How to Create a Website for Your Local Business (Step-by-Step Guide for 2025)

In this article we will talk about the steps to create a website.

Meet Tom. Tom's a roofing pro in a small U.S. town. He’s been fixing roofs for 15 years, but one day he realized something terrifying: people were finding new roofers online — and he didn't even have a website.

Tom decided it was time to build his digital empire. If you're a local business owner like Tom, here's how you can do it too (without losing your mind).

E-Commerce Cosmetic Website Image

Step 1 To Create a Website: Get a Website Hosting Service.

First, Tom needed a place for his website to live. Think of website hosting like the plot of land where you’re going to build your dream house (your website). Tom picked a reliable hosting provider that offered fast speeds and 24/7 support because nobody wants a "Website Not Found" sign when customers come knocking.

Here you have a little list of website hosting providers:

• Bluehost – Great for WordPress beginners, officially recommended by WordPress.org.

• SiteGround – Easy to use, excellent customer support, fast performance.

• Namecheap – Very affordable, includes free domain and privacy protection.

• Hostinger – Extremely budget-friendly, decent performance for small sites.

Step 2 To Create a Website: Choose a Website Builder Platform.

Tom’s not a web developer. He's a roofer. So he needed an easy website builder. He compared options like WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace. Finally, he chose WordPress because it's powerful, customizable, and Google loves it (and he wanted all the Google love).

Laptop showing images from a website.

Step 3 To Create a Website: Decide on a Domain Name.

What is a domain name? A domain name is the name of your site and people will use it to find you on the internet. It will end with: .com, .net, .org (to mention some examples).

Tom brainstormed for hours. "TomFixesRoofs.com"? "TomTheRoofGuy.com"? Finally, he chose BestRoofingTom.com — short, clear, and easy to remember.

Pro tip: Pick a domain name that's simple, local if possible (like "GardenGroveRoofing.com"- that will help you to be found in local searches), and easy to spell.

Step 4 Purchase and Connect the Domain Name.

Tom bought his domain from a registrar like GoDaddy. Then he pointed it to his hosting provider- Namecheap (it’s like setting up your new address). It took about 10 minutes, and boom, BestRoofingTom.com was alive.

Step 5 Install an SSL Certificate.

Tom wanted his site to be secure for all search engines — Google and all of them reward secure sites. His hosting provider offered a free SSL Certificate, so he installed it. Now his site said "https://" instead of "http://", giving his visitors and Google peace of mind.

Note: (If you don't have SSL, browsers might label your site "Not Secure" — not a great first impression- and your audience won't click on it)

Step 6: Build the Website.

Tom picked a clean, professional website template (no glittery flashing banners, thank you very much). He uploaded his logo, photos of his work, customer testimonials, and his services.

He also made sure he had these important pages:

• Home

• About

• Services

• Reviews

• Gallery

• Contact Us

Every page mentioned special keywords of his industry like: "roof repair," "emergency roofing services," and "best roofing company near me" (just mentioning some keywords as example) to make Google easy to read his site and show it to his audience. This step is called SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and we will talk about it, later.

Step 7 Make It Mobile Responsive.

Tom checked his site on his mobile phone — and it looked terrible. Panic! Luckily, his WordPress theme was "mobile responsive," so it only took a few tweaks to fix.

Since most customers find local services through their mobile phones, your website must look and work great on mobile devices. Otherwise, poof, you’re losing business.

At the moment to build your website check how look all your website pages in the mobile version (just to be sure they will be mobile responsive) and avoid penalizations from search engines.

Step 8  Decide to Use SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

Tom knew he didn't want his website to be a ghost town. So, he decided to invest time in SEO. He added keywords like "roofing services near me," "roof replacement Garden Grove," and "local roofing experts" into his content.

He also made sure his site loaded fast, was easy to navigate, and had original photos (Google request that from sites to provide a great user experience to all audiences).

If you want to know more about our SEO services, click here.

Step 9 Plan to Grow the Website.

Tom didn't want to just "set it and forget it." He made a plan:

• Write a monthly blog answering common roofing questions.

• Add photo galleries of new projects.

• Collect customer reviews and feature them.

Each new piece of content helps grow your website's "authority" in Google's eyes, meaning better rankings and more visitors.

Step 10 Connect Social Media Profiles.

Tom set up a Facebook business page, a LinkedIn profile, and even a Nextdoor business listing. He added his website link everywhere. Social signals boost SEO and help people find your business across platforms.

Step 11 Create a Google Business Profile.

Tom verified his business on Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business). Now, when someone searched "roofer near me," Tom's smiling face and five-star reviews popped up.

Don't skip this. A complete Google Business Profile is one of the best free marketing tools out there for local businesses.

If you need help with this step, check our Google Business Profile services here.

Step 12 Get on Review Platforms (Like Yelp).

Finally, Tom claimed his profiles on Yelp, Angi, and HomeAdvisor. He asked happy customers to leave reviews and made sure to reply politely to every single one.

Reviews build trust. They’re pure gold for local service businesses.

Tom's Final Advice.

Today, Tom’s booked solid. His phones are ringing. His website ranks on page one. And it all started because he took the plunge, step-by-step.

If you’re a local business owner and still "thinking about" building your website, here's your sign to get moving. Your future customers are already online, searching. Will they find you?

(Or will they find "Competitor Carl" down the street who has a shiny website and all the five-star reviews?)

Don't let Carl win.

Let's Create Your Website with C2Thrive Local Marketing.

Do you need help creating your website? We have different kind of proposals in order to have your site live in a matter of hours.

Let's chat and create the site you need and adapt to your business needs.

Call or Text Us to the next number: (714) 278-7827 or send us an e-mail to: info@c2thrivelocalmarketing.com

The same way you can chat with us in our site with no compromise.

To check more about our services, click here.