How to Make Your Small Businesses Website Perform

Why “Just Having a Website” Isn’t Enough

Being in 2025, most of us know that having a website for your business is essential. With the internet now part of our everyday lives, whenever we seek information, services or products, the default is to search online. With this in mind, it’s easy to understand the value of a website; without any digital real estate, how can your target audience find your business and its services?

For many business owners, this is where the understanding ends. Unless you have experience in marketing or technology, anything beyond knowing that your business needs an online presence can feel overwhelming. For a long time, that was fine. The internet was still in its infancy, and simply having a website with basic information was enough to generate traffic and see a return on your investment.

However, the digital landscape has changed. With the volume of content online constantly increasing, search engines like Google have tightened their criteria to ensure users receive useful, relevant information. Google now uses complex systems to decide which content to promote. The days of “just having a website” are over. To create an effective online resource, you need to understand a few key areas that directly impact your website’s performance.

The Three Pillars of a High-Performing Website

We’ve created short, easy-to-understand crash courses in three key areas for business owners who want to get ahead but aren’t technical wizards:

1. Website Conventions: What Are They and Why Are They Important?

Website conventions are the standards in design and functionality that make your site intuitive and effective for visitors.

Key areas include:

• Clear navigation and site structure
• Mobile-friendly design
• Strong calls-to-action
• Trust signals like testimonials

Following these conventions ensures your website isn’t just a placeholder, but a tool that actually converts visitors into customers.

For a deeper dive on how to use website conventions to design a website that converts, check out our Complete Guide to Website Conventions.

2. SEO: What Is It and How Does It Affect My Business?

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) helps your website appear in search results when people are actively looking for your products or services.

Important aspects include:

• On-page SEO: page titles, headings, and meta descriptions
• Technical SEO: site speed, structured data, mobile-friendliness
• Local SEO: making it easy for nearby customers to find you

Even understanding the basics can help you make smarter decisions, increase visibility, and drive more traffic to your site.

Learn more about improving your website’s visibility in our Small Business SEO Guide.

3. Website Health Checks: Quick Wins to Boost Your Site’s Performance

A website that doesn’t follow best practices can fail to deliver results. Health checks help you spot common shortcomings in your website and take steps to fix them.

Common pain-points include:

• Content clarity and structure: Are headings, menus, and calls-to-action logical and easy to follow? Confusing layouts can reduce conversions, even if the site looks nice.
• Mobile usability: If your site doesn’t display well on phones or tablets, visitors may leave immediately. Small adjustments like resizing images or improving button placement can make a big difference.
• Site speed: Pages that load slowly frustrate visitors and hurt search visibility. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights can quickly highlight problem areas.
• Technical errors: Broken links, missing pages, or improperly structured content can reduce trust and user satisfaction. Spotting these issues is often easier than you think.

These are quick, actionable wins that give your site an immediate boost. For a step-by-step guide covering a full audit, see our Comprehensive Website Audit Checklist.

Take Action and Make Your Website Work for You

Even small improvements in design, SEO, and health can make a noticeable difference. Start by observing your website with fresh eyes:

• Is it easy to navigate?
• Is your messaging clear and up-to-date?
• Does it load quickly and display well on mobile devices?

These observations alone give insights into where your website may need improvement.