Top 3 Things Ipswich Businesses Should Consider When Building a Website in 2025
G'day! I'm local to Ipswich, and when I'm not wrangling the chaos of everyday life or dealing with another unexpected Bunnings run, I help small businesses build websites that actually do something useful. Building a website isn't just about making it pretty—it should be as functional and reliable as a ute with a full tank.
So whether you're starting fresh or trying to fix what your cousin built in 2013, here are three things to think about before jumping into your next web project.
1. Clear Purpose and User Journey
A good website should feel like walking into a well-organised shed—everything has its place, and you know exactly where to start. There's no rummaging through a tangle of extension cords to find the hammer. When someone lands on your site, they should feel the same clarity and purpose—ready to get stuck in without confusion.
Define your website's main goal (What do you actually want it to do?)
Before you start picking colours or choosing photos, ask yourself: what is the one job your website absolutely has to do well? Think of your site as your digital apprentice. It's not there to just stand around looking pretty—it needs a clear role. Should it be taking bookings while you're out with the kids? Selling your products while you sleep? Generating phone calls so you can quote jobs without chasing leads?
Get crystal clear on this purpose early on, because it will guide every other decision—from layout to copy to the tools you use. Without this clarity, your website can end up like a toolbox with no screwdrivers—full of potential but useless in a pinch.
Identify the actions you want users to take (Contact you? Buy a product? Book a service?)
Once you know the goal, it's time to reverse-engineer the experience. Want people to call you? Then your phone number shouldn't be tucked away on some dusty "Contact" page—stick it right up top, bold and easy to tap. Selling products? Make sure the "Buy Now" button doesn't take three clicks and a treasure map to find.
Your website should guide people like a well-marked walking trail—no second-guessing, no detours. Think about the actions you take on sites you trust. Now ask yourself: is your own site that straightforward? If not, it's time to rethink how your pages are laid out.
Map out a simple, logical path to conversion (No one wants to play hide-and-seek with your contact button)
Think of your website like the layout of a good local café. You walk in, the menu is right there, the counter's in clear view, and there's no doubt where to line up or place your order. Now imagine walking in and being greeted by a maze of signs pointing in different directions—chances are, you'd turn around and leave.
Your website needs to be that clear. The journey from the homepage to the action—be it a call, purchase, or booking—should be as smooth as a well-poured flat white. Don't bury your call-to-action under five sections of scrolling or in a dropdown menu. Guide your visitors visually and logically: introduce your value, show how you help, and make it dead-easy to take the next step.
Test your navigation: Can someone new find what you want them to? (Ask your mum to test it—if she gets lost, so will your customers)
The best way to know if your navigation works? Hand your site to someone who's never seen it before and ask them to complete a basic task—like finding your contact details or booking a service. If they pause, get lost, or click in circles like they're trying to open a child-proof bottle, that's a red flag.
Website Navigation Test
Check off each item as you test your site with real users.
Even better, rope in someone who's not glued to their phone all day. If your uncle who still uses a flip phone can figure it out, you're on the right track. Your website should feel intuitive, not like solving a riddle. Test, tweak, and simplify. Your customers will thank you—with their attention, trust, and hopefully, their business.
Want to Dive Deeper? Check Out the StoryBrand Framework
If this all sounds good but you're thinking, "How do I actually write the words that go on my site?"—I highly recommend checking out the book Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller. It's a game changer.
The book teaches you how to structure your messaging so that your customer is the hero, and your business is the helpful guide (think Gandalf, not Frodo). It walks through a 7-part framework that helps you clarify your message, focus on what really matters, and avoid the usual waffle that clogs up too many websites.
2. Page Speed and Image Optimisation
A slow website is like being stuck behind a learner driver on the way to school—frustrating and avoidable. These days, people have the patience of a toddler waiting for hot chips—if your site doesn't load fast, they're off to the next business faster than you can say "buffering."
Page speed is one of the easiest wins in web design, and one of the biggest factors in whether someone sticks around. Here's how to test and tidy things up:
Speed Optimization Checklist
- 1
Run a speed test
Use our PageSpeed Checker and see where you're dragging
- 2
Check your current image file sizes
Are you uploading billboard-sized photos for a phone screen?
- 3
Use modern formats like WebP
Smaller size, same good looks
- 4
Try our Image Optimiser Tool
Slim things down without losing quality
Big images are one of the main culprits for slow sites. If your homepage has a 5MB hero image, you're basically trying to pour honey through a straw. Use your browser's developer tools or a plugin to inspect your file sizes. Anything over 500KB probably needs trimming.
WebP images are like vacuum-sealed lunchboxes—smaller and more efficient without squashing the contents. All modern browsers support WebP, and they can dramatically reduce file size while keeping your visuals sharp.
If you're not sure where to start, give our Image Optimiser Tool a go. It takes your bulky images and trims the fat without sacrificing quality. One recent image we tested went from 2.2MB down to just 79KB—with no visible difference to the naked eye. That's the kind of result that makes a real impact on your load time.
It's free, quick, and might just be the fastest way to speed up your site today.
The faster your site loads, the more likely your visitors will stick around—and that's when the real work begins.
3. Mobile Responsiveness
If your website doesn't work on a phone, you might as well hand out flyers at the shops. Over 60% of your traffic is likely coming from mobile devices—and if your site doesn't look right or function properly on a phone, that's a huge chunk of potential customers lost before they even read a word.
Test your site on multiple devices (Give it a go on your phone, your partner's tablet, even Nan's iPad)
What looks great on your laptop might be a nightmare on a smaller screen. Open your website on every device you can find in the house—from your own phone to the kids' tablet. Pay attention to layout, image scaling, and whether the important stuff is front and centre.
Use browser dev tools or third-party testers to check mobile friendliness
As of December 2023, Google has retired its Mobile-Friendly Test tool—but that doesn't mean you're off the hook. You can still assess your mobile layout using your browser's developer tools (just right-click, hit "Inspect," and switch to mobile view).
Look for issues like small fonts, buttons too close together, or content that spills off the edge like an overstuffed esky. Your site should still pass the real-world usability test, even without Google's old tool.
Ensure buttons are tappable and text is readable without zooming (No one wants to pinch and zoom like they're opening a chip packet)
People should be able to tap buttons with their thumb and read your content without squinting or pinching. If they're having to do gymnastics just to hit "Book Now," you've already lost them.
Avoid horizontal scrolling or overlapping content (Nothing says "I built this in 2009" like janky mobile layouts)
Horizontal scrolling is a dead giveaway that your site hasn't been built with mobile in mind. Same goes for overlapping text and squashed elements. Your mobile layout should be clean, stack nicely, and keep things easy to read and interact with.
The goal is to make your mobile site feel effortless to use—like texting a mate, not filling out a tax form. It's one of the simplest ways to keep people engaged, no matter where they're browsing from.
Wrapping It All Up
Building a great website isn't about chasing trends or cramming in every shiny feature—it's about getting the basics right. When you've got a clear goal, a smooth user journey, fast-loading pages, and a mobile-friendly design, you're already ahead of most small business websites out there.
If this guide has helped you spot a few things you need to fix, that's a win already. Don't feel like you need to overhaul everything overnight. Start with one area, test it, improve it, and move on to the next. The goal is progress, not perfection.
And if you're feeling overwhelmed or just want someone to help take care of it, that's where I come in.
If you're a business owner in Ipswich, QLD looking for help with web design, performance, or SEO, I specialise in building sites that actually work for small businesses. Want to chat? Get in touch here.
Or start with our Image Optimiser Tool to speed up your current site instantly. It's free, fast, and more satisfying than finally untangling the Christmas lights.
Tunoa Johnson
