What to put on a local business homepage
Most people land on your homepage wanting to know two things. Can this place help me, and how do I reach them. Your homepage should answer that fast and then stay out of the way.
The top of the page
Say what you do and where, in plain words. "Family dentist in Frederick" is better than a clever line nobody understands.
Put your phone number up there too. On a phone it should be a link people can tap to call. A lot of local customers just want to call, and making them dig for the number loses some of them.
The things people look for
After that, cover what people check before they visit or call:
- What you offer, in a short list or a few lines
- Your hours, including any odd ones
- Your address and a link to a map
- Prices, or at least a starting price
- Real photos of the place or the work
Prices are the one owners skip most. I get why. But people who can't find a price often assume it's high and leave. Even a rough starting price helps.
Proof you're real
Reviews help if they're real. A couple of short quotes with first names is plenty. If you have a good number of Google reviews, link to them. Don't make them up and don't pad them.
Quieter proof works too. How long you've been open. A photo of the front door so people know what to look for. Licenses if your trade has them.
What to leave off
Long welcome paragraphs. Mission statements. Sliders that rotate through five photos. Pop ups asking for an email before people have seen anything. None of it helps someone decide to call you, and all of it pushes the useful stuff further down.
Check it on your phone
Most of your visitors are probably on a phone, so open your site on yours. See if you can tell what you do without scrolling. Tap the number and make sure it dials. Try it on a weak signal and see how long it takes. If any of that fails, fix it before anything else.
A good local homepage is short. It says what you do, where you are and how to reach you, with enough proof that people feel fine getting in touch. Everything else is optional.