Small Business Website Launch Planner and Readiness Check

Answer a few plain-language questions and get a realistic plan for launching (or fixing) your small business website. You will get a readiness score, a page-by-page recommendation, a briefing you can paste into an AI website builder, and a launch-day checklist. Free, no signup, and the plan only uses information you actually give it — nothing invented.

Before you start, four things worth knowing

A domain and a website are two separate things. A domain (yourbrand.com) is an address you register. A website is the pages people see when they type that address. You almost always need both — but you can register a domain even before the site exists.

Hosting is where the site actually lives. Most small business sites are either on a hosted builder (Squarespace, Wix) that bundles hosting, or on a self-hosted platform like WordPress running on a hosting account you pay for separately.

A conventional website is not the same as a web app. If you need user accounts, dashboards, or workflow automation, that is software, not a page-based website — and it needs a different toolchain. The planner will call that out for you.

AI can draft copy — it cannot invent your business. AI website generators are great at giving you a first draft to react to. They are not a substitute for real photographs, real testimonials, real credentials, or a real privacy policy. This planner only uses information you supply — it will never make up a testimonial or a “years in business” number.

Want the longer version? Compare the main website approaches.

1. Your business

Skip anything you genuinely don't know yet.

Business nameBusiness typeMain product or service (one or two sentences)Target customer or clientLocation or service area (optional)

4. Complexity — a few honest questionsDo you need user accounts, dashboards, or logged-in areas?Yes turns this into a software application, not a conventional website.Do you need custom workflows or automations beyond simple contact forms?Do you plan to sell products directly online (checkout, inventory)?Do you plan to publish articles regularly (blog, resources)?Do you need a booking system?Is a conventional informational website roughly what you're picturing?Uncheck if you're really building an app, marketplace, or online store.

5. Anything elseConstraints, deadlines, budget, or context (optional)

The plan is generated locally in your browser from what you enter. Nothing is stored on our servers.

A worked example

A hypothetical dog-walking business in Austin, TX might fill in the form like this:

Business name: Northside Paws
Business type: Neighbourhood dog-walking service
Main offer: Midday 30-minute dog walks, Monday–Friday, in north-central Austin.
Target customer: Working pet owners in north-central Austin with dogs that need a midday walk.
Primary goal: Collect quote requests.
Primary action: Request a quote.
Materials on hand: Real photos of walks, business email, service descriptions.
Complexity: No accounts, no online store, no blog yet.

With those answers, the planner would recommend a conventional informational business website, include Home / About / Services / FAQ / Contact / Privacy Policy pages, and flag that pricing, testimonials, and a privacy policy still need to be prepared before launch. It would not invent a “5-star rated” badge, a “10 years in business” line, or fake reviews.

Fill in the form above with your real answers to get your plan.

Affiliate disclosure. Some links on this page — currently including the Bluehost link — are affiliate links. If you sign up through one of those links we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate links only appear when the recommendation genuinely matches what you told the planner, and they never change the plan itself.