Lesson 1 of 19 · Learn · 8 min
1.1 What a business website must do
Why it matters. Customers search before they buy, but most small businesses can only be found on WhatsApp or Instagram. Buying online is still tiny: in one study, online shopping was 0.3% of mobile money payments to shops (GSMA, 2019). The businesses that show up on Google, take bookings and sell online now are ahead of everyone near them.
A small business website has one job: turn a visitor into a customer. Most visitors are on a phone and decide in seconds, so the top of the page must say what the business does, where it is, and how to reach it.
| Part | Example for a tailor |
|---|---|
| Top section: what, where, for whom | Clothes sewn to fit you, in Kumasi. For men and women. |
| What they sell or do | Kaba and slit, shirts, school uniforms, with prices if the owner agrees |
| Photos of real work | Finished clothes, the shop, the team |
| Why choose them | 12 years sewing in Adum, and real reviews |
| One main button, repeated | Chat on WhatsApp, Book a fitting or Pay a deposit |
| Contact | Phone, WhatsApp, address with a landmark, opening hours |
Four or five pages is plenty: Home, Services or Products, About, Contact, and maybe Gallery or Prices.
Before you build, get from the owner: the name, what the business does and for whom, where it is, the phone number, prices they're happy to show, and at least four photos.
Never make up prices, phone numbers, addresses or reviews.
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