Business Websites

Before we get into HOW, let's establish WHY. Over 80% of consumers search for information about products and services online before making a purchase decision. If you don't have a website — or have a bad one — you don't exist to these people. A good website does several things at once: • Builds trust — a professional appearance signals a professional company • Lets customers find you when they need you — at 11 PM on Sunday, while you're asleep • Automates the delivery of information you'd otherwise repeat dozens of times a day over the phone • Gives you full control over how you present your offer Without a website, you're invisible. With a bad website, you might be worse off than having none at all — because a bad website actively drives customers away.

You've probably heard that a website "needs to be fast." But why? And what does "fast" actually mean? Google created something called Core Web Vitals — a set of measurements that determine whether a page performs well enough. The most important one is LCP (Largest Contentful Paint), which is the time until the main content of the page appears. The standard is 2.5 seconds. Where does that number come from? Research on human perception. Scientists Card, Miller, and Newell established that humans maintain focus for 0.3 to 3 seconds. Beyond that threshold, we start getting impatient, distracted, closing tabs. What does this mean in dollars? Deloitte analyzed 30 million user sessions from 37 brands over 4 weeks. Result: improving speed by just 0.1 seconds translated to 8.4% more purchases and 9.2% higher cart values. Vodafone ran an A/B test — improving load time from 8.3 to 5.7 seconds brought 8% more sales. How to check your site? Go to PageSpeed Insights (pagespeed.web.dev), enter your site address, and wait for the result. If your mobile score is below 50 — you have a problem that's actually costing you customers.

This isn't a trend or fad. Quantum Metric research from 2024 shows that 73% of website traffic comes from mobile devices. Three out of four potential customers will see your site on a phone screen, not a computer. Google has been using "mobile-first indexing" for years — meaning it evaluates your site primarily based on the mobile version. Even if it looks great on desktop but is unreadable or slow on mobile — Google will rank you lower in search results. A good mobile site is one where: • Text is readable without zooming (minimum 16 pixels) • Buttons are big enough to tap without frustration • The whole page loads quickly even on a weaker LTE connection There's another thing: cart abandonment. On mobile, 83.6% of carts are abandoned — 15% more than on desktop. Main reasons? Slow loading, difficult navigation, complicated forms.

You don't need to know the names of design trends. You need to know what to expect from a professional website. Simplicity and readability — The days of overloaded pages with dozens of elements are fading. A good site guides the user's eye instead of distracting it. Every element has a purpose. Natural, warm colors — Design in 2026 is moving toward muted, earthy tones. Not because it's fashionable, but because such colors are more pleasant for the eye and build trust better than aggressive, flashy colors. Subtle animations — Elements can smoothly appear during scrolling, buttons can react to hover. But animations should support usability, not be a showcase of capabilities. Consistency — A professional site looks like a whole — the same fonts, colors, button styles on every subpage. Inconsistency signals chaos and unprofessionalism. Don't get caught up in the "wow effect" either. A site that amazes at first contact but makes it hard to find information is worse than a simple but functional site.

In the European Union, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) came into force in 2025. In the United States, websites are increasingly subject to ADA lawsuits — with over 4,500 web accessibility lawsuits filed in 2023 alone. This means websites must be accessible to people with disabilities — it's no longer a "nice addition," but a legal requirement. But even without regulations — accessibility makes business sense. About 15-20% of the population has some form of disability — from vision problems, to motor difficulties, to dyslexia. An inaccessible site simply loses these customers. Additionally, features that help people with disabilities (readable fonts, logical navigation, good contrasts) help all users. What does "accessible site" actually mean? • Text must have sufficient contrast with the background • The site must be operable using only a keyboard • Images need text descriptions for screen readers • Forms must clearly communicate errors When talking to an agency, ask directly: "Will the site comply with WCAG 2.2?" If they don't know what you're talking about, that's a red flag.

"AI-powered website" sounds modern. But what does it actually mean and do you need it? Chatbots — this makes sense for many businesses. A well-implemented chatbot answers repetitive questions (business hours, prices, availability), qualifies leads, and redirects to a human when needed. The key word is "well-implemented" — a chatbot that doesn't understand questions and irritates users is worse than no chatbot. Content personalization — a site that shows different things to different users based on their behavior. For large online stores, this is standard. For a small service business website — probably overkill. Site search — AI can significantly improve search results by understanding intent rather than just keywords. Useful if you have lots of content or products. The rule is simple: AI should solve a specific problem. If an agency proposes "AI features" without explaining what problem they solve — they're probably trying to sell you something you don't need.

User Experience (UX) is how a user experiences your site. Beautiful design means nothing if people can't find what they're looking for. Clear value proposition at the top of the page — A user should understand within 3 seconds what you do and why they should stay. Don't hide this behind slogans and stock photos. Obvious action buttons — "Order now," "Book a meeting," "Call us" — these buttons should stand out and be visible without scrolling. Simple forms — Every form field is a barrier. Only ask for what you really need. A form with 3 fields will get more completions than a form with 10 fields. Trust signals — Customer reviews, certificates, guarantees, logos of companies you work with. People buy from companies they trust. Logical structure — Users should intuitively know where to look for information. A menu with 3-5 items is better than a menu with 15 items. The best UX is invisible — the user simply finds what they're looking for and does what they want, without thinking about the interface.

The internet accounts for about 4% of global CO2 emissions. A lighter site = less energy = better for the planet. But more importantly for you as a business owner: a lighter site = faster site = more customers = lower hosting costs. Sustainability and performance go hand in hand — optimizing for one automatically improves the other.

This section could save you thousands of dollars and months of frustration. Before you start looking for a vendor: • Define your goal — not "I want a nice website," but "I want customers to be able to book appointments online" • Gather examples — show the agency 3-5 sites you like and explain what specifically appeals to you • Prepare content — or budget for its creation. A website without content is a box without a product Red flags when choosing an agency: • "We'll do everything for $500." — A professional business website costs from $2,500 and up. Offers significantly below market mean either templates without customization or hidden costs • No portfolio or only templates — If all projects look the same, it's a template with cosmetic changes • "We don't need a brief." — An agency that doesn't ask questions won't build a site tailored to your needs • Unclear ownership terms — After the project ends, the site should be yours. Ask directly: "What happens if I want to switch vendors in a year?" • No talk about performance and mobile — If these topics don't come up, the agency either doesn't know it matters or doesn't plan to address it

• "What will the PageSpeed Insights score be on mobile?" — expect minimum 70 • "Will the site comply with WCAG 2.2?" • "What does the process look like — how many rounds of revisions?" • "What's included in the price, and what costs extra?" • "Who will own the domain and hosting?" • "What does post-launch support look like?"

Simple business website (5-10 pages): $2,500 - $10,000 For small service businesses, freelancers, local companies. Presentation of offer, contact, maybe a blog. Expanded corporate website (10-25 pages): $8,000 - $35,000 More content, integrations (CRM, booking calendar), possibly multilingual support. E-commerce store: $5,000 - $50,000+ Depends on number of products, payment integrations, inventory management, shipping providers. Web application / custom platform: $25,000 - $150,000+ Advanced functionality, admin panels, business logic, user authentication, API integrations. Ongoing costs to factor in: • Domain: $10-50/year • Hosting: $20-300/month for quality hosting • Maintenance and updates: $100-1,000/month If someone offers significantly below these ranges — they're either a beginner learning on your project or counting on hidden costs later.

A website is a living organism, not a monument. After launch: Monitor analytics — Google Analytics will show you where users come from, what they do on the site, where they drop off. This data lets you continuously improve the site. Update content — Outdated information (old prices, discontinued products, last year's news) undermines trust and hurts you in Google. Plan technical reviews — Once a quarter, it's worth checking site speed, whether everything works, whether security issues have appeared. Budget for maintenance — System updates, security patches, minor changes — this costs money. Either you pay an agency a retainer, hire someone permanently, or learn yourself. The "do nothing" option ends with a hacked or broken site.