The pages every small-business website needs

Home

Priority: Essential.

• One opening line that says what you do, for whom and where: "Family dental practice in Croydon, taking new NHS and private patients", not "Welcome to our website".
• One main button near the top that says what happens next: "Book an appointment", "Get a quote".
• Proof close to that button: a real review, a qualification, years trading.
• Links to your main services, and your phone number where a visitor can tap it.

Products / Services

Priority: Essential.

• One page per main service or product range, not one page listing everything in a sentence each.
• What it includes, who it suits, the area you cover and how long it takes.
• A price, a "from" price, or how you work out a quote.
• The questions people ask about that service, answered on the same page.

Contact

Priority: Essential.

• A phone number visitors can tap to call, an email address and, if it suits you, a short form.
• Your address, if customers visit you, and the areas you serve if you go to them.
• Opening hours, and how soon you reply.

Use exactly the same name, address and phone number as your Google Business Profile. Google's tips for local ranking start with complete, accurate business information.

About us

Priority: Strongly recommended.

• Who runs the business, by name, with real photos of the people and the premises.
• Qualifications, registrations and memberships a customer could check.
• How long you have been trading and where, if it is true and helps.

Google's guidance on helpful content asks whether it is self-evident who created a page. An About page is where a visitor, and a machine, goes to find out.

Privacy policy

Priority: Essential when collecting personal data.

• What personal data you collect (a contact form collects names, emails and phone numbers), why, and how long you keep it.
• Who you share it with: your email provider, booking system, analytics.
• How someone can ask to see or delete their data, and how to contact you.
• A link to it in your site-wide footer, and a page that actually loads.

Which laws apply depends on where you and your customers are; if in doubt, ask a professional.

Terms & conditions

Priority: Important for purchases or online services.

• For anything sold or booked online: payment, cancellation, refunds and delivery terms.
• Who the business legally is, and how to raise a complaint.
• Real terms for your business, not an empty page or a template with another company's name in it.

FAQ

Priority: Recommended.

• The questions customers really ask you on the phone, in their words.
• The answer in the first sentence under each question, then the detail.
• Prices, areas, timings, guarantees and what happens after someone gets in touch.

Testimonials / case studies

Priority: Recommended.

• Real reviews with a name or initial and a town, used with the customer's permission.
• Specific stories: what the problem was, what you did, what changed. Numbers only if they are true.
• Links to where the reviews live (Google, a trade body's site) so visitors can check them.

Never invent or buy reviews. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission's rule bans fake reviews and testimonials, including ones attributed to people who don't exist.

Pricing / quote

Priority: Recommended.

• Prices, "from" prices or typical ranges, with what is included.
• If every job is quoted: what affects the price, how to get a quote and how quickly it arrives.
• Any call-out fees, deposits or minimum charges, stated up front.

404 page

Priority: Essential.

• A real "page not found" response with a 404 status code, not your homepage or a blank page sent as if nothing were wrong.
• Your normal header, menu and branding, so the visitor knows they are still on your site.
• A way onward: links to the homepage, your main services and the contact page.

An error page sent with a normal "OK" status is what Google calls a soft 404. Its JavaScript SEO guide explains how app-style sites avoid them.