A small business homepage should say above the fold what you do, for whom and where, with one or two clear next steps, then follow with services, proof, a short introduction to the people behind the business and contact details. It has a different job from almost every other page: it is where people land when they type your name into a search engine, follow a link from a business listing or click the logo from anywhere else on the site. Some of them already know you and want a phone number. Some have never heard of you and want to know what you do. Some are comparing you with two competitors.
A good homepage serves all of them by doing three things quickly: saying what the business does and for whom, showing enough evidence to be credible, and pointing each visitor to the page they actually need. It does not need to say everything. It needs to route people well.
This guide covers what goes above the fold, a section order that works for most service and local businesses, and how to adapt it.
Key takeaways
- Above the fold: a plain statement of what you do, who it is for, where you operate, and one or two clear next steps.
- Follow with services, each linking to its own page, then proof, then a short introduction to the people behind the business.
- Put contact details where people expect them: in the header, in a closing section and in the footer.
- Keep sliders, autoplay video and decorative animation to a minimum. They slow the page and push the message down.
- Review the homepage when the business changes, not only when the design feels old.
What goes above the fold
“Above the fold” means what a visitor sees before scrolling. Screen sizes vary so much that there is no exact line, so think of it as the first screen on a typical phone and a typical laptop. That space should hold:
- A headline that says what you do. “Family-run plumbing and heating in North Leeds” works. “Excellence in every drop” does not.
- A supporting line with the most useful extra detail: service area, specialism, opening hours or who you work with.
- A primary call to action that matches the most common next step, such as “Request a quote,” “Book a table” or “See our services.”
- A secondary action if there is a clear second group of visitors, for example “Call us” with your real number for people who prefer the phone.
- A real image of your work, premises, team or product. Visitors read photos as evidence.
Avoid putting a slider here. Rotating banners split the message across several slides that most people never see, and they often add weight to the page. One clear message and one image usually communicate more.
A section order that works
The order below suits most service businesses, trades, studios, clinics and local shops. Treat it as a starting point and remove anything that does not apply.
| Order | Section | Purpose | Links to |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Header | Logo, main menu, phone or primary button | All main pages |
| 2 | Hero | What you do, for whom, where, next step | Contact or main service |
| 3 | Services or products | Overview of what you offer | Individual service pages |
| 4 | Proof | Reviews, examples of work, credentials | Case studies, review profile |
| 5 | How it works or why choose us | Process or practical differences | Services or pricing |
| 6 | About snippet | The people behind the business | About page |
| 7 | Recent work or articles | Show the business is active | Portfolio or blog |
| 8 | Closing call to action | One more clear next step | Contact page |
| 9 | Footer | Contact details, hours, legal links | Contact, privacy, terms |
Section by section
1. Header
The header should include your logo or wordmark, a short main menu and, for many local businesses, a visible phone number or a single button such as “Get a quote.” On phones, the phone number can become a tap-to-call link. Keep the menu to the pages people actually look for. Our guide to header, navigation and footer design covers menu depth and mobile menus in detail.
2. Hero
Covered above. The only additional advice is to write the headline before choosing the design. If the words are clear, almost any layout works. If they are vague, no layout saves them.
3. Services or products
Show your main services as a short set of cards or rows, each with a name, one or two sentences on what it involves and a link to its own page. Three to six items usually fit. If you offer more, group them into categories and link to a services overview page.
Each card should lead somewhere useful. A service mentioned on the homepage with no page behind it is a dead end. Our guide to services and pricing pages explains what those destination pages need.
4. Proof
Visitors want evidence that you are real and that others have been happy with the work. Use material you can stand behind:
- Genuine reviews, quoted accurately and with permission, or a link to your profile on a review platform.
- Photos of real projects, with a short caption on what was done.
- Credentials: trade registrations, professional memberships, insurance or licenses, stated accurately and only if you hold them.
- Named clients, only where they have agreed.
Never invent testimonials or use stock photos to represent customers. If you are new and have little to show, a short statement of your experience and a clear guarantee is more convincing than empty praise.
5. How it works or why choose us
A short section explaining your process or what is different about working with you. Keep it concrete: “Fixed quotes before any work starts,” “Same team from survey to finish,” “Open Saturdays.” Avoid generic claims like “quality service” and “customer focused,” which every competitor also writes.
6. About snippet
A sentence or two about the people behind the business, with a real photo and a link to the full about page. For small businesses this is often one of the most persuasive parts of the homepage, because people want to know who they will be dealing with. See writing and designing an about page for what the full page should contain.
7. Recent work or articles
If you publish case studies, project photos or useful articles, show the latest two or three. This tells visitors the business is active. Only include this section if you will keep it current. A “latest news” block showing a post from three years ago suggests the opposite.
8. Closing call to action
A final band with one clear next step, repeating the main call to action from the hero. Visitors who scrolled this far have read most of the page and need an easy way to act.
9. Footer
The footer is where many visitors look for practical details. Include your address or service area, phone, email, opening hours, links to key pages and legal pages such as privacy and terms. Keep it tidy rather than repeating the whole menu.
Adapting the layout
- Restaurants and cafes: move hours, location and the menu link into or right below the hero. Visitors usually want those first.
- Shops: replace the services section with featured categories and a few products.
- Portfolio businesses: let the work lead, with a project grid directly after a short hero.
- Clinics and regulated services: add a short, clearly worded section on how to book and what to expect, and keep claims factual.
- One-person businesses: the about snippet can move higher, since the person is the service. Our personal and freelancer website guide covers sites built around one person.
Building it in a page builder
In WordPress with Elementor or the block editor, build the homepage from saved sections where possible. That way the services cards, review block and closing call to action can be reused on other pages and stay consistent. Set colors and fonts globally so the homepage matches the rest of the site; see global colors, fonts and site settings. Check the result on a phone before publishing, since stacked columns often change the reading order in ways that look fine on desktop and confusing on mobile.
Homepage checklist
- The headline says what the business does in plain words.
- The service area, specialism or audience is clear near the top.
- There is one primary call to action, with an optional secondary one.
- The hero image is a real photo of your work, place, people or product.
- There is no autoplay slider pushing the main message aside.
- Each service shown links to its own page.
- Reviews are genuine and used with permission, or link to a public profile.
- Credentials shown are current and accurate.
- The about snippet includes a real photo and links to the about page.
- Any “latest” section is actually recent.
- Contact details appear in the header, a closing section or the footer.
- Opening hours and address or service area are easy to find.
- The page reads in a sensible order on a phone.
- Images are compressed and the page loads quickly.
Common mistakes
- A slogan instead of a description. Visitors should not have to scroll to find out what you do.
- Trying to say everything. A homepage that lists every service in detail, the full company history and every award becomes hard to scan. Link to those pages instead.
- Stock photography that could be anyone. It weakens trust, particularly for local businesses whose customers may recognize the area or the team.
- Missing contact details. A phone number buried on a separate page loses people who want to call now.
- Sections copied from a template and left half-filled. Placeholder text, empty counters and generic icons make a site look unfinished.
- Too many calls to action. Five different buttons asking for five different things spread attention thin.
- Heavy media. Large background videos and unoptimized images slow the page down. See keeping page builder sites fast.
FAQ
How long should a homepage be?
There is no fixed length. Most small business homepages work well with six to nine sections. If a section does not help a visitor understand the business or find their next page, remove it.
Should the homepage include prices?
If prices are simple and they are a common first question, a short “from” price or a link to the pricing page helps. Detailed pricing belongs on its own page.
Is a one-page website enough?
For a very small business with one service, it can be. Once you offer several services, separate pages make each easier to find, link to and explain.
Bottom line
Say clearly what you do, for whom and where, then send each visitor to the page they need. Show your services with links, back them with genuine proof, introduce the people behind the business and repeat one clear next step at the end. Keep the media light and the details current, and the homepage will do its job for both first-time visitors and returning customers.