Resources

Short, plain answers to the questions small business owners ask before they build a website.

Start here

• How Long Does It Take to Build a Small Business Website?
  For owners who want to know what to expect, and when.
• Do I Need a Website if I Have a Google Business Profile?
  For owners who already have a Google listing and wonder what a website adds.
• What Does a Small Business Website Need?
  For owners planning what goes on the site.
• Starter, Business or Online Store: Which Website Package Fits?
  For owners choosing between our packages.

How we work

• Our Web Design Process: What to Expect
  Every step of a new website, with what we do, what you do, and the checks we run before launch.
• Website Redesign Process: Keep What Works
  For businesses that already have a site: how we review it, protect your old page addresses, and move to a new one.

Before you start

• Free startup checklist
  What a new business needs to get ready to be found online.
• Free local SEO check
  See how your website and Google listing look to customers today.
• What a small business website costs
  Plain pricing, and what you get at each level.

Free tools to check your website for problems

You do not need to be technical to run these. Paste in your web address, and each tool shows what it finds. They are free, or have a free version that is plenty for a small business site.

Google tools

• PageSpeed Insights
  Tests how fast a page loads on a phone and a computer, and lists what is slowing it down.
• Google Search Console
  Shows which pages Google has found, which ones it cannot show, and any problems it has hit on your site.
• Rich Results Test
  Checks whether a page has the behind-the-scenes data Google uses for things like FAQs, reviews and business details.
• Lighthouse (built into Chrome)
  Runs a quick report on speed, accessibility and basic SEO for any page, right from the Chrome browser.
• Google Safe Browsing site status
  Tells you whether Google has flagged your site as unsafe or harmful to visitors.
• Google Analytics
  Shows how many people visit, where they come from, and which pages they look at.

Speed and security

• GTmetrix
  Gives a speed report with a clear list of the biggest slowdowns, such as oversized images.
• WebPageTest
  Tests loading from different locations and connections, so you can see what a visitor on a slow phone sees.
• SSL Labs Server Test
  Checks that the padlock (HTTPS) on your site is set up correctly.
• Why No Padlock?
  Finds the page elements that cause a "Not secure" warning even when the site has HTTPS.
• Security Headers
  Grades the security settings your website sends to visitors' browsers.
• MXToolbox
  Checks your domain and business email settings, so your emails reach inboxes instead of spam.

Accessibility and SEO

• WAVE
  Marks accessibility problems right on your page, such as missing image descriptions or hard-to-read text.
• axe DevTools
  A free browser extension that finds accessibility issues and explains how to fix them.
• W3C Link Checker
  Finds broken links on a page, the ones that lead visitors to an error.
• W3C Markup Validator
  Checks the page code for errors that can make a site look different in different browsers.
• Schema Markup Validator
  Checks the structured data on your page that helps search engines understand your business.
• Screaming Frog SEO Spider
  Scans your whole site and lists missing page titles, broken links and duplicate pages. The free version covers up to 500 pages.
• Ahrefs Webmaster Tools
  A free site audit that flags SEO problems across your pages, for sites you own.
• Bing Webmaster Tools
  The same kind of check as Search Console, for Bing and the search engines that use it.

Local search

• Google Business Profile
  Where you manage how your business shows up on Google Search and Maps: hours, photos, services and reviews.
• Apple Business Connect
  Where you claim your business on Apple Maps and update its hours, photos and details for iPhone users.
• Bing Places for Business
  Your business listing on Bing, which also feeds some maps and voice assistants.

Business listings

Customers look for businesses in many places besides Google. Make sure your name, address, phone number and hours match everywhere you are listed.

• Yelp for Business
  Claim your Yelp page, correct your details and reply to customer reviews.
• Nextdoor Business
  A free business page where neighbors in your area can find you and recommend you.
• Better Business Bureau (BBB)
  Look up your business profile and claim it. A basic listing is free, and accreditation is optional and paid.
• Facebook Business Page
  A page with your hours, services, photos and reviews, which many customers check before they call.
• Yellow Pages (YP.com)
  An online directory where you can search for your business and claim the listing.
• Foursquare for Business
  Your listing on Foursquare, whose data is used by several other apps and maps.

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