Website design for startups
Launch a new business with a credible website for £0 upfront, then grow it as you learn.
Web design for small businesses across the UK
Small business website design that brings in enquiries
A small business website has one job: turning people who find you into people who contact you. I design yours around that, write the pages with you and look after it every month.
- Built around getting you enquiries
- Pages written with you, in plain English
- No contract, domain included
80+ websites built by Charlie through Transform Sites
Track record
- 80+websites built
- 100+happy clients
- 1working day to go live, once I have your answers
- £0upfront
Track record from Transform Sites, MonthlySite's parent company.
The short answer
What should a small business website include?
Good small business website design puts three things on the first screen: what you do, where you do it and how to get in touch. Most small businesses need 3 to 6 pages, a tap-to-call number, a short enquiry form and some proof, such as reviews or photos of real work. It has to be quick on a phone. We design, write and look after yours from £49 a month.
At a glance
- Price
- £49 to £99 a month
- Contract
- None
- Upfront
- £0
- Live within
- 1 working day of your answers
- Cancel
- Any month
- One-off
- From £549
80+ websites built by Charlie through Transform Sites.
On this page
What a small business website is actually for
Most people who land on a small business website already have a reason to be there. They've heard your name, seen your van or found you on Google, and now they're checking three things: that you do what they need, that you work in their area and that you look trustworthy enough to contact. Good small business website design answers all three quickly, on a phone, without making anyone hunt.
That's a different job from a big brand's website. You don't need video backgrounds or clever animation. You need clear words, a few honest photos, a phone number that dials when tapped and a form that actually reaches you. Everything on the page should help someone decide to get in touch, or get out of the way.
It's also why the words matter more than the look. A tidy design earns a second glance. Plain, specific text about your services, prices and areas turns that glance into an enquiry.
The pages most small businesses need
These cover most small businesses. On a 3-page plan, reviews and the about section can sit on the home page.
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Home
What you do, where you do it and how to contact you, visible on a phone before anyone scrolls. Add your best review and one clear button.
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Services
A short section for each service, with what's included and a starting price where you can give one. Starting prices build trust and cut out time-wasters.
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About
Who runs the business, how long you've been doing it and any qualifications or memberships you hold. With small firms, people buy from people.
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Reviews and real work
A handful of recent reviews and photos of real jobs, premises or products. A phone photo of your own work beats a polished stock photo.
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Contact
Phone, email, a short form, your hours and the areas you cover. If customers come to you, add the address and where to park.
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Privacy notice
If your contact form collects names and email addresses, you need a privacy notice saying what you do with them. It's usually short and lives in the footer.
A small business website you can try
A live template for an accountancy practice, not a screenshot. Every trade has its own layout and wording, and you can try any of them with your business name.
What to notice
- Look at the phone frame first: it's how most of your customers will see you
- Time how long it takes to find the phone number and what the business does
- Press “Try this with my details” to see it with your own business name
How to plan a small business website in an afternoon
Whoever builds your website, this preparation makes it better and quicker.
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Step 1: Write down the questions customers ask
The ones you answer on the phone every week: prices, areas, how long jobs take, whether you work evenings. Each deserves a line on the website.
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Step 2: List your services and starting prices
Lead with the work you want more of. A 'from' price is enough, and it saves calls from people expecting half the price.
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Step 3: Name the towns you cover
Real towns and districts rather than 'the surrounding area'. It tells customers and Google exactly where you work.
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Step 4: Gather 5 to 10 real photos
Finished jobs, your premises, your van, you at work. Taken on a phone in good daylight is fine.
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Step 5: Pick the one thing you want visitors to do
Ring you, send a quote request or book. Design every page around that action and make it easy to find.
Design details that win or lose enquiries
Most small business websites don't fail because they're ugly. They fail on small things that stop people getting in touch. I check these on every site before it goes live.
- Text big enough to read on a phone without zooming
- Buttons big enough for a thumb, with space around them
- Pages that load quickly on a patchy 4G signal
- The same business name, address and number as your Google Business Profile
- No sliders or pop-ups covering what people came to read
None of this shows in a portfolio screenshot. All of it shows in how many people contact you.
Common mistakes on small business websites
I often see these on sites I'm asked to replace. All of them are easy to fix.
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A number you can't tap
Phone numbers shown as pictures or buried in the footer. On a phone, the number should dial in one tap from every page.
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Vague areas
'Serving the local area' leaves customers guessing. Name the towns you want work from.
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Out-of-date details
Christmas opening hours in March, old prices, a service you stopped offering. People start to wonder whether you're still trading.
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A form nobody checks
Forms that send to an old email address lose enquiries without anyone noticing. Test yours every few months.
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Someone else holding the keys
If a past designer owns your domain or logins, one falling-out can take you offline. Make sure the domain is registered in your name.
How we design small business websites
Every MonthlySite website starts from a design made for your kind of business, so the pages and layout suit how your customers choose. I tailor it with your name, colours, logo, services and areas, and write the pages with you in plain English. It goes live within 1 working day of your answers, then you check it on your phone and send any changes.
After that, I look after it: hosting, security updates, backups and changes by email. There's no contract, so the website has to keep earning its place.
It isn't the right fit for everyone. If you need an online shop with a checkout, or more than 10 pages, a one-off build or a specialist platform will suit you better, and I'll say so. Just starting out? See website design for startups.
Small business website prices
Every plan includes the design, hosting, security updates and changes by email. Growth adds Google Business Profile setup and local SEO, which is what most local businesses need next.
£1.61a day for Starter, billed as £49 a month. No contract.
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Starter
£49a month
- Up to 3 pages
- Hosting and SSL included
- 1 change a month
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Growth Charlie's pick
£79a month
- Up to 6 pages
- Google Business Profile setup
- Unlimited small edits
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Pro
£99a month
- Up to 10 pages
- A page for each area
- Priority 48-hour edits
No contract. Cancel any month. No upfront fee.
Compare plans in detail
Build my free preview
Free. No card. About 60 seconds.
Rather own it outright? One-off builds from £549.
MonthlySite is new. I'm not.
80 websites and counting, built for small businesses through Transform Sites, MonthlySite's parent company.
- 80+websites built
- 100+happy clients
I only publish genuine reviews, and MonthlySite's first ones are on their way. Until then, here's my promise: you'll deal with me, and I'll reply within one working day.
Charlie, founder
Questions people ask
Message CharlieI reply within one working dayAsk me on WhatsApp (opens WhatsApp in a new tab)
Do I need a website for my small business?
Most businesses do, even busy ones. People who hear your name usually look you up before they get in touch, and a simple site with your services, areas and contact details confirms you're genuine. If you get plenty of work from word of mouth, a small 3-page site is often all you need.
How many pages does a small business website need?
Usually 3 to 6. Home, services and contact are the essentials, with about and reviews either on their own pages or folded into the home page. Add more when you have something useful to say, such as a page per service or per area. Our plans include 3, 6 or 10 pages.
How long does it take to design a small business website?
With us, your site goes live within 1 working day of your answers to a few quick questions. Agencies typically take 4 to 8 weeks for a small site. What slows most projects down is waiting for text and photos, so I write the pages with you instead of waiting.
Will you write the words for my website?
Yes. You send me the facts, such as your services, prices, areas and anything customers often ask, by email, WhatsApp or a short call. I write the pages in plain English, and once your site is live you can change any wording you like.
Do I need a website if I have a Google Business Profile?
A Google Business Profile is free and gets you onto Google Maps, so every local business should have one. A website does what the profile can't: explains your services and prices properly, shows your work and gives Google more to go on. The two work best together.
See your website before you spend a penny.
Pick your trade, add your business name and see it on a laptop and a phone. If you like it, plans start at £49 a month with no contract.