Small business website: what it is for, what it costs, what it must contain

Brochure website, e-commerce site, landing page: the difference

“Site vitrine” (brochure website) is searched 1,600 times a month in France. The term means a website that presents the business without selling online: a tradesperson, a practice, a restaurant, an agency, a local shop.

France Num, the French public service for the digital transformation of small businesses, makes a useful distinction. The “leaflet” site informs: who you are, what you do, where you are. The marketing-led site turns the visitor’s interest into action: getting in touch, a quote request, an appointment, a call. Both can have the same number of pages; it is the second that is designed to bring in customers.

• Brochure website: present the business and get people in touch. Payment, if any, happens off the site.
• E-commerce site: sell online, with a basket or direct payment.
• Landing page: a single page for a single offer, often the destination of an ad.

How much does a small business website cost

“Site vitrine prix” (brochure website price) is searched 390 times a month in France. There is no reference price: everything depends on how it is built and on the content work. France Num describes three routes:

1. 1
   Online website builder: the cheapest and simplest option according to France Num, design and hosting included, but a less personalised result, best kept for sites with few options.
2. 2
   CMS (WordPress or similar): a very modest cost, but time to learn the tool, and a host to choose, preferably in France or the European Union.
3. 3
   Agency or freelancer: a specification, compared quotes, a made-to-measure site. France Num advises checking the warranty period and the maintenance cost, and staying the owner of the site and its source files.

The pages that bring calls

France Num sums it up: your content must answer your customers’ questions, not talk about you. Someone looking for a provider types a need, not your name. A small business website that pays therefore has these pages:

1. 1
   The home page: your value proposition as the heading, the area you serve, the call or quote button visible without scrolling, your services as links.
2. 2
   One page per service: what is done, for whom, the lead time, the price or the range if you can show it, photos of your work, an FAQ.
3. 3
   One page per area if you serve several towns, with content specific to each (your jobs or your customers there), never the same page with a town name swapped.
4. 4
   Projects or case studies: real photos, before and after, with what was done.
5. 5
   About you: the team, the qualifications you actually hold, how long you have been in business.
6. 6
   Reviews: real customer reviews, or a link to your Google Business Profile.
7. 7
   Contact and legal notice: tappable phone number, short form, address, opening hours. In France the legal notice is compulsory: it includes, among other things, the trade and companies register (RCS/RNE) number and the intra-community VAT number and the hosting provider’s contact details.

The errors we measure most often

Our automated analysis screened 2,747 small business websites in France. The most frequent gaps on the home page are exactly the ones that stop a small business website from bringing calls:

Getting your small business website found

A small business website that nobody finds is just a leaflet. The steps, in order:

1. 1
   Add the site to Google Search Console and submit its sitemap.
2. 2
   Create or complete your Google Business Profile, with the link to the site, to appear in Google Maps and the local pack of the results.
3. 3
   Write every page title with the service and the town, the way your customers type them.
4. 4
   List the site in the directories your customers really use, and on your printed materials, as France Num advises.
5. 5
   Ask every satisfied customer for a Google review.

Knowing whether your small business website pays

France Num puts the question bluntly: do you know what happens on your site? A small business website with no measurement tells you neither how many people visit it, nor which pages they read, nor how many call. Install an audience measurement tool, check it at least once a month, and above all count the enquiries: taps on the phone number, forms sent, appointments booked.