A homepage has five jobs: say what you do, where you do it, what it costs or how to get a quote, why you over the other guy, and how to reach you in one tap. Everything else is optional.
The most common mistake is burying the phone number in a footer or a contact page. Most local customers are on a phone and decide in seconds. Put the number where the eye lands first.
Second most common: wall-of-text introductions about how long you have served the area. One line about that is plenty. Lead with what the customer came for.
The five jobs, in order
What you do, where you do it, what it costs, why you, and how to reach you. That order matches how customers decide, so the page should match it too.
Test your homepage against the list. Anything that is not doing one of those five jobs is pushing a job further down the screen.
The phone number rule
The number goes in the header, in the hero, and at the end of every service section. It is a tap on mobile and visible without scrolling on desktop.
On a phone the call button is always within thumb reach. This one change moves more calls than any redesign we do for Detroit businesses.
Writing for skimmers
Nobody reads your homepage; they scan it. Short sentences, bold facts, and one idea per block. Prices in plain numbers, not quote-request mazes.
If a sentence could be shorter, it should be. We cut our own copy three times before a page ships.
Quick answers.
Should I list prices on the site?
Yes, if you can. Clear prices filter out tire-kickers and build trust. We show ours.
How many pages do I need?
Most Detroit businesses need five to eight: home, services, about, contact, and a page per major service or location.
Do I need a blog?
Only if someone will actually write it. A stale blog reads worse than no blog.
What about photos of my shop?
Real photos, absolutely. Phone-quality is fine; fake stock is worse than none.
Related notes.
- DIY builders vs a custom site
- How long does a website take to build?
- The real cost of a cheap website
Keep reading:
How much does a website cost? Web design for local business What makes a website feel professional More about Web design & build