What to Put on Your Homepage: A Checklist for Bay Area Small Businesses
Your homepage has one job: help a stranger decide, quickly, that you're the right business to contact. Most visitors give it a few seconds, often on a phone, often while comparing you with a couple of competitors down the street.
Here's the checklist I use when I build or review a homepage for a local business. Go through it top to bottom with your own site open.
The top of the page: answer three questions instantly
Before anyone scrolls, they should know what you do, where you do it, and how to reach you. On a phone, that means the very first screen should include:
A plain headline like "Family Dentistry in Campbell" or "Residential Painting Across the East Bay" rather than a vague slogan.
One short line underneath that explains who you help or what makes you different.
A clear button for the main action: Call, Book, or Get a Quote.
Your phone number as a tap-to-call link.
If your current homepage opens with "Welcome to our website" or a big rotating slideshow, this is the first thing I'd change.
Your services, in simple words
Next, show the main things you offer. Keep it short and scannable:
Three to six services, each with a one-line description.
Words your customers use, not industry terms. "Leaky faucet repair" beats "fixture remediation."
A link from each service to its own page if you have one.
You don't need to explain everything here. The homepage is a menu, not the whole meal.
If you offer something seasonal, like holiday catering or fall gutter cleaning, it's fine to feature it near the top for a few weeks. Just remember to swap it out when the season ends.
Proof that you're real and trustworthy
Bay Area customers tend to do their homework. Give them reasons to trust you right on the homepage:
Real photos of you, your team, your space, or your finished work. Stock photos rarely build trust.
A few short reviews customers have already posted publicly, with their permission, or a link to your Google reviews.
Licenses, certifications, or memberships that matter in your field.
How long you've been in business, if it's meaningful.
One genuine before-and-after photo of a kitchen in Burlingame does more than a paragraph of claims about quality.
Keep this section short. Two or three strong reviews and a handful of real photos are plenty. You can link to a full gallery or reviews page for anyone who wants more.
Where you work and when you're open
Local customers need practical details. Make sure the homepage includes:
Your address with a link to directions, if customers visit you.
Your service area, if you travel to them: list the main cities or regions.
Hours, including any weekend or evening availability.
Parking or transit tips if they help, such as "short walk from the Rockridge BART station" or "free parking behind the building."
Make sure these details match your Google Business Profile exactly. Mismatched hours are a small thing that frustrates customers a lot.
If you have more than one location, give each its own short section with its own address, hours, and phone number, and link to a separate page for each.
A simple next step at the bottom
People who scroll all the way down are interested. Don't leave them at a dead end. End the page with:
A short invitation to get in touch, repeated from the top.
A short contact form with only the fields you truly need.
Your phone number, email, and links to your Google and social profiles.
What to leave off
A few things tend to hurt more than help on a small business homepage:
Autoplay music or video.
Long blocks of text about your history.
Pop-ups that appear before visitors have read anything.
Out-of-date promotions or holiday hours from last year.
Where to start
Open your homepage on your phone and check the first screen: what, where, and how to contact.
Rewrite your headline to include your service and area.
Replace at least one stock photo with a real one.
Confirm your hours and contact details match Google.
Want to see how this looks in practice? Browse a few examples on my work page. And if you'd like me to review or rebuild your homepage, tell me a bit about your business and I'll send you a short list of what I'd change first.
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