By Rakibul Hasan, Moonlab
When we look at small business websites, the same problems come up again and again. Most of them are not design problems. They are small technical mistakes that quietly cost enquiries: a contact form that sends to nowhere, an email link that still points to the template address, or a page that is hard to use on a phone.
This checklist covers the 20 things worth checking first. You can work through most of it yourself in an hour with a phone, a laptop and a free tool or two. Each point says what to check and what good looks like.
Security and setup (points 1-4)
These are the basics that browsers and search engines notice first. If any of them fail, fix them before anything else.
- 1. HTTPS everywhere. Every page should load on https:// with the padlock showing. Type your address with http:// and check it redirects to the secure version.
- 2. A valid certificate. Click the padlock and check the certificate covers your domain and is not close to expiry. Make sure renewal is automatic, because expired certificates show visitors a full-page warning.
- 3. One main address. The www and non-www versions should end up at the same address. Two live copies of the site split your search signals.
- 4. Mixed content. Images or scripts loaded over plain http on a secure page can break the padlock. Your browser's developer console lists them.
Mobile and layout (points 5-6)
Most visitors to a local business site arrive on a phone, so check the site on a real phone, not just a narrow desktop window.
- 5. A mobile viewport. The page should fit the screen without pinching or sideways scrolling. If it looks like a tiny desktop page, the viewport meta tag is usually missing.
- 6. Readable text and tappable buttons. Text should be readable without zooming, and buttons and links should be big enough and far enough apart to tap with a thumb.
Search basics (points 7-11)
These are the on-page details search engines use to understand each page. They take minutes to fix and are missed on a surprising number of sites.
- 7. A unique page title on every page. Each title should say what the page is about and where you work, for example 'Emergency Plumber in Austin | Company Name'. Watch for every page sharing the same title, or titles like 'Home' and 'Untitled'.
- 8. A meta description for every important page. It does not change rankings directly, but it is often the text people read in search results before they click.
- 9. One H1 per page. The main heading should describe the page. Common problems are no H1 at all, the logo used as the H1, or several H1s on one page.
- 10. Images sized for the web. Photos straight from a camera or phone can be several megabytes each. Resize them to the size they are shown at and use a modern format like WebP.
- 11. Alt text on meaningful images. Describe what the image shows, such as 'technician fitting a water heater'. Skip decorative images and do not stuff keywords.
Contact paths (points 12-15)
This is where we find the most costly problems. A site can look perfect and still lose every enquiry because the contact path is broken.
- 12. A contact form that actually delivers. Fill in your own form and check the message arrives, lands in the inbox and not spam, and reaches someone who reads it. Check again after any site update or hosting change.
- 13. Email links pointing to a real address. Click every email link. A common mistake is a mailto link still set to the theme's placeholder, such as info@example.com or the template designer's address, or an address on a domain you no longer use.
- 14. A tappable phone number. On a phone, tapping the number should start a call. That needs a tel: link, not just text or an image of the number.
- 15. A clear booking path. If customers can book, the booking button should be visible on the home page and every service page, and the flow should work end to end on a phone.
Local listings and indexing (points 16-18)
These points help search engines find your pages and connect your website to your business listing.
- 16. Google Business Profile linked and consistent. Your profile should link to your site, and the business name, address and phone number should match the site exactly.
- 17. A sitemap. Most sites can generate one at /sitemap.xml. Submit it in Google Search Console and check it only lists pages that really exist.
- 18. A robots.txt that is not blocking you. Open /robots.txt. If it says 'Disallow: /' for all user agents, search engines are being told to stay out, often left over from when the site was being built.
Upkeep and speed (points 19-20)
The last two points are small signals that tell visitors whether anyone is looking after the site.
- 19. An up-to-date footer. A copyright year from several years ago makes a business look closed. Make the year update itself, and check that opening hours and service areas are current.
- 20. Reasonable speed. Run your home page and one service page through Google PageSpeed Insights on mobile. Oversized images, too many plugins and heavy sliders are the usual causes of a slow site.
How to use this checklist
Go through the list once on a phone and once on a laptop, and note each problem with the page address. Fix the contact paths first, since they cost you enquiries directly, then security, then the search basics.
Repeat the check every few months and after any redesign, plugin update or hosting move. Many of these problems appear after a change nobody tested. A simple uptime and form check can be automated so you hear about a broken form before a customer does.
Get a free website audit
If you would rather have someone else run the check, book a free 30-minute audit at moonlab.space/contact. We go through these points on your site, show you what is broken and what matters most, and you keep the list.
Related services: fixes, redesigns and ongoing care at moonlab.space/services/web-development, technical and local SEO at moonlab.space/services/seo, and SSL, hosting and email deliverability at moonlab.space/services/cloud-and-devops.