What to put on a local business website that brings in work

A local business website has one job: help someone who doesn't know you yet decide to get in touch. Pretty is not the job. “Coming soon” is not the job. A phone number buried under a slideshow is not the job.

People in Orillia and across Simcoe County will judge you in a few seconds on a phone. They want to know what you do, that you're real, and how to ask for a quote or a time without hunting.

Show the work like it actually looks

Real photos of the trucks, the lawns, the shop, the people. Stock grass and a handshake don't convert a homeowner who can drive past your competitors. If the photos are only on Facebook, the site still looks empty to Google and to anyone who landed from search.

Say the services in plain language

A list they can scan. What you take on. What you don't, if that saves everyone a call. Area you cover — town names beat “we service the GTA and beyond.”

Make the next step impossible to miss

Call, request a quote, or book a time. Put the button in the header and again after the services. Large enough for a thumb. If they have to pinch-zoom to tap it, they will leave.

Keep phone and email visible even if you have a form. Some people will only call. The form is for the rest.

It has to work on a phone. That's not optional.

Most of your new customers are not at a desk. Slow pages, tiny type, and menus that don't open are how you lose the lead after you already paid to be found. The test is simple: hand the site to someone who isn't comfortable with tech. If they can't finish, it isn't done.

That's the standard on Stay Connected and on the local business sites I ship. I build them as a one-person shop from Orillia — first conversation to launch, no hand-offs.

What I take on, or get a quote if you already know the site isn't doing this.