Search "what makes a good website" and you'll drown in 5,000-word guides listing 47 must-have features. Most of it doesn't matter for a local business. So here's the honest, stripped-back version, the stuff that actually earns its keep.
Run your own site (or a quote you've been given) past this list.
1. It's instantly clear what you do. Someone should land on your site and, within three seconds, know exactly what you offer and where. No clever taglines that leave people guessing. Say the plain thing.
2. It loads fast. If it takes more than a couple of seconds, a chunk of people are already gone, back to Google, onto a competitor. Speed isn't a nice-to-have.
3. It works on a phone. Most people will see your site on a phone. If they have to pinch and zoom, or a button's off the screen, you've lost them. This is the single most common thing cheap sites get wrong.
4. There's an obvious way to contact you. Phone number up top. A simple form that lands in your inbox. Don't make people hunt.
5. It shows up when people search for you. Your name, your trade, your suburbs, in the actual words on the page, so Google can match you to searches. Plus a Google Business Profile backing it up.
That's the core five. Nail those and you're ahead of most small-business sites out there.
If you only remember one thing: would a stranger, on their phone, quickly understand what you do and know how to contact you?
If yes, you've got the bones of a good site. Everything else is polish.
Want me to run the ruler over your current site, or build you one that ticks every box? Book a chat and I'll show you a demo, no pressure.
12 Bar Digital, Largs North, Adelaide, South Australia. (08) 7077 0985. hello@12bardigital.com.au