Building a small business website: A step-by-step guide

Key takeaways

• Define your website's purpose and goals before you start building to ensure it meets your business needs.
• AI-powered website builders can help you create professional sites quickly, even without technical skills or coding knowledge.
• Quality content, strong security and ongoing optimisation are essential for a successful business website.

Your website is your digital shopfront and whether you're a tradie, retailer, consultant or creative, a good website gives your business credibility and makes it easy for customers to find you, learn about what you do and get in touch.

This article will explain why a website is so vital to your business and walk you through the six steps to building a great small business website. We’ll also cover the ways AI is enabling small business owners to create their own unique websites, with minimal technical knowledge or expert assistance.

Why is a small business website important?

A good website attracts prospective customers, educates them about your products or services and persuades them to make purchases or engage with your business.

Your website can serve multiple purposes:

• Educate customers about you and your business.
• Generate leads and manage bookings.
• Sell products online.
• Update customers on your latest news.
• Showcase your brand and expertise.
• Introduce your business to new markets.

Understanding exactly what you want your website to achieve will shape the design and build.

Step 1: Planning your website

What should my website achieve?

Before you start building, outline your website's purpose and goals. Different businesses need different website features. For instance, a consulting business might focus on showcasing expertise and generating leads, while a retail business needs e-commerce functionality.

How AI can help:

Use AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini to brainstorm website features based on your business type. For example, ask: "What features should a website for a boutique bakery in Melbourne include?" AI assistants can suggest relevant information architecture, page types, functionality and content ideas tailored to your industry.

What domain name should I choose?

Your domain name is your website's address on the internet (like anz.com.au). It should include your business name and be easy to remember and spell.

Check that no one else is using the domain name you want, then register it through a trusted registrar to prevent others from using it. The Australian government's business website includes useful resources for registering '.au' domain names.

Helpful government resources:

• Business.gov.au

How AI can help:

AI tools can help you come up with alternative domain name options if your preferred name is taken. Provide your business name, describe what you do and ask for best-practice alternatives that are memorable and relevant.

Step 2: Choosing a hosting provider and website builder

How do I choose a hosting provider?

A hosting provider stores your website on its internet-connected servers, making it accessible to customers. It’s responsible for keeping that server running and fixing issues that might take your site offline.

Research hosting services and select a provider you're confident is reliable. Speak with other business owners about their providers and check review sites before committing to a host.

Which website builder should I use?

The content on your website is controlled by software known as a content management system (CMS). A good CMS will let you create pages, upload files, write and edit articles and remove content without needing technical expertise.

Most businesses will be best served with a basic CMS platform such as Squarespace, WordPress or Wix. These platforms offer a variety of templates and allow you to add design features and create new pages simply and without any code.

If you intend to have an online shopfront, you’ll need to use an e-commerce platform such as Shopify or BigCommerce. While you can build your whole site using these apps, they generally also offer integration with major CMS platforms.

How AI can help:

You can use ChatGPT or similar tools to help you compare hosting providers and CMS platforms. Ask: "What are the pros and cons of Wix versus Squarespace for a photography portfolio business?" to get balanced comparisons that help you decide.

Step 3: Designing your website

Website design directly impacts customer experience. If your website looks unprofessional or is difficult to navigate, it may put customers off. Your CMS will usually offer ready-to-go templates to give your website a more professional feel but be prepared to make changes to ensure it matches your brand.

 Sometimes it pays to get professional support. You may need to speak to an expert if you need help with:

• Complex customisations, like unique design elements or advanced functionalities.
• SEO strategies and digital marketing techniques to attract more customers.
• Ongoing website maintenance, including security checks and updates.

Key design considerations

• Does your website's design match your brand colors, fonts and style?
• Can your website be accessed easily on mobile devices?
• Are your menus and buttons easy to understand and navigate?
• Are your templates designed to increase SEO and AI search ranking?
• Implement search engine optimisation (SEO) and ongoing performance reporting.
• Can everyone, including people with disabilities, easily read the content?
• It’s best practice to design a website that’s accessible so it can be accessed by people with a disability. Learn more about accessibility.
• Is your website fast-loading and responsive?

How AI can help during design

• AI logo generators: Tools like Looka, LogoAI or Canva's AI features can create professional logos based on your business name and preferences.
• AI color palette generators: Describe your brand personality (e.g., "trustworthy financial advisor" or "playful children's boutique") and AI tools like Coolors or Adobe Color can suggest complementary color schemes.
• AI image generation: Use tools like Nano Banana, Midjourney or Canva's AI image generator to create custom graphics and images when you don't have professional photos yet.
• AI layout suggestions: Ask ChatGPT or Claude "What's the best homepage layout for a physiotherapy clinic website?" to get structured recommendations for page layouts.

AI-powered website builders: Modern website builders now incorporate AI to make the process of designing, building and populating your website even simpler:

• Wix ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence): Answer a few questions about your business and ADI will generate a complete website design with content suggestions.
• Shopify Magic: write product descriptions, generate blog content and create marketing copy.
• WordPress AI plugins: Tools like Jetpack AI Assistant help create and optimise content directly in WordPress.
• Claude Code: Claude Code isn’t a straight website builder, but you can paste in the code generated by a CMS and ask Claude to alter design features and suggest improvements.

Step 4: Creating content for your website

Your website needs interesting, informative content that responds to customer needs throughout their buying journey. Think about the customer experience and the A-I-D-A buying funnel: attention, interest, desire, action.

• Attention and interest: Insight articles, relatable blogs, plain-English descriptions of what you offer.
• Desire: Case studies, customer testimonials and success stories.
• Action: Clear contact information, online booking forms or straightforward purchasing options.

Ensure your content includes relevant SEO keywords and is structured for both traditional search engines and AI-powered search tools.

Helpful ANZ resources:

• Search engine optimisation (SEO) tips for small business

How AI can help with content creation

• Generate first drafts: Use AI tools to create initial versions of your ‘About us’ page, service descriptions and blog posts. For example: "Write a 200-word About us section for a family-owned plumbing business in Brisbane with 20 years of experience".
• Improve existing content: Paste your draft content into AI tools and ask them to make it more engaging, clearer or more concise.
• Create frequently asked questions (FAQs) sections: AI can help generate comprehensive FAQs by analysing your services and suggesting common customer questions.
• Write product descriptions: For e-commerce sites, AI can help write compelling product descriptions at scale.
• Optimise for SEO and AI search: Ask AI to review your content and suggest improvements for search visibility: "How can I optimise this service page for both Google search and AI search tools like ChatGPT?"

While AI can be a powerful tool, it's important to always review and personalise AI-generated content. Check for errors and add your unique perspective, local knowledge and authentic voice to ensure your content genuinely represents your business and resonates with customers.

Step 5: Securing and testing your website

Cyberattacks against businesses are expensive and can badly hurt your reputation, so protecting your website is crucial.

Cloud-based CMS platform providers typically manage cybersecurity issues for their clients, but always check what's included. If you self-host your website, get professional advice on security.

Security essentials:

• Keep software and SSL certificates updated.
• Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication.
• Regularly back up your website.
• Install security plugins or services.
• Monitor for suspicious activity.

What should I test before launching?

Before going live, test thoroughly to ensure a smooth launch. Here’s a checklist to follow:

• Review content:
  • Spelling and grammar: Proofread for errors.
  • Images and videos: Ensure all media files are properly displayed and optimised for fast loading.
• Test functionality:
  • Links: Ensure all internal and external links work.
  • Forms: Test all forms (contact, subscription, etc.) to ensure they submit data properly.
  • Navigation: Confirm that the navigation menu works as expected on all pages.
• Test performance:
  • Loading speed: Check the loading time of your website using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights.
  • Mobile responsiveness: Ensure your site looks and functions well on different devices and screen sizes.
• SEO optimisation:
  • Meta tags: Check that all pages have appropriate meta titles and descriptions.
  • Alt text: Ensure all images have descriptive alt text for accessibility and SEO.
• Security checks:
  • SSL certificate: Verify that your site has an SSL certificate and loads over HTTPS.
  • Backup: Ensure you have a recent backup of your site.
• Browser compatibility:
  • Test your website on different browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) to ensure it displays correctly.
• Analytics setup:
  • Tracking: Make sure Google Analytics or any other tracking tools are properly set up to monitor your site's performance.
• Legal compliance:
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Service: Ensure these pages are up-to-date and accessible.
  • Cookie consent: Implement a cookie consent banner if required by law.

How AI can help:

• Use AI grammar tools like Grammarly or ask ChatGPT to proofread important pages for errors and clarity.
• AI can generate meta-titles, descriptions and image alt-text. For example: "Create a 150-character meta description for a page about emergency plumbing services in Sydney".
• Ask AI to review your website from a customer's perspective: "Pretend you're a first-time visitor to my landscaping business website. What's confusing or missing? What works well?" This can reveal usability issues you might have missed.

Step 6: Maintaining your website

How do I keep my website performing well?

Launching your website is just the beginning. To maintain success:

• Monitor performance: Use analytics tools and dashboards to track visitor behavior, popular pages and conversion rates.
• Update content regularly: Keep information current and add fresh content like blog posts or news updates.
• Respond to feedback: Address negative reviews quickly and constructively.
• Stay secure: Keep software updated and monitor security threats.
• Connect social media: Link your website and social channels for a seamless customer experience.
• Optimise for search: Continuously improve your SEO and adapt to changes in how people search, including AI-powered search tools.

Helpful ANZ resources:

• Starting social media for your business
• Search engine optimisation (SEO) tips for small business

How AI can help:

• Content updates: Use AI to refresh outdated content or generate new blog post ideas based on trending topics in your industry.
• Performance analysis: Ask AI to interpret your Google Analytics data and suggest actionable improvements.
• Customer service: Implement AI chatbots to answer common customer questions 24/7.
• Review responses: Use AI to help draft professional responses to customer reviews (but remember to always personalise them).
• Social media content: Generate social media posts that link back to your website content.

Building your website is an important step

Creating a professional website for your small business is now more accessible than ever. With modern website builders and AI-powered functionality, you have the tools you need to establish an effective online presence.

Your website is a working asset that should evolve alongside your business. Start with the essentials, test thoroughly and improve based on what you learn. Soon you’ll have a website that strengthens your brand, connects with customers and lays the groundwork for growth.