on what each includes and leaves out, with a sheet to fill in and questions that show the gaps between them.
Why is my website project taking so long, and what can you do about it?
A late website project usually has a cause on one side or both. Find where the delay sits, what to ask for in writing and how to get it moving again.
Should your website have an FAQ page?
When an FAQ page helps a service business, which questions belong on it, where each answer should live and how to keep the answers accurate over time.
Websites, built or upgraded
A new site from a blank page, or the one you have made fast, clear and worth visiting. Either way it is built to do one thing well: turn a visitor into a customer.