A small business website should contain five core elements: explicit contact information (phone, email, physical address if applicable), a concise description of what you sell or do, proof you're legitimate (about page, reviews, credentials), clear next-step prompts, and technical fundamentals that don't sabotage the first four. Start with a homepage that answers "what do you do" and "why should I care" in under 10 seconds of scanning. Include one primary call-to-action above the fold—book a call, get a quote, shop now. Secondary CTAs can live further down. Your services or products page should explain offerings in plain language, not jargon. If you have more than six services, group them or create individual landing pages for the top three. The about page exists to answer "can I trust these people." Include founder background, years in business, certifications, and ideally a photo of the team or workspace. A contact page with a form, direct phone number, and—if you serve local customers—a Google Maps embed is non-negotiable. For Ottawa or Toronto businesses, list your service areas explicitly; "Greater Ottawa Region" tells Google and users where you operate. Technical requirements matter as much as content. Mobile responsiveness is mandatory—over 60% of small business traffic comes from phones. Page speed under 3 seconds on mobile keeps bounce rates reasonable. SSL certificate (the padlock) is both a ranking factor and trust signal. Schema markup for local businesses (LocalBusiness type) helps Google display your info correctly. What you don't need: a blog unless you'll update it monthly, stock photos of handshake meetings, auto-playing videos, or more than eight top-level pages. We see small businesses hurt themselves by launching with 15 half-finished pages instead of six polished ones. At Ottawa SEO, we typically build 5–7 page sites for new small business clients, then add content based on actual search demand and conversion data. Start lean, prove the concept, expand strategically.