A customer opens your page with one question in mind: can this person fix my problem, and how do I reach them? Every element on the page either helps answer that or gets in the way.

Here's the short list, in the order it should appear.

1. Your business name, exactly as people say it

If customers call you "Dave's Plowing," don't brand yourself "DJP Property Services LLC" on the page. Use the name people use. Put the legal name in the footer if you like, but the top of the page should match what someone heard from their neighbor.

2. What you do, in one sentence

Not a mission statement. A sentence a stranger would understand: "Driveway and small-lot plowing in Grand Island, Tonawanda and Kenmore." That one line does more work than three paragraphs of "committed to excellence."

Be specific about the work. "Handyman" is vague. "Small repairs, drywall, doors, decks, and the jobs a contractor won't come out for" tells someone whether to call you.

3. Where you work

Name the towns. This is the single most useful thing on a local page, because it answers "do you come out here?" before the phone rings, and it's how people search — they type the town, not your name.

If you'll travel, say how far. If you won't cross the bridge, say that too. Turning away a job politely on a web page is cheaper than driving 40 minutes to do it in person.

4. A phone number that works when tapped

On a phone — which is where nearly all of your visitors are — the number should be a link that dials. Not an image of a number. Not "call us" with the digits buried in a paragraph. Just show it large and let it dial.

If you answer texts, say so. A lot of people under 40 will text before they call, and a lot of people over 60 will not, so offer both.

5. Your hours, honestly

"Mon–Fri 8–5, Sat by appointment" is useful. "24/7" when you mean "I'll get to it" is not. If you're a one-person shop and the phone goes to voicemail during jobs, say "leave a message and I'll call back the same day" — that's reassuring, and it's true.

6. Something that shows you're real

A photo of your truck, your van, a job you finished, or you. One is enough. It doesn't need to be professional; it needs to look like a business that exists. If you have insurance, a license, or a certification, list it — those are the details that separate you from a guy with a ladder.

Skip stock photos of smiling models in hard hats. Everyone recognizes them and they make a small business look smaller.

7. What it costs to start

You don't have to publish a price list. But "free estimates," "flat rate for a standard driveway," or "minimum visit $95" saves everyone a phone call. Vagueness about money is the number one reason people give up on a local business page and call the next name.

What you can leave off

• A blog. Unless you genuinely want to write, an empty blog with one post from 2021 looks worse than no blog.
• A newsletter signup. Nobody wants a monthly email from their snowplow guy.
• A contact form instead of a phone number. Forms are fine as an extra. As the only way to reach you, they lose work.
• Social media buttons. If your Facebook page is stale, linking to it undoes the good the website did.
• Long story. "Founded in 2011 after..." is fine in an About section if you have one. It should not be the first thing anyone reads.
• Pop-ups. Never. Not for a cookie notice, not for a "10% off" offer, not for anything.

The test

Hand your phone to someone who doesn't know your business and give them fifteen seconds. Then ask: what do I do, where do I do it, and how would you reach me?

If they can answer all three, the page is done. If they can't, the problem isn't design — it's that one of the seven things above is missing or buried.

If you're wondering whether all this fits on one page, it does: see one page or a full website.