Short answer: To make a website for your business, register a domain and pick a platform you can edit yourself. Write a few core pages with the words your customers use, and give every page a way to contact you. Then check that Google can find it.
What a business website needs
The SBA, the U.S. Small Business Administration, says that if you want an online presence, you start by registering a domain name. Once it’s yours, no one else can use it for as long as you keep it.
You register it through a registrar and renew it regularly. ICANN, which accredits registrars, says you must keep your contact details accurate and answer your registrar within 15 days. Our guide on who owns a domain shows how to check the record.
The site itself should load over HTTPS. Our SSL certificate guide explains what that means and how to check it.
The pages to start with
| Page | What it answers | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Home | What you do, for whom and where | A way to contact you near the top |
| Services | What each service includes | One page per service, with its own address |
| About us | Who is behind the business | Real names and real photos |
| Contact | How to reach you | A short form, plus phone or WhatsApp |
| Privacy policy | What you do with visitors’ data | A link in the footer and next to each form |
Our guides to the about us page and the contact form go deeper into two of them. If you publish prices, our pricing page guide covers how to show them.
Google’s SEO Starter Guide says content that people find compelling and useful will likely influence your presence in search more than any of its other suggestions. It also suggests thinking about the words people use to look for what you offer.
How to make your business website
- Register a domain through an accredited registrar, and set it to renew.
- Choose a platform you can edit without code.
- Turn on HTTPS so every page loads securely.
- Write the core pages with the words your customers use.
- Give every page a clear way to contact you.
- Open each page on a phone and fix what is hard to read or tap.
- Search Google for your site with the site: operator, and submit a sitemap if you can.
Our guide on how to get your website on Google covers the last step and why a new site may not show up yet.
How our own site is put together
On November 3, 2026, we read our own site as a visitor. It runs on WordPress with a visual builder, so anyone on the team can change a page without code.
Its sitemaps list 404 addresses: 202 in English and 202 in Spanish. The home page marks its English and Spanish versions with hreflang tags, and the http address redirects to https.
The home page links 4 times to the contact page and 2 times to WhatsApp.
Google says changes take time to show in search: some in a few hours, others in several months. It suggests waiting a few weeks before judging whether a change worked.
Before you call your site ready
- The domain is in your name and set to renew.
- Every page loads over HTTPS.
- Each service has its own page.
- Every page has a way to contact you.
- The privacy policy is linked from every form.
- The site shows up in a site: search on Google.
RememberA business website starts with a domain you own and pages you can edit: the rest you can improve later.
If you want a site built this way, our web design service can do it with you.
Quick answers about business websites
Do I need my own domain for a business website?
Yes. The SBA advises starting with a domain name if you want an online presence: once you register it, no one else can use it while you keep it. It doesn’t have to match your legal business name.
Can I make a business website myself?
Yes. A website builder or a content management system lets you build the pages without code. Choose one you can keep editing, so changing a price, your hours or a photo doesn’t depend on someone else.
What pages should a small business website have?
Start with a home page, one page per service, an about page, a contact page and a privacy policy. Add more pages when customers keep asking something your site doesn’t answer.
How do I get my business website on Google?
Google finds most sites on its own. Search for your site with the site: operator to see if it is indexed. You can also submit a sitemap, which Google says isn’t required.
How long until my website shows up well in Google?
Google says changes take time to be reflected: some in a few hours, others in several months. It suggests waiting a few weeks before judging whether a change worked.
Sources
Read on November 3, 2026. U.S. Small Business Administration: Launch your business. ICANN: Registrants’ Benefits and Responsibilities. Google Search Central: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide. Our own case: our website read as a visitor, its sitemaps and its home page, November 3, 2026.