What should a courier website include?

At the top of the page

Most people decide in a few seconds whether to stay. The first screen should show:

• What you do and where: "Same-day courier in Leeds", not "Welcome to our website".
• Your phone number, as a button that calls you when tapped on a phone.
• A quote button, and WhatsApp if you use it.
• One line of proof: your insurance, how long you've been driving, or a real review.

From our audit: when we opened 100 courier websites on a phone, only 50 of the 81 working ones showed a phone number on the first screen, and 43 said what they carry before you scroll. See what else we found.

The pages you need

• Home: the overview, with the quote button.
• A page for each main service: same-day, next-day, multi-drop, medical, pallets, whatever you do.
• A page for each town you cover: people search for "courier in" a town, and these pages help them find you.
• About: who you are, your van and how long you've been going.
• Get a quote: a simple form (see below).

Show your insurance and checks properly

Business customers check this before they trust you with their goods. Be specific:

• "£10,000 goods in transit cover" is better than "fully insured".
• Public liability cover, and the amount.
• DBS checks, if you carry medical items or visit homes and schools.
• Proof of delivery or tracking, if you offer it.
• Only claim what you really have. Business customers may ask to see it.

From our audit: only 5 of 81 working courier websites showed how much their insurance covers, and none of the 75 we could read mentioned public liability. Doing this puts you ahead of almost everyone. See the full results.

A quote form that works

Ask for what you need to give a price, and nothing more:

• Collection postcode and delivery postcode.
• The date, and whether it's urgent.
• What it is and roughly how big or heavy.
• Van size, with a "not sure" option.
• Their name and phone number, and email if they prefer.

Make sure the form actually reaches you, and test it yourself every so often.

From our audit: the typical courier quote form has 7 boxes to fill in; 17 of 61 had 10 or more, and the longest had 28. The best started with just two postcodes. See the full results.

Make it work on a phone

• Big buttons for call, WhatsApp and quote, that stay easy to reach as you scroll.
• Text big enough to read without zooming.
• Fast to load, even on a weak signal.

Most courier sites have a number you can tap to call (54 of 75 in our audit), but only 9 of 75 offered WhatsApp. On 31 of 81, the number couldn't be seen on a phone without scrolling, usually because of a cookie banner or a big picture.

Help Google understand you

• A clear page title on each page, like "Same-day courier in Leeds | Your Business".
• Your business name, phone number and area written the same way everywhere.
• Business details marked up for search engines (web designers call this "schema").
• A link to and from your Google Business Profile.

In our audit, 33 of 75 courier sites named their town in the page title, and 18 had their business details marked up for search engines.

Things to avoid

• Stock photos of lorries, warehouses or people who aren't you.
• Reviews you can't back up. Only use real ones, with the customer's permission.
• Vague claims like "the best courier in the UK".
• A contact form that goes nowhere, or an email address you never check.
• Letting your web address lapse. In our audit, 17 of 100 courier website links on Google Maps led nowhere.
• Pages full of text. Short and clear wins.

The checklist

• What you do and where, at the top
• Phone, WhatsApp and quote buttons that work on a phone
• A page for each service and each town
• Insurance and checks, with real amounts
• A quote form that reaches you
• Your own photos, if you have them
• Real reviews only
• Clear page titles and a Google Business Profile

Every site we build includes all of these. See example sites or how our pricing works.