How to choose a small business website template: 12 things to check

Updated October 27, 2026 · For owners of small local businesses, and the people who build their sites

A template can save weeks of work, but only if it fits your business and you can actually finish it. Before you buy one, from us or anyone else, it's worth spending ten minutes with the demo and the small print. These are the twelve things we'd check.

The short answer

Open the demo on your phone, make sure it's written for your kind of business and has the pages you need, check that the contact form really sends somewhere, and read the licence and refund terms. Then add up what it will cost over a few years, not just today.

1. It looks right on a phone first

Most customers will see the site on a phone. Open the demo on your own phone, not just a narrowed desktop window: the menu should be easy to open, text readable without zooming, buttons big enough to tap, and nothing should slide sideways. If the phone version feels like an afterthought, it will to your customers too.

2. It's written for your kind of business

A template made for a restaurant has a menu and opening hours; one for a plumber has services, service areas and a quote form. Starting from a version that already has the right sections and sample wording saves hours of rewriting and makes it less likely you'll leave a page half-finished.

3. It has the pages you need

At minimum: home, services, about, contact and privacy, plus a thank-you page for the form and a 404 page for broken links. Recent work and an FAQ are worth having. See what pages a small business website needs for what goes on each one.

4. The contact form actually works, and you can see how

Many templates include a form that looks fine but sends nowhere. Check that the documentation explains how messages reach your inbox, which free form service it uses, and where people land after they press Send.

5. You get the files and can host them anywhere

With a plain HTML/CSS template you download the files and can put them on any host, including free ones, and move them later. With a builder theme, the site usually lives inside that builder's paid plan. Neither is wrong, but know which one you're buying. Our website builder or HTML template guide compares the two.

6. You know the full cost over a few years

Look past the sticker price: is it one payment or a subscription, and what will hosting, the domain and email cost each year? Our small business website cost guide adds these up over three years.

7. It loads quickly

Heavy sliders, autoplay video and many add-on scripts make a site slow on mobile data. Open the demo on your phone away from Wi-Fi. A plain, light template usually loads in about a second and is easier to keep that way.

8. You can change the words and photos yourself

Check how editing works before you buy. For an HTML template, the README should say exactly which placeholders to replace and in which files. If only a developer could make sense of it, plan for that cost.

9. The basics for search are already there

Each page should have its own title and description, one main heading, sensible headings below it, and a sitemap. Structured data for a local business is a bonus. These don't guarantee rankings, but missing them makes the job harder.

10. It's readable and usable for everyone

Text should have good contrast with its background, links should look like links, images should have descriptions, and the menu should work with a keyboard. These help every visitor, not only people using assistive technology.

11. The licence fits how you'll use it

Read the licence in plain terms: how many sites can you build with it, can you build one for a client, and can you change it as much as you like? If you're a designer working for clients, check that client work is allowed and how many licences you need.

12. There's a refund policy and a way to ask questions

Look for a clear refund period and a real contact address. A seller who explains what's included, shows a working demo and answers questions is usually a safer choice than a price alone suggests.

A quick way to compare two templates

Open both demos on your phone, side by side if you can. Find the phone number, open the menu, go to the contact page and read the services page. Whichever one gets you there faster, with less squinting, is usually the better starting point. Then read both licences and refund policies before deciding on price.

After you choose

Replace every placeholder, add your own photos, test the form and the phone link, and publish. The small business website checklist covers what to check before launch, and how to put an HTML website online for free covers hosting and your own domain. All guides are on the free guides page.