Having an online presence for your small business in 2025 is no longer optional - it's essential. Your website serves as the digital face of your brand and a 24/7 salesperson. But with so many options for building a website today, it can feel overwhelming to choose the right platform and design.
In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk through everything you need to know to build a beautiful, functional website tailored specifically for small and local businesses.
With DIY builders like Squarespace, Wix, and Webflow dominating the market, you have more options than ever for building your own site without coding. But how do you choose?
Here are the top factors to consider when selecting a website builder for your small business:
While platforms like WordPress offer ultimate flexibility, the learning curve is steep. For most small businesses, Squarespace and Webflow strike the right balance of customization and ease of use.
Squarespace remains one of the most popular DIY website builders thanks to its stylish templates, intuitive editor, and built-in ecommerce. With a Squarespace site, you can quickly build a beautiful online presence using one of their professionally designed templates as a starting point.
However, you are limited in how much you can customize the template's structure and code. So Squarespace works best for small businesses who want an effortless, put-together look without intensive design work.
For business owners who want more creative control, Webflow is the clear choice. While you can start with templates, Webflow offers extensive customization capabilities with a drag and drop builder.
Webflow generates clean, semantic code and gives you granular control over responsive design. With some HTML/CSS knowledge, you can build truly custom sites not limited by themes or rigid grids.
Webflow also has enterprise-level features like CMS, hosting, dynamic content, and ecommerce integrated seamlessly into one platform.
While Squarespace is easier to start with, Webflow offers greater design flexibility and control over SEO and functionality. For most small businesses, we recommend Webflow over Squarespace for building a custom website optimized for conversions and search performance.
Beyond just choosing a builder, you need to strategically design your site's pages and content to attract, engage, and convert your ideal customers.
Here are the key elements every small business website needs:
Don't skip the About page! This is where you share your origin story, mission, team, and values. Help site visitors get to know your brand on a deeper level.
Include photos of real team members and tie your history to local roots. The About page also presents a key opportunity to exude your brand personality.
Clearly showcase your core offerings with dedicated pages. Use compelling descriptions, bulleted lists, pricing tables, etc. Make it easy for visitors to understand exactly what you do.
For service businesses, break down each service. For product businesses, feature highlights, photos, and reviews. Include calls-to-action to contact, purchase, or explore more.
A blog allows you to share stories, tips, and brand perspective over time. This helps build trust and establishes your business as an authority.
Focus blog content on topics and questions your ideal customers care about. Aim for 1-2 posts per month to start. Promote new posts on social media and link to relevant ones throughout your site.
Calls-to-action (CTAs) allow site visitors to take their next step, whether booking an appointment, signing up for a newsletter, contacting you, or making a purchase.
Strategically place relevant CTAs above the fold on key pages. Use clear, action-driven language like "Book Now", "Start Free Trial", "See Pricing".
With more and more traffic coming from smartphones, having a mobile-friendly site is critical. Test your site on multiple devices to ensure information is accessible.
Prioritize text over images for faster load times. Use minimal, stacked page layouts. Simplify menus and navigation for easy tapping on small screens.
SEO allows people to easily find your website through search engines like Google - driving qualified traffic to your site. Follow SEO best practices when developing your site.
This includes optimizing page titles and meta descriptions, alt text for images, heading tags, URL structure, site speed, and more. If needed, consider investing in local SEO services.
Driving traffic to your site is only step one. You also need to optimize your site to turn visitors into leads and customers aka convert.
Here are proven tips to boost conversions on your small business website:
Display credible, enthusiastic customer reviews prominently throughout your site. These build trust and social proof for your business.
Menus and calls-to-action should make it effortless for visitors to find what they need. Remove unnecessary pages and clearly label offerings.
Slow load times lead visitors to abandon your site. Compress images, minimize third party scripts, and optimize code for faster page speeds.
Exit intent popups and scroll-based popups allow you to grab attention for a signup form, offer, or other CTA before visitors leave.
Display relevant CTAs and messaging for visitors based on their location, referring page, time on site and more using tools like Webflow's CMS.
Setup Facebook and Google ads to re-engage visitors through remarketing after they leave your site. Stay top of mind and drive conversions.
While DIY site builders make it possible to create a website on your own, most small businesses benefit from partnering with professional web designers.
The right web design agency provides strategic guidance as well as design and development expertise. This allows you to focus on running your business instead of tackling website challenges and learning new skills.
Consider working with a web design partner if you want:
While adding external services may increase costs upfront, the long-term benefits for your brand and online business success make it a smart investment.
Building a custom website tailored to your small business is one of the smartest investments you can make this year. An optimized online presence leads to more visibility, credibility, and sales over time.
Focus on choosing a website builder that suits your business needs and goals. Squarespace offers ease of use while Webflow provides greater customization. Strategically design your site pages and user experience to engage visitors.
And don't be afraid to get help from web design professionals to take your website to the next level. With these tips and best practices, you're primed for website success in 2025 and beyond.
Copyright © Zach Sean Web Design
