Prepare a business website

Where to start when preparing a business website

Start with the decisions the website should help people make, not with a page count. List the people the site needs to serve and the next step you expect from each of them: an enquiry, a quote request, a phone call, a booking or a closer look at one of your services all require different information. A prospect comparing several providers is looking for evidence and clear terms; an existing client usually just wants your contact details, opening hours or a specific document.

For each audience, write one sentence describing the question they arrive with, the information that reassures them and the action you hope they will take. This groundwork stops the project from being driven by an arbitrary sitemap, and it becomes the test you apply whenever a choice has to be made: a page, block or feature that supports none of these decisions can wait. It also makes it much quicker to brief whoever handles your business website design, because the priorities are already written down.

• Who needs to find the site, and what are they likely to search for?
• What is the main action you expect from each type of visitor?
• Which objections come up most often in your sales conversations?
• What information are you still asked for by phone or email?

Which pages does a business website need?

An effective business website usually has a home page, one page per important service, an about page, a contact page and the legal pages. This foundation is enough for many small businesses and independent professionals, provided each page answers a specific need rather than squeezing every service onto a single generic page.

Create a dedicated page when a service has its own clients, its own search vocabulary or its own terms. Conversely, merge topics that overlap heavily, so you do not end up with several thin pages competing against each other. Case studies, FAQ or resources pages are worthwhile only if you genuinely have the material to keep them going; an empty or outdated section sends the wrong signal to visitors and search engines alike.

• Home: what you do, for whom, where, and the main call to action.
• Service pages: the problem solved, how the work runs, terms and, where possible, pricing indications.
• About: team, approach, service area and facts that can be verified.
• Contact: a short form, phone number, address, opening hours and expected response time.
• Legal pages: company information, privacy policy and cookie information where relevant.

Gathering the content you already have

Take stock of what already exists before writing anything new. List your services, contact details, images, logos, documents, sales presentations, standard replies you send to clients and any legal constraints. These materials often contain the most precise wording, the kind your clients already understand.

Then give each item one of three statuses: confirmed, needs rewriting or missing. Assign an owner and a deadline to every missing item. A content gap spotted early costs far less than a blocker discovered just before launch, when design and development are waiting on a single text or photo.

• Text: service descriptions, company presentation, terms, frequently asked questions.
• Images: royalty-free photos or photos you hold the rights to, in good resolution.
• Identity: logo in vector format, colours and typefaces.
• Documents: brochures, data sheets and up-to-date terms and conditions.
• Access: domain name, current hosting, Google accounts and social media accounts.

If your visual identity does not exist yet, or does not work well on screen, deal with it before the website rather than alongside it. Changing a logo halfway through a project means reworking a surprising number of elements, from the header to the favicon and social sharing images.

Organising evidence and trust signals

Every promise on the website should be backed by evidence you are able to publish. That might be a clearly described method, a completed project, a screenshot, a certification, a source, a result you have permission to share or a limitation that is honestly explained. Internal evidence is still useful when it is presented as such, for example a quality-control process you genuinely follow.

A testimonial, client logo or figure should only be published with a verifiable origin and permission. Keep a record of every agreement. Avoid unverifiable claims such as “market leader” or “best value for money”: they tell visitors nothing and can raise issues under Swiss unfair competition law. A factual description of what you do, your lead times and your terms generally inspires more confidence than superlatives.

• Pair every important claim with evidence, or rephrase it.
• Date your projects and references so they remain credible.
• State clearly what you do not do: it helps qualify the enquiries you receive.

Defining the functional scope

Every feature on the site should match a real, identified use. Forms, online booking, client areas, catalogues, language versions, CRM connections, newsletters and analytics tools all carry a cost to set up and to maintain. Before including one, ask who will use it, how often, and who will look after it.

Separate what is needed at launch from improvements that can come later. This distinction makes the budget, timeline and responsibilities easier to scope, and it lets you publish a solid version sooner. Multilingual sites deserve particular attention: a German or English version requires quality translation, a suitable URL structure and ongoing upkeep. One language done well is better than two languages half translated.

• Launch: features without which the site cannot do its job.
• Phase two: useful features whose absence blocks no decision.
• Dropped: ideas with no clear use or no one responsible for them.

Building SEO into the website from the start

Search engine optimisation is prepared before the design, at the moment you choose the pages and what to call them. Identify the searches your clients actually make, in their own words and with their location, then give each page one main search intent. A page that tries to answer everything ends up answering nothing well.

Plan a distinct title tag, meta description and main heading (H1) for every page, short and readable URLs, and internal links between related services. Images should be compressed and given alternative text. If you are replacing an existing site, an inventory of current URLs and redirects is essential: the fix or redesign guide covers the points to watch.

• One main search intent per page.
• Titles and descriptions written to make sense out of context, for example in search results.
• A Google Business Profile consistent with the contact details on the site.
• An XML sitemap and a Google Search Console account ready at launch.

SEO does not stop at launch. Ongoing SEO support lets you adjust content based on the searches you actually observe, without any promise of rankings, since positions also depend on competitors and on search engines’ own choices.

What are the legal requirements for a business website in Switzerland?

At a minimum, a Swiss business website should make it clear who operates it and tell visitors how their personal data is processed. Since the revised Federal Act on Data Protection (revFADP, known in French as the nLPD) came into force, any collection of data, for example through a contact form or an analytics tool, should be explained in an accessible privacy policy.

List the data the site collects, the third-party tools that receive it (hosting provider, analytics, form-handling service, embedded maps, videos), what it is used for and how long it is kept. If some of your visitors come from the European Union, check whether the GDPR may also apply. This guide is not legal advice: if in doubt, have your texts reviewed by a specialist.

• Company details: legal name, address, contact and UID number where applicable.
• A privacy policy that describes the processing that actually takes place.
• Information about non-essential cookies and trackers.
• Copyright checked for every text, photo and font.

How much does a business website cost in French-speaking Switzerland?

The cost of a business website depends mainly on the number of pages you really need, how much content has to be produced, the features included and the number of languages. At Navanem, an Essential business website starts from CHF 900 and a Professional business website from CHF 1,790, excluding VAT. The final price is set in a detailed quote based on the scope agreed with you.

Other items may be added depending on your situation: a visual identity (Logo & identity from CHF 490), an online store if you sell directly (from CHF 2,490), website maintenance for updates and security (from CHF 79/month) or SEO & local visibility support (from CHF 290/month). Full details are on our pricing page.

When comparing quotes from different providers, check that they cover the same scope:

• the number of pages and page templates;
• whether copywriting is included or the content is supplied by you;
• languages, forms, integrations and analytics tools;
• hosting, domain name and maintenance after launch;
• ownership of the code, the content and the account access.

Setting up measurement before launch

Decide before launch what counts as a useful action on your website. A call from a mobile phone, a click on an email address, a form submission, a booking request or a brochure download do not carry the same commercial value. Define a handful of main conversions rather than a long list of metrics that nobody will ever look at.

Document the tools and events you use so the same conversion is not counted twice across several platforms. Where possible, choose a privacy-friendly analytics tool, configured in line with your privacy policy. Finally, schedule a regular review, for example once a quarter, to compare the figures with the enquiries you actually received: a submitted form is not always a qualified lead.

• Main conversions defined and tested.
• Google Search Console connected to the final domain.
• A short note describing the tools, the events and who is responsible for them.

Pre-launch checklist for a business website

Before going live, check that every page is complete, that every form reaches its destination and that the site behaves properly on mobile. This final check is best carried out on the live environment, with the real content, by someone who did not build the site.

• Text proofread, with no placeholder or dummy copy left.
• Contact details, opening hours and prices identical on every page.
• Forms tested right through to delivery, with a confirmation message.
• Display checked on several screen sizes and browsers.
• Keyboard navigation possible, readable contrast and alternative text in place.
• Final titles, descriptions and URLs, with the sitemap generated.
• Redirects in place if an older site existed.
• HTTPS certificate active, backups and updates scheduled.
• Legal pages published and linked from the footer.

Keep a list of items postponed until after launch, with an owner for each one. A business website is a living tool: it benefits from being reread and adjusted as your services and your clients’ questions change.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to build a business website? The timeline depends mostly on how quickly content is available and how fast approvals come back. A project whose text and images are ready moves considerably faster than one where everything still has to be produced.

Do I have to write the content myself? Not necessarily, but you remain the best source of information about your services. Supported copywriting usually starts with an interview and your existing documents, after which you approve each page.

Does my business website need to be bilingual? Only if a real share of your clients justifies it and you can keep every version up to date. A second language can be added later, as long as the site structure has been designed with it in mind.

How can I get an accurate quote? Prepare the list of pages, features and available content described in this guide, then get in touch with us: the quote will be drawn up from that scope.