What Should a Business Website Include? A Practical Checklist

Most business websites fail quietly: they exist, but they do not bring enquiries. Usually the problem is not the design — it is missing pieces. This business website checklist is the list I work through on every business website I build, written so you can check your own site against it, whether it is new or years old.

The essential pages

• Home — what you do, who for, and a clear next step, visible in the first seconds.
• Services — one clear section or page per service, in the words your customers use.
• About — who you are, where you are, and why a customer can trust you.
• Contact — phone, WhatsApp, email, location and hours, all easy to find.
• Extras your business actually needs — a menu for a restaurant, a product catalogue for a shop, services and doctors for a clinic.

Anything beyond this should earn its place. Pages nobody reads do not hurt much, but missing pages on this list cost you customers every week.

Contact that actually works

In Afghanistan, business happens on the phone and on WhatsApp. Your website should match that reality:

• A tappable phone number on every page (on mobile, one tap should start the call).
• A WhatsApp button that opens a chat with your number — ideally with a short prefilled message.
• A contact form as a backup, for visitors who prefer writing.
• Your location and opening hours where customers expect them.

If a visitor has to hunt for your number, most will simply call the next business instead.

Mobile-first design

Most of your visitors are on phones, many on modest connections. Check your site on a real phone: text readable without zooming, buttons easy to tap, pages loading quickly, no content hidden behind heavy effects. "Responsive" is the technical word; the practical test is whether your own family can use the site comfortably on an ordinary Android phone.

Trust elements

• Real photos of your shop, work or products — not generic stock images.
• Consistent business details — the same name, phone and address everywhere they appear.
• Real examples — projects, products or work you have actually done.
• Clear prices or price guidance where your business allows it; mystery pricing loses enquiries.

Notice what is not on this list: invented reviews, fake awards and stock-photo "teams". Customers can tell, and so can Google.

Basic SEO setup

You do not need an SEO expert to get the basics right:

• Every important page has its own clear title and description.
• One topic per page — your services should not all fight on one page.
• Your pages link to each other sensibly (services to prices, articles to services).
• The site loads over HTTPS and has a sitemap Google can read.

If you want the technical side in more depth, the technical SEO checklist covers it in plain language.

By business type

• Shop — product categories, clear product pages, an order path (form or WhatsApp), delivery information.
• Clinic — services, doctors, hours, location and fast appointment contact. I wrote a dedicated clinic website checklist for this.
• Restaurant — menu, photos, location, hours and a WhatsApp order button.
• School or course — programmes, schedules, fees guidance and an enrolment contact path.

Before you launch (or relaunch)

1. Open every page on a phone and a computer.
2. Tap every phone number, WhatsApp button and form — send yourself a test enquiry.
3. Read the prices and details once more for accuracy.
4. Check the site shows your correct name and number everywhere.

If you are planning a new website, this checklist doubles as your scope document — bring it to your first conversation with a developer. And if you have not chosen one yet, how to choose a web developer in Afghanistan is the companion guide. My prices for building a site like this are on the website price guide.