design website for business
A step-by-step playbook to build websites that rank on Google, delight users, and drive growth — with templates, checklists and testing plans.
Whether you're launching a new site or redesigning an existing one, this guide gives you practical, measurable steps for SEO, user experience (UX) and conversion growth—no fluff, just actions you can implement this week.
1. Plan: goals, audience & sitemap
Good websites start with clarity. Before design or content, define what success looks like and who you are building for.
Define 3 business goals
- Primary conversion (e.g., phone calls, contact form submissions, bookings)
- Top-of-funnel win: how visitors learn about your services
- Retention: mailing list, SMS list, or account signups
Map your audience
List 2–4 customer personas and their needs. Example: "Homeowner with a leaking roof, needs urgent local tradesman, cares about trust & speed."
Create a simple sitemap
Keep structure shallow and goal-focused. Start with:
- Home (primary conversions & local signals)
- Services (one page per service / location)
- About / Trust (team, licenses, testimonials)
- Contact (phone, click-to-call, hours, map)
- Blog / Resources (for keywords & organic growth)
Action: Draft your sitemap in a single A4 page. Use it as the blueprint for content and navigation.
2. Structure: pages, templates & content plan
Design templates that scale. Use consistent blocks (hero, services, social proof, CTA, footer) and reuse them across pages.
Hero (above the fold)
Clear headline, supporting subheadline, one primary CTA (click-to-call on mobile) and trust element (badge or review).
Service section
Short descriptions for each service with supporting bullet points and estimated pricing where possible.
Trust & proof
Testimonials, accreditations, before/after images and a small FAQ (3–5 Qs).
Content plan (30/60/90 day)
- 30 days: Launch core pages + local landing pages for top suburbs
- 60 days: Publish 6 service-focused blog posts that target long-tail keywords
- 90 days: Add case studies and start outreach for backlinks
3. SEO: on-page, local & technical checklist
SEO isn't magic—it's discipline. Do these basics consistently and you'll see measurable improvement.
On-page SEO (page-by-page)
- Unique H1 that matches the main keyword (one H1 per page)
- Title tag template:
Primary Keyword | Business Name — Location - Meta description: short benefit-driven sentence + CTA (120–155 chars)
- Use H2/H3 to structure content and include related keywords
- Include structured data: LocalBusiness, Service, Review (JSON-LD)
- Internal links to 2–3 related pages (use descriptive anchor text)
Local SEO
- Google Business Profile: complete profile, categories, services and photos
- NAP (name, address, phone) consistent across pages and citations
- Create location pages for each service area (unique content)
- Add embed Google Map and structured address markup
- Collect reviews—respond to every review within 72 hours
Technical SEO checklist
- HTTPS across site (SSL)
- Mobile-first responsive design
- XML sitemap submitted to Google Search Console
- Robots.txt configured (no accidental blocking)
- Lazy-load images & use next-gen formats (WebP/AVIF)
- Minify CSS/JS and enable gzip/brotli
- Ensure canonical tags to avoid duplicate content
- Set up structured data for reviews, services and breadcrumbs
Tools: Google PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, Search Console, Screaming Frog, Ahrefs/SEMrush for keyword research.
4. UX & accessibility: design decisions that win
Good UX reduces friction and increases conversions. Focus on clarity, speed and trust.
Mobile-first
Primary CTA should be one tap away on mobile—click-to-call, click-to-message or booking.
Visual hierarchy
Use contrast and spacing to guide attention: headline → service benefits → CTA.
Accessibility
Alt text for images, logical headings, keyboard focus, and 4.5:1 text contrast for readability.
Microcopy & trust signals
- Use action-focused CTAs: "Get a quote", "Call now — free advice"
- Show estimated response times: "We typically respond within 1 hour"
- Display guarantees and accreditations near CTAs
5. Conversion: simple CRO framework
Optimization should be continuous. Start with high-impact, low-effort tests.
Test ideas
- Swap hero CTA wording (e.g., "Get a free quote" vs "Call now")
- Move phone number into the top-right and make it sticky on mobile
- Add a short 1-question form vs full contact form
Metrics to track
- Phone call conversions (tag via call tracking)
- Form submit rate & time-to-submit
- Bounce rate and pages per session for key pages
Quick wins (first 2 weeks)
- Make phone number clickable and visible on every page
- Add 1 testimonial near the hero
- Reduce form fields to the minimum needed
6. Growth: analytics, content & paid strategy
Plan growth that compounds: SEO content + local optimisation + targeted ads.
Analytics baseline
- Install Google Analytics / GA4 and set conversion events
- Use Google Search Console for keyword and coverage issues
- Set up Monthly dashboard (traffic, conversions, top pages)
Content strategy
- Target commercial-intent keywords for service pages
- Use long-form how-to posts for top-of-funnel queries
- Repurpose blog posts into social and email content
Paid acquisition (when to start)
Start paid search or social once your conversion tracking is accurate. Small budgets test messaging—use landing pages per campaign.
- Create campaign-specific landing pages (match ad copy to headline)
- Measure CPA and aim to break even before scaling
7. Launch checklist & testing plan
Use this checklist before you go live and in the first 30 days after launch.
Pre-launch (must-do)
- All pages have H1, title tag and meta description
- Analytics & Search Console verified
- Forms tested and working; test submissions received
- Mobile test: all CTAs visible and clickable
- PageSpeed: mobile score target >= 70 (aim 90+)
Post-launch (first 30 days)
- Monitor traffic and errors in Search Console daily for first week
- Track conversions and phone calls; fix missing tags
- Publish 2–4 blog posts targeting long-tail keywords
- Request first 5 customer reviews and display on site
8. Tools, templates & checklist you can copy
Page title template
Primary Service Keyword | Business Name — Suburb
Meta description example
"Local [service] in [Suburb] — fast response, licensed team, free quote. Call today!" (120–155 chars)
Hero headline formula
[Primary benefit] + [Service] + [Local trigger]. Example: "Emergency Plumbing Repairs — Fast same-day service in Brisbane"
GA4 events to track
- phone_click
- form_submit
- book_online
- cta_click
One-page launch checklist (printable)
- H1, title, meta done
- Mobile CTA visible
- Analytics and GSC set
- Forms tested
- SSL and sitemap submitted
- At least 1 testimonial and 1 trust badge visible
Frequently asked questions
How long before my site ranks?
Should I prioritise SEO or paid ads?
What is the minimum content for a service page?
Ready to build a website that actually grows your business?
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Need a hand implementing these steps? Congero specialises in fast, managed websites for trades and service businesses—text us your site details and we’ll create a professional, SEO‑optimised site in under 60 seconds.
