A good website isn't one-size-fits-all. What a restaurant needs is completely different from what an independent accountant is looking for. The structure, pages and features vary by activity — and a wrong decision here can make your site far less effective. Here are the essentials by sector, for entrepreneurs in Belgium.
Restaurant and café: the menu visible in two clicks
For a restaurant, the visitor has three questions in mind: where are you, what do you serve, and can they book? Your site must answer them in under 10 seconds.
The online menu is critical. Never use a PDF — it's not indexed by Google, doesn't display well on mobile, and can't be updated easily. The menu must be in HTML, with dishes and prices readable directly on the page.
Add clearly visible opening hours (including closing days and holidays), a gallery of appetising food and interior photos, a direct booking button, and an embedded Google Map. For SEO: mention the neighbourhood, cuisine type and local specialities in your text.
Local shop: turning a passer-by into a regular customer
For a physical shop — florist, bookshop, delicatessen, sports store — the website primarily confirms your existence and hours to people who walk past or find you on Google Maps.
Essentials: very clear opening hours (updated for holidays), photos of your shop and key products, mention of specific services (home delivery, click & collect, gift cards). A simple newsletter can turn a one-time visitor into a returning customer.
Liberal professions and practices: credibility first
For a doctor, lawyer, accountant or psychologist, the website has one precise objective: convince the prospect you're the right professional before they even contact you.
Trust elements are non-negotiable: professional photo, qualifications and professional memberships, clearly described specialisations, languages spoken, and client testimonials where your professional ethics allow.
Online booking (Calendly, Doctolib, or a simple form) significantly reduces drop-offs. A well-built FAQ answers common questions and captures highly qualified long-tail SEO queries: "accountant for complementary self-employed Belgium", "employment lawyer Charleroi".
Craftsman: the photo portfolio does 80% of the work
For an electrician, tiler, landscaper or carpenter, clients want to see what you do before calling. A portfolio of before/after project photos, organised by type of work, is your best sales tool.
Explicitly mention your service areas — not just your main town, but also neighbouring cities and villages. Include a quote request form with basic information (type of work, approximate size, desired timeline) to qualify leads from the start.
What all these sectors have in common
Whatever your activity, three things are universal. Speed: a site that takes more than 3 seconds to load on mobile loses half its visitors before displaying anything. Mobile-first: over 60% of local searches happen on smartphones — if your site isn't perfect on phone, you lose most of your prospects. A clear call to action: every page must end with a specific action — call, book, request a quote, subscribe.