12 things every business website in Tanzania should have

Every business website in Tanzania should make it easy to understand what you do, trust you, and contact you from a phone. In practice that means a clear headline, a WhatsApp button, tap-to-call, your location, prices or a starting price, real photos, reviews, fast loading on mobile data, a secure padlock (SSL), business email, and Google tools set up behind the scenes.

Use this as a checklist for your current website, or hand it to whoever is building your new one.

What should be on the homepage?

1. A clear headline. Say what you do and where, in plain words. "Wedding photography in Dar es Salaam" beats "Capturing your moments".
2. A WhatsApp button. For most Tanzanian customers this is the easiest way to get in touch. Keep it visible on every page.
3. Tap-to-call. Your phone number should be a link that dials when tapped on a phone.
4. Your location. An address with a landmark people know, plus an embedded Google Map. For service businesses, list the areas you cover.

What builds trust?

5. Prices, or at least a starting price. People who can't find a price often assume it's too expensive and leave.
6. Real photos. Your team, your shop, your products, your work. Stock photos are fine for decoration, but real ones sell.
7. Reviews and examples of work. Screenshots of WhatsApp feedback, Google reviews, or before and after photos.
8. Business email on your own domain. info@yourbusiness.co.tz looks far more established than a Gmail address.

What works behind the scenes?

9. Fast loading on mobile data. Compress images, avoid heavy sliders and test on a real phone. Slow sites lose visitors before they load.
10. SSL (the padlock). Browsers warn visitors about sites without it, and Google prefers secure sites.
11. A contact form that works. Test it yourself every few months. Broken forms quietly lose enquiries.
12. Google Search Console and Analytics. Free tools that show how people find you and what they do on your site.

Quick self-check

Nice to have later

• Online booking or payments. See how to accept mobile money.
• A blog that answers common customer questions.
• A Swahili version of key pages.
• A page for each main service, so you can rank for each one on Google.

Starting from scratch? Our step-by-step guide to making a website in Tanzania walks through the whole process.

Each checklist item, explained

The list above is quick to read. Here's a bit more on why each item matters and how to get it right.

A clear headline

Visitors decide within seconds whether to stay. A headline that says what you do, for whom and where keeps the right people reading. Put it at the top of the homepage, in large text, with a short line underneath that adds a reason to choose you.

A WhatsApp button

Use a floating button that stays in the corner of the screen, and make it open a chat with a pre-filled message. That one change often brings more enquiries than anything else on the site.

Tap-to-call and location

Phone numbers should be links (in code, they start with "tel:"). For location, write the area and a landmark, and embed a Google Map so people can get directions in one tap.

Prices and photos

Show at least starting prices. Use your own photos wherever possible, taken in good light. If you must use stock photos, choose ones that look like your real customers and setting.

Reviews and proof

Add three to six short reviews with the customer's first name and area or business. Photos of finished work, client logos and the number of years you've been operating all build trust.

How to test your own website

Ask a friend who doesn't know your business to visit the site on their phone while you watch. Don't help them. Give them a task, like "find the price of X and send a message". Where they hesitate or get lost is where your website needs work. It's uncomfortable and very useful.

Then run these quick checks yourself:

What to put on the about page

The about page is often the second most visited page on a small business site. People want to know who they're dealing with. Write your story briefly, show the team with real photos, and explain what makes you different in practical terms: experience, guarantees, how you work. Add your location and how long you've been in business. Keep it human.

What to put on the contact page

Make it easy to reach you in the way each customer prefers: WhatsApp, phone, email, a contact form and a map. Add your opening hours and how quickly you usually reply. If you serve customers abroad, mention it, and add your number in international format (+255).

How often should you update your website?

Check it at least once a month. Update prices, photos and opening hours whenever they change, add new work to the gallery, and remove old promotions. If you have a blog, one useful post a month is enough to show Google and visitors that the business is active. A website that looks abandoned makes people wonder if the business is still open.

Need a second opinion?

It's hard to judge your own website objectively. We're happy to look at yours and tell you the two or three changes that would make the biggest difference. If it needs a fresh start, our guide on how we build a business website in a week shows what that looks like.

What makes visitors leave straight away?

If people land on your site and leave within seconds, one of these is usually the reason:

• The page is slow to load on mobile data, so they give up before it appears.
• The headline is vague, so they can't tell if you sell what they need.
• A pop-up covers the page before they've seen anything.
• Text is too small or too light to read on a phone.
• The site looks outdated, so they wonder if the business still exists.

Google Analytics shows how long people stay and which pages they leave from. If one page loses a lot of visitors, start there.

A note on design

A good-looking website helps, but design isn't decoration. Every colour, photo and button should make it easier for the visitor to understand you and contact you. Use one or two brand colours, plenty of white space, readable fonts and real photos. Make the main button stand out from everything else on the page. Avoid animations and sliders that slow the page down or hide important information. Simple, clear websites tend to bring more enquiries than flashy ones, especially on phones.

Accessibility basics

Some visitors have poor eyesight, use screen readers or browse on old phones. Making your site work for them usually makes it better for everyone. Use enough contrast between text and background, add alt text to images, make buttons big enough to tap, and don't rely on colour alone to show information. Label every form field clearly. These are small things that cost almost nothing to get right from the start.

Your plan for this week

1. Open your website on your phone and go through the 12 items.
2. Mark each one as done, needs work or missing.
3. Fix the quick wins first: WhatsApp button, tap-to-call, prices.
4. Ask a friend to test the site and watch where they get stuck.
5. Book time next month to check the site again.

Frequently asked questions