How to optimise your business website in 2026

Optimising beats starting again

You don’t always need a new website. Often the fastest way to more enquiries is improving the one you have. Here’s the checklist we use when we optimise a business website, roughly in order of impact. Work through it from the top and stop when you run out of time: the early fixes pay off the most.

1. Make it fast

Speed affects both Google rankings and how many visitors stay. Most slow sites have the same problems:

• Huge images uploaded straight from a camera or phone
• Too many plugins, apps or third-party scripts
• Cheap hosting or an outdated platform
• Fonts and videos that load before anything else

Run your homepage through Google PageSpeed Insights on mobile. Fix images first, then remove anything you don’t use. If the scores mean nothing to you, our guide to Core Web Vitals in plain English explains what each one measures.

2. Make it work beautifully on phones

Most people will see your site on a phone first. Check every key page on your own mobile. Buttons should be easy to tap, text easy to read without zooming, and your phone number one tap away.

3. Say what you do, clearly

Your homepage headline should explain what you do, who for and where, in plain English. "Electrical work for homes and businesses across Brisbane’s north" beats "Powering your future". Our guide to writing website copy that converts has a simple formula for it.

4. Give every service its own page

One page per main service helps Google understand what you offer and helps visitors find the detail they need. Each page should answer the questions people ask before they buy: what’s included, how it works, how long it takes and roughly what it costs.

5. Make the next step obvious

Every page should end with a clear call to action, like booking a call, requesting a quote or calling now. Keep forms short. Every extra field loses people.

6. Get the SEO basics right

• A unique page title and description for every page
• One clear main heading per page
• Descriptive image alt text
• A sitemap submitted to Google Search Console
• Your business name, location and contact details in the footer

If you serve customers in a specific area, our local SEO checklist goes deeper. If you’d rather hand it over, that’s what our SEO service is for.

7. Build trust

Show real reviews, real photos and real results. Add your Google rating, client logos if you have permission, and short case studies. People want proof you’ve done this before.

8. Make it accessible

Good contrast, readable font sizes, proper headings and labelled form fields help everyone, not just people with a disability. It’s also increasingly expected of Australian businesses. Our website accessibility guide covers the quick wins.

9. Keep it fresh

Update your content regularly: new projects, answers to common questions, seasonal offers. Fresh content gives people a reason to come back and gives Google a reason to visit more often.

10. Measure what matters

Set up Google Analytics and Search Console if you haven’t already. Track enquiries, calls and bookings, not just visitors. Then review monthly and improve the pages that get traffic but don’t convert.

When optimising isn’t enough

Sometimes the honest answer is that the site is holding you back. Signs it’s time for a rebuild rather than a tune-up:

• The platform is so old that basic changes need a developer
• It looks dated enough that people question whether you’re still trading
• Speed problems come from the theme or builder itself, not your content
• You can’t add the pages or features your business now needs

If that sounds familiar, our guide to what a website costs in Australia is a good next read, and you can see how we approach a rebuild on our web design page.

Where to start this week

• Compress your images and remove unused plugins
• Rewrite your homepage headline
• Add a clear call to action to every service page
• Check your site on your phone, page by page