Website for Your German Business: What You Actually Need
Key takeaways
- A website is not legally required for a Gewerbe in Germany, but without one you are invisible in Google.
- An Impressum and a GDPR privacy policy are mandatory on every commercial site. Missing them risks a formal warning letter.
- A working landing page starts at €1,200, a full business site at €2,500.
- A Google Business Profile is free and often more effective for local businesses than any website.
- Start with the minimum that works. You can always add more later.
You have registered your business in Germany, found your first clients through referrals, and now the question comes up: do you need a website?
The short answer: a website is not legally required. But without one you do not exist in Google, which means potential clients find your competitors instead. Not because they are better, but because they are findable.
This article covers what a small business website in Germany actually needs, what is mandatory by law, and what you can safely leave out.
Contents
What German law requires
A commercial website in Germany must include two things from day one. This applies to sole traders as much as to larger companies.
Impressum
A legally mandated imprint page: full name, physical postal address (a P.O. box does not qualify), email, phone number, and where applicable your VAT ID and commercial register number.
This is not a formality. A competitor can send you a formal warning letter (Abmahnung) for a missing or incomplete Impressum. Cost of the first incident: €500 to €1,500.
Privacy policy under GDPR
Describes what data your site collects and why. Contact forms, server logs, embedded maps, analytics, third-party fonts — each must be disclosed. Free generators produce a usable draft. A legal review costs €200–500 one-off.
Cookie consent
Only required if your site uses non-essential cookies: analytics, advertising, embedded video. A plain information site without such services needs no cookie banner.
Google Fonts
A common trap: loading fonts from Google's servers transmits the visitor's IP address without consent. German courts have ruled on this. Fonts should be self-hosted.
What actually belongs on the site
For a local business
- Who you are and what you do — clear on the first screen
- What services, in which area
- How to get in touch: phone, email, possibly WhatsApp
- Opening hours
- Impressum and privacy policy
- Mobile-friendly — more than half of visitors come from phones
That is enough to start. Blog, booking system, portfolio — those come later.
What you do NOT need at the start
- An online shop (unless you sell physical products)
- A chatbot
- Animations and video backgrounds
- A blog with nothing to say
Google Business Profile — free and often more important
For local businesses, a Google Business Profile delivers visibility faster than any website. It is free, appears directly in Google Search and on Maps.
Steps: register at business.google.com, add your category and service area, complete verification, add photos and service descriptions, ask your first clients for a review.
Three to five reviews with a good rating do more for local visibility than ten blog articles. The website and the profile work together: the profile links to the site, the site confirms the information.
What a business website costs in Germany
| Option | What you get | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Website builder (Wix, Jimdo) | Template site, limited options | €10–30/month ongoing |
| Landing page from a developer | Custom one-pager | from €1,200 one-off |
| Full site, 5–8 pages | Individual service pages, SEO foundation, legal | from €2,500 one-off |
| Multilingual site | Two or more languages, clean structure | from €3,900 one-off |
More detail on pricing in my cost breakdown article.
Commissioning from abroad
If you are hiring from outside Germany, a few practical points apply. Get the quote in writing with an itemised scope. Confirm that all access belongs to you after handover: domain, hosting, source code, admin panel. Clarify VAT treatment early — for B2B within the EU the reverse charge procedure usually applies.
I work with clients in four languages: German, English, Ukrainian and Russian. The project and contract can be discussed in whichever you are most comfortable with.
Common mistakes
- Postponing the website until the business grows (without a site, growth is slower)
- Skipping the legal requirements (an Abmahnung costs more than an Impressum)
- Leaving all access with the developer (domain and hosting should be registered to you)
- Not setting up a Google Business Profile (free, 30 minutes, immediate local visibility)
Step by step
- Set up a Google Business Profile — free, 30 minutes
- Define what you need — landing page or full site, one language or two
- Get 2–3 quotes — compare scope, not price
- Confirm legal requirements are included
- Secure your own access credentials
- After launch — collect reviews
Frequently asked questions
Am I required to have a website for my Gewerbe? No. But if a website exists, an Impressum and privacy policy are mandatory.
Can I build a website myself? You can, using a builder. But the legal elements must be done correctly. Mistakes here cost more than the savings on development.
How long does it take? A landing page one to two weeks, a full site three to six weeks. Delays are almost always caused by missing content, not development.
Do I need accessibility under the BFSG? Most likely not. Micro-enterprises with fewer than 10 employees and up to €2M turnover are exempt for services. Details in my BFSG article.
Summary
A website for a Gewerbe in Germany does not have to cost €10,000 or have 50 pages. Start with what works: a clean presence that can be found, meets legal requirements, and makes it easy to get in touch. Everything else comes as the business grows.
If you would like a concrete assessment, describe briefly what your business offers. You will get an honest answer, even if it is that a free Google Business Profile is enough for now.