What Should Be Included in a Professional Website?

Whether you are planning a new website or reviewing your current one, it helps to know what a professional business website should include. This checklist covers the essentials and the additions worth considering.

Essential pages

• —Homepage stating clearly what you do, who for and where.
• —Individual service pages for each service customers search for.
• —About page introducing the people behind the business.
• —Contact page with a form, phone number, email and, where relevant, address and map.
• —Privacy policy and cookie information.

For how many pages you need in total, read how many pages should a business website have?

Essential content on every key page

• —A clear, specific heading.
• —Plain-English explanation of the service and who it suits.
• —The next step, such as a call, form or booking.
• —Relevant images, ideally of your own work or team.

Trust and credibility

• —Genuine reviews or testimonials, with permission.
• —Examples of your work where you can share them.
• —Current accreditations and memberships.
• —Full business details. UK companies have specific disclosure requirements; the government's guidance on business names and what must be displayed is worth checking.

Usability and accessibility

• —A responsive layout that works on phones and tablets.
• —Readable text sizes and good colour contrast.
• —Clear, consistent navigation.
• —Forms that are short and work with a keyboard.
• —Descriptive alt text for meaningful images.

Technical foundations

• —HTTPS security across the whole site.
• —Fast loading, with appropriately sized images.
• —Unique page titles and meta descriptions.
• —Logical heading structure.
• —An XML sitemap and sensible robots settings.
• —Structured data where it accurately describes your business.
• —Analytics and Google Search Console set up correctly.

These foundations support visibility but do not guarantee rankings on their own. Our guide to improving your website's Google visibility explains how they fit together.

Legal and compliance

• —A privacy notice explaining how you handle personal data. The ICO explains what this must cover in its guidance on the right to be informed.
• —Consent for non-essential cookies and similar technologies. See the ICO's guidance on cookies and similar technologies.
• —Terms of business where you sell or take bookings online.

This section is a general overview, not legal advice. If you are unsure about your obligations, take advice from a qualified professional.

Content management

You should be able to update everyday content yourself: text, images, team members and opening hours. Reliance on a developer for small changes leads to outdated information.

Worth considering

• —Case studies.
• —FAQs or helpful guides.
• —Online booking or quoting.
• —Location pages where you genuinely serve distinct areas.
• —A newsletter sign-up, if you will actually send one.

Next steps

Every website package we offer includes these foundations as standard. If you would like to know how your current site compares, our Website & SEO Audit checks many of these points. You may also find what makes a good business website useful.