Last updated: May 2026
You are starting a business. You have a hundred things to do. The website feels important but you are not sure what "good enough" looks like at this stage. You do not need everything. You need the right things.
In brief: A new business website needs five things on day one: a clear homepage that explains what you do and who you do it for, a services or product page, a contact page with a working form, basic SEO setup (title tags, meta descriptions, sitemap), and mobile responsiveness. Everything else (blog, case studies, testimonials, e-commerce) can come later. Get the foundation right first.
What you need on day one
A homepage that answers three questions in five seconds: What do you do? Who do you do it for? How do I get in touch? If a visitor cannot answer these three questions within five seconds of landing on your homepage, the page is not working. According to research from the Missouri University of Science and Technology, visitors form an opinion about a website in 0.05 seconds. You do not have time for a slow build-up.
A services or product page that describes what you offer clearly. Not features. Benefits. Not "we provide comprehensive digital solutions" but "we design websites for small businesses that need to look credible and get found on Google." Specificity builds trust. Vagueness builds suspicion.
A contact page with a form that works. Test it yourself before launch. Send a test submission and confirm it arrives. Include your email address as a visible alternative. Some visitors prefer to email directly rather than fill out forms. If you have a phone number, include it. If you have a physical location, include the address.
Basic SEO setup. Every page needs a unique title tag (under 60 characters, with your primary keyword), a meta description (150 to 160 characters), and your site needs an XML sitemap submitted to Google Search Console. Without these, Google does not know your site exists. This takes an hour to set up properly and determines whether anyone will ever find you through search.
Mobile responsiveness. Over 60% of web traffic comes from mobile devices. If your site does not work on a phone, it does not work. Test on a real phone, not just a desktop browser resized to a narrow window.
What you do not need yet
A blog. Content marketing is valuable but it is a long-term investment. If you are launching a business, your time is better spent on customers, product, and revenue. Start a blog when you have capacity to publish consistently, one well-researched article per month minimum. Sporadic, thin blog posts do more harm than good.
Case studies. You do not have clients yet. That is fine. A clear description of your services is more valuable than a fabricated case study. Add case studies as you complete real projects.
Testimonials. Same logic. Genuine testimonials from real clients carry weight. Placeholder quotes do not. Wait until you have real feedback worth sharing.
An elaborate about page. At launch, a brief paragraph about who you are and why you started the business is enough. You can expand this as the business develops a track record.
E-commerce. Unless selling products online is your core business model, do not add a shop to your website at launch. It adds complexity, security considerations, and maintenance overhead. Start with services, invoicing, and bank transfers. Add e-commerce when you have enough volume to justify the infrastructure.
The technology decision
You have three realistic options at launch.
A DIY builder (Wix, Squarespace) costs £120 to £500 per year. You can have a site live within a weekend. The trade-off is limited design flexibility, platform lock-in, and weaker SEO foundations. If your budget is under £1,000 and you need something immediately, this is the pragmatic choice.
A freelancer or small studio builds a custom site for £1,500 to £6,000. You get something designed specifically for your business, with proper SEO foundations and code you own. The trade-off is cost and time: expect four to eight weeks from brief to launch.
An AI builder (Lovable, Bolt) generates a site from a text prompt for under £50 per month. It handles the scaffolding but leaves gaps: no brand identity, no SEO strategy, no security hardening. Use it for a prototype, not a production site.
The right choice depends on your budget and how important the website is to your revenue at this stage. If the website is your primary sales channel, invest in a custom build. If it is a supporting asset while you build the business through other channels, a DIY builder or AI prototype can work temporarily.
The legal requirements
UK businesses have specific legal requirements for their websites that most people overlook.
A privacy policy is required if you collect any personal data, including through contact forms, analytics, or email subscriptions. Under UK GDPR, you must explain what data you collect, why you collect it, and how it is stored.
A cookie notice is required if your site uses any cookies beyond those strictly necessary for the site to function. If you use Google Analytics, you need a cookie consent mechanism.
Your business information must be visible: company name, registered address (if applicable), company registration number (if a limited company), and VAT number (if VAT registered).
Terms and conditions are recommended, particularly if you sell products or services through the website.
These are not optional decorations. They are legal requirements with potential penalties for non-compliance.
The one mistake that costs the most
The most expensive mistake at launch is not having a bad website. It is having no website at all.
Twenty-seven percent of UK small businesses still do not have a website, according to the Federation of Small Businesses. Every one of those businesses is invisible to the growing number of customers who search online before making any purchasing decision.
A basic, well-structured website with five pages and proper SEO foundations is infinitely more valuable than a perfect website that launches six months from now. Get something live. Improve it as you grow. Perfection at launch is the enemy of progress. Read our full guide to website costs (/thinking/website-cost-uk-2026) to understand your options and budget accordingly.
Frequently asked questions
How much should a new business spend on a website?
If budget is tight, a DIY builder at £120 to £500 per year gets you live. For a professional custom site, £1,500 to £5,000 from a freelancer or £2,500 to £6,000 from a small studio. The investment should match how important the website is to your revenue.
Do I need a brand identity before a website?
Not at launch if budget is limited. A clear logo, a consistent colour palette, and a readable font are enough to start. A full brand identity (strategy, logo, colours, typography, tone of voice, guidelines) can come when you are ready to invest £2,000 to £5,000 in the foundation. Read more about what brand identity includes (/thinking/what-is-brand-identity).
How many pages does a new business website need?
Three to five pages at launch: homepage, services or products, contact, and optionally an about page and a single landing page for your primary offering. Add more pages as you grow. Each additional page should target a specific keyword and serve a specific purpose.
Should I build the website myself or hire someone?
If budget is under £1,000 and you are comfortable with technology, build it yourself on Squarespace or Wix. If the website is important to your revenue and you have £2,000 or more to invest, hire a professional. The time you spend learning a website builder is time you are not spending on your actual business.
What is the single most important thing on a new business website?
Clarity. Can a visitor understand what you do and who you do it for within five seconds? If yes, the website is working. Everything else (animations, blog posts, testimonials, e-commerce) is secondary to that fundamental question.
Sources
- UK Federation of Small Businesses, Small Business Statistics 2025: https://www.fsb.org.uk/uk-small-business-statistics.html (https://www.fsb.org.uk/uk-small-business-statistics.html)
- Missouri University of Science and Technology, First Impressions of Websites, 2012: https://scholarsmine.mst.edu (https://scholarsmine.mst.edu)
- UK Government, Data Protection (UK GDPR): https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/ (https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/)