What should be on the first screen of a local business website?

Most people who look up a local business are on a phone, in the middle of something, comparing two or three options. They give your site a few seconds. The first screen, everything they see before scrolling, has to answer their questions in that time.

1. What you do, and where

One plain line. “Electrician in Your Town” beats “Welcome to our website” every time. If you serve several towns, name the main one and link to the rest.

2. A way to reach you in one tap

Put your phone number in the header of every page, and make it tappable on phones. If you take bookings online, the booking button goes here too.

3. One clear next step

Pick the action that brings in work for your business and make it the biggest button on the screen: Call now, Book a consultation, Get an estimate. One main button works better than five that compete.

4. A reason to trust you

Licensed and insured, years in business, the associations you belong to, a real photo of your team or your work. Only what’s true, and only a few words of it.

5. A page that loads fast and reads well on a phone

Large text, short lines, no pop-ups covering the screen, and images sized for phones. A beautiful page that takes too long to load never gets seen.

What can wait further down

Your history, the full list of services, your mission statement and a photo gallery all belong on the site, just not first. Put them where people who are already interested will scroll.

What goes first, by industry

• Electricians and other trades: tap-to-call in the header of every page, your services and the towns you cover, licensed and insured stated up front.
• Law firms: practice areas on the first screen, a consultation button on every page, attorney bios with real photos.
• Accountants: services for people and for businesses, tax-season hours that are easy to find, a booking link for first meetings.
• Dental clinics: new patient booking front and center, the insurance you accept in plain words, hours, parking and directions.
• Landscapers: before-and-after photos of your work, the towns you cover on one page, a short free-estimate form.
• Salons: online booking from every page, services with their prices, your best work in your own photos.
• Agencies: case studies first, what you do in one line, a contact form that asks the right questions.
• Real estate: listings one click away, the neighborhoods you know best, call or text from any page.