How to build a business website: decisions before the layout
Set a clear purpose, prepare useful content and agree on responsibilities. Then test the entire enquiry process before launch.
A business website should explain what you do, give people a reason to trust you and make the next step easy. An attractive animation can improve the presentation. It cannot fix an unclear offer, a broken form or a service page that leaves basic questions unanswered.
Before commissioning the site, describe the intended outcome in one sentence. “Receive enquiries for equipment maintenance in our service area” is more useful than “improve our digital presence”. It tells the project team who needs the page, what they need to learn and what they should be able to do.
Start with the questions your team already answers
Collect actual customer questions: what the service includes, where it is available, what customers need to provide and what happens after an enquiry. These questions help determine the pages. They also make better copy than statements that could appear on any competitor’s website.
Consider a hypothetical maintenance company. Preventive maintenance and emergency repairs may need separate explanations, including the equipment supported and the information needed for an assessment. A paragraph describing the company as reliable and innovative does not answer those questions.
MDN’s introduction to website planning likewise places purpose, content and appearance before coding.
Approve pages with realistic content
A simple site map may be enough: home, services, about and contact. Add pages when they serve distinct needs with distinct information. A blog is a commitment to publishing and maintenance; it should not be added merely to fill the navigation.
Ask for a sample page using near-final copy. Real titles, photographs and descriptions expose problems that placeholder text hides. Check the visual identity on a phone as well as a large screen, and decide whether each image explains the work or simply takes up space.
Choose technology around the people maintaining it
A team updating prices or publishing news every week needs a practical editing routine. A largely static presentation may need something different. Before choosing a platform, watch how someone would change a telephone number, replace an image and correct a paragraph.
Agree on responsibility for the domain, hosting, account access, backups and integrations. Essential accounts should remain accessible to the business if it changes suppliers. Write down what the project includes, what ongoing support covers and which services will be billed separately.
Accept the delivery by completing a real task
Open the site on a phone and behave like a visitor: find a service, decide whether it fits your needs and send an enquiry. Check that the message reaches the correct destination. Try an invalid field and make sure the correction is clear without deleting the other information you entered.
- Are the contact details current?
- Can menus and buttons be used with a keyboard?
- Are text and images readable on narrow screens?
- Does someone own the process for responding to enquiries?
- Has the business received account access and maintenance instructions?
After launch, review the quality of enquiries and the questions people still ask. If visitors reach the right page but keep asking about the basics, improve the explanation. A clearer sentence may solve more than an entire redesign.
To compare proposals, read how to break down a website budget.
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Tiago F SantiagoComments
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