Alright, let’s be honest—building your first business website can feel like assembling IKEA furniture without the instructions.

You know you need it, but you’re not sure if you’re building a website or a spaceship.

So, let’s break down the five things every small business absolutely must get right, and I promise, no Allen wrenches required.

First, your homepage.

This is your digital handshake. If your homepage looks like a garage sale, people will run away faster than I run from my neighbor’s karaoke night. Keep it simple. Tell people what you do, right at the top.

Not “Welcome to Bob’s World”—nobody knows what Bob’s world is.

Try “Fresh Pizza Delivered Fast.”Now I know what you do, and I’m already hungry.

Second, contact info.

Don’t make people hunt for your phone number like it’s buried treasure.Put your phone, email, and address where everyone can see it.And if you have a contact form, make sure it works.Nobody wants to fill out a form and get an error message in Klingon.

Third, mobile-friendliness.

If your website looks like a jigsaw puzzle on a phone, people will leave.Test it on your phone, your friend’s phone, even your grandma’s phone.If you have to zoom in to read your own menu, it’s time for a change.

Fourth, clear calls to action.

Don’t just hope people figure out what to do.Tell them!Use big, obvious buttons like “Order Now” or “Book a Table.”Don’t hide your buttons like they’re in witness protection.

Fifth, trust signals.

People want to know you’re legit.Add real customer reviews, show off any awards, and if you’ve been in the news—even if it’s just the local paper—brag about it.And if you collect emails, promise you won’t sell their info to a Nigerian prince.

So, get these five things right and you’ll look like a pro, not a time traveler from 1999.

If you learned something, hit like, subscribe, and tell me in the comments—what’s the worst website you’ve ever seen?

Let’s help each other out, and make the internet a little less scary, one website at a time!