Your website isn't a business card. Stop treating it like one.
Looking respectable is the minimum. A useful website answers questions and makes the next step obvious.
This is a draft opinion piece prepared for the new IPF journal. It has not been approved as Jen's personal opinion.
Start with the person visiting
Someone arriving on a local business website is usually trying to answer a few practical questions: What do you do? Is it relevant to me? Where do you work? How do I contact you? Those answers belong near the beginning, not hidden behind an elaborate introduction.
Give each page a job
A service page should explain the offering and what to expect. An about page should establish who is behind the business. A contact page should make it easy to ask a useful question. A gallery can show actual work without claiming results you cannot substantiate.
Do not make a phone visitor work harder
Readable type, clear buttons, short forms, and sensible loading times matter more than adding one more animation. Good design can be memorable without getting in the way.
A practical starting point
Ask someone unfamiliar with your business to open the site on their phone and tell you what you do, who you help, and how they would get in touch. Where they hesitate is a useful place to start improving.