Free download
Small Business Website Checklist — 2026 Edition
Free 2026 PDF: 30 checks to get found on Google — Search Console, on-page SEO, local visibility, technical health, trust signals and UK legal compliance.
Use this printable checklist to audit an existing site or plan a new one. Each section has five concrete checks: Google Tools Setup (Search Console, sitemap, GA4, Google Business Profile, robots.txt), On-Page SEO Basics (titles, meta descriptions, H1s, service pages, alt text), Local SEO & Visibility (NAP consistency, location-led copy, Bing Places & citations, reviews, map on contact), Technical Foundations (HTTPS, fast mobile load, mobile-friendly test, updated CMS/plugins, fixing 404s), Content & Trust Signals (clear headline, trust proof, primary CTA, working forms, useful content), and Legal & Compliance (PECR-ready cookie consent, privacy policy, ICO registration, GDPR marketing consent, statutory footer details). Written for UK small businesses who want to rank on Google and Bing — plain English, no fluff. Pair it with our free website audit for a machine-generated prioritised fix list.
Why we split the checklist into six themes
UK small-business sites usually fail in predictable clusters: Google tools never verified, on-page basics inconsistent across service pages, local signals weak compared with competitors, technical debt from an old CMS, thin trust content, or cookie and privacy documentation that would not survive a basic compliance review.
The PDF walks those six themes in order so you can print two A4 pages, work top to bottom in an afternoon, and still have Search Console open in another tab. This page gives you the headline rationale; the download has the tick boxes.
How to use it alongside a machine audit
Automated audits (including our free tool) are excellent at surfacing speed, broken links, header issues and structured-data errors. Humans still outperform machines on whether a headline matches intent, whether your proof is believable, and whether your forms work on a real phone on 4G.
Run the audit first, export or screenshot the priorities, then use the checklist to catch what robots cannot judge — especially NAP consistency, review cadence and UK marketing-law basics.
What's inside
- Google Tools Setup — Search Console, XML sitemap, GA4, Google Business Profile, robots.txt
- On-Page SEO Basics — unique titles & meta descriptions, one H1, one page per service, image alt text
- Local SEO & Visibility — consistent NAP, location in copy, Bing Places & citations, Google reviews, contact page & embedded map
- Technical Foundations — HTTPS, sub-3s mobile speed, mobile-friendly test, updated CMS & plugins, no broken links on key pages
- Content & Trust Signals — homepage says what you do & where, reviews or badges, one clear CTA, tested forms, genuinely useful content
- Legal & Compliance — UK PECR cookie banner, privacy policy, ICO registration, separate marketing consent, company details in footer
Ideal for
UK small-business owners and marketers who want a practical, tick-box path to better rankings and a site that passes basic trust and compliance checks — whether you DIY or brief a developer.
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