What should a corporate website be like? Pages, content, technical, and legal checklist

Technical foundation: Mobile, speed, HTTPS, accessibility, and SEO infrastructure

A technically sound corporate website is comfortable to use on a phone, loads quickly, is served over a secure connection, can be navigated by everyone including users with disabilities, and is read correctly by search engines. Google’s page experience approach asks similar questions: Are Core Web Vitals in good condition, are pages served securely, and does the content look good on mobile?

Mobile use

The design is checked on a phone screen first: the menu opens with one hand, text is readable without zooming, buttons are not too close together, and the page does not scroll sideways. Testing is also carried out on phones of different sizes and with the screen rotated horizontally.

Speed and Core Web Vitals

Speed is evaluated by measurement rather than impressions. Google Search Central’s Core Web Vitals page measures main content loading with LCP, responsiveness to taps and clicks with INP, and shifting page elements with CLS, and publishes the threshold considered good for each metric. Measurement is carried out through the Core Web Vitals report in Search Console and PageSpeed Insights; heavy slideshows, uncompressed images, and unused plugins are among the most frequent causes of slowdowns.

HTTPS

The website is served entirely over HTTPS; the SSL certificate encrypts the connection between the visitor and the server. Old HTTP addresses are permanently redirected to their HTTPS equivalents; the status is checked with Search Console’s HTTPS report.

Accessibility and WCAG

The international reference for accessibility is the W3C’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). The W3C’s Easy Checks pagelists preliminary checks that a nonexpert can also perform and states that these are not a complete evaluation and that an expert review is required for comprehensive results. For a corporate website, this initial round consists of these items:

• Each page having its own meaningful page title
• Alternative text on images that convey information
• Headings reflecting the organization of the content
• Sufficient color contrast and text that remains intact when enlarged
• Keyboard navigation and visibility of the focused element
• Labeled form fields and understandable error messages
• The ability to stop automatically moving or flashing content
• Captions or a text alternative for videos

SEO infrastructure

For search engines, the question of what a corporate website should be like is answered through the settings configured during setup. The check questions are: Does each page have its own title and description, are URLs readable, does the page have a single main heading, has the sitemap been submitted to Search Console, has company information been marked up with structured data, and are service pages connected with meaningful links? Infrastructure is a prerequisite for discoverability; position in search results develops over time depending on the strength of the content and competition.

Legal pages: Which text is needed, and when?

If personal data is collected through a contact form, analytics tool, or cookies, a corporate website needs a disclosure notice; if online sales are not made through the website, e-commerce-specific contract texts are not required. According to the text on the obligation to inform published on the Authority’s website, visitors must be told, when data is collected, who processes the data, for what purpose, to whom it may be transferred, how and on what legal basis it is collected, and what rights they have.

The Personal Data Protection Authority’s guide on cookie practicesstates that merely entering a website does not constitute explicit consent to cookies and that consent must be obtained through an active action. The guide cites presenting “accept,” “reject,” and “preferences” options equally in color and size in the panel that appears on the first visit as a good-practice example. The same guide also reminds readers that disclosure and explicit consent should be handled separately rather than combined in a single text.

The texts are written according to the tools the business actually uses and the data it collects; text taken from another website describes that website’s data flow. This section provides general information and is not legal advice.

Management: Content updates, backups, and maintenance

For the period after publication, the answer to what a corporate website should be like is that responsibilities are written down from the start: who updates content, where backups are stored, and who performs software updates are determined before handover. This is the least discussed corporate website feature, yet it determines the website’s lifespan:

• Content owner: The person who will update the website when the phone number, team, or services change is designated and knows how to use the panel.
• Administrator access: The full administrator account remains with the business; a separate user is created for outside support.
• Backups: Automatic backups are also stored outside the server, and restoration is tested in advance.
• Updates: Core, theme, and plugin updates are carried out regularly; unused plugins are removed.
• Time-limited services: Domain, hosting, and SSL renewal dates are marked on the calendar.

These tasks can be handled within the business; for regular outside support, the scope of the WordPress maintenance and update service can be reviewed. Signs that a website has reached the point where repairs can no longer restore it are discussed in the corporate website renewal guide.

How much does a corporate website cost in TL in 2026?

Among the entry-level corporate packages of 11 companies that openly publish prices on their websites, as of October 7, 2026, the lowest figure is 9,900 TL, the median is 19,000 TL, and the highest is 50,000 TL; the company list, sources, and calculation are in the website prices 2026 market research article. The amount is determined most by the number of pages, language options, custom features (appointments, catalogs, integrations), and annual hosting and domain costs.

At Onur Freelance, corporate website setup starts from 15,000 TL; package scope is explained on the web design prices page, and annual expenses after publication in the annual cost of a website article.

How should corporate website examples be examined?

When examining corporate website examples, the focus is on how the above items are addressed on that website more than on liking its design. Onur Freelance’s references page lists live websites from different sectors, from law firms to transport and from industry to accommodation, and each can be opened in its real form. These questions provide guidance when evaluating an example:

1. Are the service and target customer clear on the first screen?
2. Are the menu, call button, and WhatsApp easy to find on a phone?
3. Does every service have its own page and sufficient explanation?
4. Are completed projects and team information concrete?
5. Are disclosure notice and cookie policy links available in the footer?
6. Do pages open without a wait on a mobile connection?

An example website is not copied exactly; it is adapted using the business’s own content and identity.

General practice versus checklist-based setup: Common mistakes

In general practice, a corporate website is often treated as a matter of appearance; in a checklist-based approach, every item is tested individually before handover. The difference is most visible in these mistakes:

• Having a slogan but no service on the homepage: The heading should state the service and target customer.
• Presenting a stock photo as the team: Trust is lost when the same image is seen on another website; a short photo shoot belonging to the business is sufficient.
• A document not held or a customer logo used without permission: Only real elements used with permission are included.
• An untested form: Inquiries disappear silently; test submissions are made before and after publication.
• A cookie banner with only an “OK” button: No rejection or preference option is offered; a preferences panel with equal options is installed.
• Duplicating the same copy across service pages: Pages do not stand apart; each service is given its own scope and questions.

These small details determine what a corporate website should be like in practice. In Onur Freelance’s working process, the website is not published before these items are tested; if an item remains incomplete, it is clearly stated at handover.

How is the checklist used when commissioning a website?

The list is most useful before requesting quotations and immediately before handover; the first clarifies what is wanted, and the second what is received:

1. Mark the current situation: If a website is live, mark each item yes or no; if there is no website, write down the pages needed.
2. Gather the materials: Combine the logo file, color codes, real photographs, documents, and list of references with permission in one folder.
3. Compare quotations against the same list: Ask which items are included in each quotation; questions to ask the designer and the criteria for a good answer are collected in the questions to ask before commissioning a website guide.
4. Put the scope in writing: The page list, contact channels, who prepares the legal texts, and maintenance responsibility go into an appendix to the quotation.
5. Mark the list again before handover: Test mobile appearance, forms, speed measurements, HTTPS, legal links, and administrator access individually.

At Onur Freelance, corporate website setup starts from 15,000 TL; the exact amount is determined by the number of pages, language options, and custom features. How the quotation is prepared is explained on the website price proposal page, and package scope and page planning on the corporate web design service page. For the reasoning behind the criteria, the professional website developmentguide can be read, and for why a website is needed, the why a corporate website matters guide.