Dazzling or simple? The best website for your small business

As the marketing director for a company that operates restaurants in Toronto, Olga Kisza has learned a thing or two about designing websites. Chief among them: Function needs to trump form.“They have to be really accessible and mobile-friendly. People want to very quickly get to the root of the information,” she says. “It really has to be front and centre.”It’s a lesson many small and medium-sized businesses learn the hard way. The temptation to create a flashy, complex online presence can be great, but doing so often slows a website down and muddies the user’s experience. Ms. Kisza oversees strategy and design of websites for each of the eight restaurants co-owned by Overbudget Inc., the company started by entrepreneur Grant van Gameren in 2016, as well as a catering business. Among the eateries are Bar Isabel, Bar Raval and Pretty Ugly. Ms. Kisza is also planning a website for the parent company itself.