What a business website needs: a 12-point checklist

A business website has to answer three questions quickly: what the company does, why the visitor should trust it and how to get in touch. In practice, that means a clear offer at the top of the page, services explained in plain language, real proof of work, an about page and contact channels that actually work.

Behind that sits a technical foundation the visitor never sees but always feels: a mobile version, fast loading, basic SEO, HTTPS, a privacy policy that follows the data protection rules that apply to you, and analytics with consent. Without it, even a good-looking site loses leads.

Use this checklist to plan a new website or review the one you have.

1. A clear offer above the fold

Above the fold is the part of the page that shows on screen before the visitor scrolls. It needs to say, in one sentence, what the company does and for whom. Something like "Industrial maintenance for food manufacturing plants" says more than "Solutions that transform your business".

What belongs in that space:

• A headline that describes the service or the outcome.
• A supporting line with what sets you apart or the region you serve.
• A visible call to action, such as "Request a quote" or "Chat on WhatsApp".

A simple test: show the page for five seconds to someone outside the company and ask what the company does. If they can't answer, the offer isn't clear.

2. Services that are actually explained

A list of service names is not enough. For each main service, visitors want to know what is included, who it is for, how the process works and what happens after they get in touch.

When your services differ from one another, give each one its own page. That helps visitors and it helps Google, because each page can answer a specific search.

3. Proof: real projects and authorized clients

Claims like "quality and commitment" don't persuade anyone. Evidence does:

• Real projects, with the problem, what was done and the result, described honestly.
• Clients, with logos or names shown only with written permission.
• Testimonials that are genuine, with the name and company of the person who gave them, also authorized.
• Certifications, professional licenses and partnerships, when they exist and are relevant.

Never invent testimonials or use logos without permission. Beyond the legal risk, fake proof destroys the trust the website is supposed to build.

4. About the company

People evaluating whether to hire you tend to visit the about page. It should show that there is a real company behind the website: a short history, the people in charge, where you are and how you work.

Details that help:

• The registered company name and business registration number in the footer or on the about page. In Brazil, for example, that is the CNPJ, the national company registration number.
• A street address, if you serve customers in person.
• Real photos of the team and the workplace instead of generic stock images.

5. Easy contact

Getting in touch is the whole point of the site. It should be one tap away on every page.

• WhatsApp: a button that opens the chat directly, ideally with a prefilled first message. Check that the number is right and that someone answers. If you handle a lot of conversations, the article on WhatsApp Business API integration covers the options.
• Email: an address on the company's own domain looks more serious than a free email account.
• Contact form: only the fields you need, and a clear confirmation message after submitting.

The form deserves special attention. It can stop sending without anyone noticing, because of a change on the mail server, a spam filter or a bug after an update. Test it after launch and keep testing it regularly. Saving every submission in a secure place, not only in an email inbox, keeps requests from getting lost.

6. A real mobile version

A large share of visitors browse on their phones, and Google mainly evaluates the mobile version of your pages. The site needs to be responsive, meaning the layout adapts to the screen size. But shrinking the desktop version is not enough:

• Buttons large enough to tap with a finger.
• Text readable without zooming.
• Phone numbers and WhatsApp links that open the dialer or the app directly.
• Simple menus, with no pop-ups covering the whole screen.

Test on real phones.

7. Speed

Slow pages make visitors leave before they read anything. The usual culprits are large uncompressed images, too many third-party scripts, too many fonts and weak hosting. The article on website speed and Core Web Vitals explains the metrics and how to improve each one.

The technology you choose matters too. A generic theme with many plugins tends to be slower than a lean custom-built site. The article WordPress vs. custom website compares the two paths.

8. Basic SEO

SEO (search engine optimization) is the set of practices that helps a site show up on Google. At a minimum, a business website needs:

• A unique title and description for each page.
• One main heading per page, followed by well-organized subheadings.
• Readable page addresses, such as /services/preventive-maintenance/.
• Alt text on images, which describes the content for search engines and screen readers.
• A sitemap submitted to Google Search Console, Google's free tool for monitoring how your pages are indexed.

The article on SEO for business websites goes deeper on these points. If you serve a specific area, local SEO with Google Business Profile often brings results sooner.

9. Privacy policy and data protection

If the site collects any personal data, such as a name, email or phone number in a form, data protection rules apply. In Brazil, that law is the LGPD (Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados), similar in spirit to Europe's GDPR. Rules vary by country, so check what applies to you, but the basics usually include:

• A clear privacy policy stating what data you collect, why, for how long and how people can ask to access or delete it.
• Collecting only what you need in each form.
• A cookie notice when you use tracking tools that depend on consent.

Copying another site's policy doesn't work, because it has to describe what your site actually does. The article on LGPD for websites and software covers each item in detail.

10. HTTPS

HTTPS is the secure version of the web protocol: traffic between the browser and the server is encrypted, and the browser shows the site as secure. Without it, browsers display warnings, especially on pages with forms, and visitors lose confidence.

The certificate has to be renewed periodically, which many hosting providers do automatically. Also check that the addresses with and without "www" both redirect to the secure version. The article on domain and hosting explains how this part works.

11. Analytics with consent

Without measurement, you can't tell where visitors come from or how many of them get in touch. Tools like Google Analytics handle that tracking.

Two things to get right:

• Consent: analytics tools that use cookies to identify visitors should respect the choice made in the cookie notice. Ideally, they only load after the visitor accepts.
• Conversions: set up events to measure what matters, such as form submissions and clicks on the WhatsApp button.

12. Pages that build trust

Beyond the main content, a few pages and details reinforce that the company is serious:

• A privacy policy and, where it makes sense, terms of use.
• An FAQ that answers questions about timelines, service area and how you work.
• A blog with useful content that shows you know the subject.
• A complete footer, with company details, contacts and key links.

Common mistakes on business websites

• Opening with an image carousel that doesn't say what the company does.
• Generic copy that could belong to any competitor.
• A form that doesn't send, a WhatsApp button with the wrong number or an inbox nobody reads.
• An empty or outdated portfolio, or one showing projects without permission.
• A slow site, and a mobile version with tiny buttons and cut-off text.
• A privacy policy copied from another site.
• A domain and hosting account registered to the vendor instead of the company.
• No tracking of leads, so there is no way to know whether the site is working.

Bringing this checklist to vendor conversations makes proposals easier to compare. The article on how much a website costs shows how each item affects the budget. One example of a business website built by PERVOX is the one for Safe Offshore, a maritime services company, listed among our projects.

Frequently asked questions

How many pages does a business website need?

There is no fixed number. The usual minimum is a home page, services, about, contact and a privacy policy. Companies with very different services benefit from a page for each one.

Does a business website need a blog?

It isn't required, but it helps attract visitors from Google with content that answers your audience's questions. If nobody will write regularly, no blog is better than an abandoned one.

Can a landing page replace a business website?

No. A landing page has a single goal, usually tied to a campaign. A business website presents the company as a whole. The article what is a landing page explains the difference and when to use each.

How often should I review my website?

Review the content whenever your services, contacts or team change, and test forms and links frequently. Updates and the HTTPS certificate need ongoing attention.

If your current site doesn't pass this checklist, or your company doesn't have one yet, it's worth talking before you decide on the format. PERVOX builds business websites focused on clarity, speed and making contact easy, and works remotely with clients in English. Get in touch to talk about your project.