Online Business Card for Small Business: A Practical Guide
By Online Business Cards Editorial Team | Published | Updated | Online business cards for local businesses
Hours, service area, price list, booking or enquiry button, reviews and WhatsApp: what a small business should put on its online business card, which plan fits, and how to set it up in an afternoon.
A small business needs three things online: a way to be found, a reason to be trusted and an easy way to get in touch. An online business card puts all three on one page. Customers open it from a link, a QR code or a message. It works in any phone browser, with no app to install.
This guide is for UK sole traders, shops, appointment businesses and trades. It covers what to put on the card, which of our two plans suits which kind of business, how the cost compares with printed cards and a website over a year, and how to set the whole thing up in an afternoon.
What an online business card is, and what it is not
Think of it as a mini-website with one job: turning someone who has just heard of you into a customer. It shows your details, your work and the buttons people need to contact or book you. You edit it from your dashboard, so a new price or a holiday closure shows as soon as you save.
It is not a full website. It will not hold dozens of pages or run an online shop with a basket and checkout. If you need those, read online business card vs website before you decide. Many small businesses find the card is enough to start with, and add a website later.
What to put on it
Work through this list in order. The top of the card matters most, because many people never scroll past the first screen.
- Name, trade and area. For example: "Hartley Heating, boiler servicing and repairs, Leeds and Wakefield." One line that tells a stranger whether you are relevant to them.
- Opening hours. Include days off and seasonal changes.
- Service area. List the towns or postcode districts you cover. It saves you calls from people you cannot serve.
- Contact buttons. Call, email and WhatsApp. Put the one you answer fastest first.
- A booking or enquiry button. Appointment businesses want bookings. Trades and shops usually want enquiries. Both come with the Business Plan.
- A price list document. Upload a PDF price list or menu with the Documents feature. Put the month in the file name, so customers know it is current.
- Photos of your work. Six to twelve good photos in the Gallery beat thirty average ones.
- A reviews link. On the Business Plan, a button sends happy customers to your Google or other review page. On both plans you can show testimonials, as long as you have the customer's permission.
- Social links. Only the accounts you keep up to date.
Example: a sample profile layout
This is an Example profile for a made-up florist, not a real customer. It shows the order that works for most shops.
- Header: Bloom and Stem, florist, Harrogate. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm.
- Buttons: WhatsApp, Call, Order enquiry.
- About: Two short lines on wedding and everyday flowers, and the villages they cover.
- Products: Hand-tied bouquet, seasonal jar, sympathy wreath. Each has a photo and a "from" price.
- Gallery: Eight recent arrangements.
- Documents: "Wedding flowers price guide, October 2026" as a PDF.
- Reviews: A "Leave us a review" button, then three testimonials used with permission.
- Socials: Instagram only, because that is the account they post on.
Which plan fits which business
We sell two plans. Both are paid once, with no monthly fee.
- Brand Presence (£45 one-off): details, social links, documents, products, gallery, testimonials, templates, visibility and order of sections, password protection, contact display and analytics.
- Business Plan (£90 one-off): everything in Brand Presence, plus bookings, enquiries and custom forms, contact leads and a CRM, a reviews button, subscribers, a card scanner and export.
The table shows where each kind of business usually starts. Our online business card for small business page lists everything in both plans side by side.
Business type | First question customers ask | Plan that usually fits | Why
Sole trader, such as a bookkeeper or photographer | "What do you do, and how do I reach you?" | Brand Presence | Details, gallery, documents and contact buttons answer it.
Shop or café | "Are you open, and what do you sell?" | Brand Presence | Hours, products with prices and a menu document. Choose the Business Plan if you want a subscriber list.
Appointment business, such as a hairdresser, tutor or trainer | "When can I come in?" | Business Plan | Bookings let customers pick a time without phoning you.
Trade, such as a plumber, electrician or builder | "Can you quote for my job?" | Business Plan | An enquiry form collects the postcode and job details. Leads are saved and can be exported.
If your business sits between two rows, pick the plan for what you need this month, not what you might need one day. If you are unsure, ask us before you order. We reply within 48 hours.
What it costs over a year
Our prices are fixed: Brand Presence £45 or the Business Plan £90, paid once. There is nothing to pay us after that. The other options vary a lot by supplier, so we describe them rather than quote figures. See each vendor's site for current prices.
Online business card (ours) | Printed business cards | Small business website
Up-front cost | £45 or £90, once | Depends on quantity, paper and finish (see the printer's site) | A designer's fee, or your own time on a website builder
Ongoing cost | None from us | A new batch each time your details change | Yearly domain renewal, plus hosting or a builder subscription (see vendor site)
Changing a price or phone number | Edit and save | Order a new batch | Edit, if you or your designer can
Bookings and enquiries | Included in the Business Plan | No | Usually needs an add-on or a separate service
Photos and reviews | Yes | Very limited space | Yes
Worked example: a mobile dog groomer
Imagine a dog groomer who works from a van around three villages. Each spring she puts her prices up, and this year she is moving her half-day from Tuesday to Wednesday.
- With printed cards only, both changes mean the old cards are wrong. She either hands out cards with crossings-out or orders a new batch.
- With a website, she logs in and edits two pages, as long as she remembers how, and keeps paying for the domain and hosting.
- With an online business card, she edits the price list document and the hours, and saves. Her Business Plan bookings stop offering Tuesday afternoons. The one-off £90 is the only cost from us.
Set it up in an afternoon
After you order, our platform partner sets up your profile and emails it to you from their own domain. Then you edit it from your dashboard. Block out an afternoon and follow these steps. The times are a rough guide, not a promise.
- Gather your material first (about 30 minutes). Your logo, six to twelve photos, your price list as a PDF, your opening hours, the towns you cover and the link to your review page.
- Write your header line (10 minutes). Business name, what you do, where you do it.
- Add the contact buttons (10 minutes). Test each one from your own phone.
- Add products or services (45 minutes). A name, one line of description and a "from" price for each.
- Upload the gallery and documents (30 minutes). Give files plain names, such as "Price list, October 2026".
- Set up bookings or the enquiry form (45 minutes, Business Plan). Our guide to an online business card with booking walks through services, timings and cancellation notes.
- Reorder and hide sections (15 minutes). Put what customers ask about most at the top. Hide anything empty.
- Test it on two phones (15 minutes). An iPhone and an Android phone if you can borrow one. Save the contact and press every button.
- Share it. Add the link to your email signature, your WhatsApp Business profile, the website field of your Google Business Profile, your invoices and your quotes.
Keep it working
Check your hours, prices and photos once a month. Your analytics show which buttons people press, so move the busiest one higher. Reply to enquiries the same day where you can, and read our guide to leads and UK GDPR before you add anyone to a mailing list.
How it helps you get found locally
For most local businesses, Google Business Profile is still the main way new customers find you on Google Search and Maps. The card does not replace it. Instead, it gives people somewhere useful to land. If you do not have a website, put your card link in the profile's website field. Keep your business name, phone number and hours exactly the same in both places, so customers and search engines see one consistent business.
More practical guides for local businesses are in the journal.
Frequently asked questions
What should a small business put on an online business card?
Your business name, what you do and where, opening hours, contact buttons, a booking or enquiry button, a price list, photos of your work, a reviews link and the social accounts you keep up to date. Put what customers ask about most at the top.
Do I need the Business Plan for a shop?
Not usually. Brand Presence (£45 one-off) covers hours, products, documents, gallery and contact buttons. Choose the Business Plan (£90 one-off) if you want bookings, enquiry forms, a reviews button or a subscriber list.
Can an online business card replace a website?
For some small businesses, at first. It suits sole traders, appointment businesses and trades whose customers mainly want to check you and get in touch. It is not a site you own, and it is not built to rank for many services, so most growing businesses add a website later.
Is there a monthly fee?
No. Brand Presence is £45 and the Business Plan is £90, each paid once. There is no subscription. You can cancel within 14 days if your profile has not been activated.
How do customers open my card?
From a link or a QR code, in their phone's browser. They do not need an app. You can share the link by WhatsApp, text, email, social media or your Google Business Profile.
Can I change my prices after the card is set up?
Yes. Edit your products or upload a new price list document from your dashboard, then save. The change shows to everyone who opens the card from then on, with nothing to reprint.