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Small Business Websites Need to Do More Than Exist

August 11, 2026 · 52 min

Show notes

Small-business websites used to have a straightforward job: explain who you are, what you offer, and how customers can contact you. Then search became a major source of discovery, and businesses added keyword-focused pages, blogs, technical SEO, and local listings.

Now AI Overviews and zero-click search are changing the equation again. Does that mean blogs and traditional websites are dead? Matt and Mike argue that they are still essential - but they are no longer the whole strategy.

In this episode, they break the modern small-business website into three layers: a trustworthy digital brochure, a discovery engine, and a useful tool. They explore how calculators, product selectors, rankings, schedules, availability checkers, and other “micro-app” pages can give real customers a reason to visit, return, and take action. They also explain why businesses should preserve existing content and link equity, measure what works, and build the new layer gradually instead of throwing everything out.

Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcast/small-business-websites-need-to-do-more-than-exist

Use our Scrimba affiliate link (https://scrimba.com/?via=htmlallthethings) for a 20% discount!! Full details in show notes.

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