Resources
Guides on web design, SEO & getting found.
36 plain-English guides for small businesses — grouped by topic so you can read the whole picture, not just the latest post. Written by the team that hand-codes the websites.
Browse by topic
Local SEO & Google Maps
Getting found in the map pack and local search results.
Explore topic 6 guidesPerformance & technical
Speed, Core Web Vitals and the technical side of ranking.
Explore topic 7 guidesBuying a website
Costs, options and what to look for before you commit.
Explore topic 4 guidesPaid advertising
Google Ads, Meta ads and knowing what your spend is buying.
Explore topic 4 guidesDesign & conversion
Turning visitors into enquiries — layout, copy and trust.
Explore topic 7 guidesRunning & maintaining
Maintenance, security, domains, accessibility and the legal bits.
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The essential guides.
One definitive read per topic. If you only have time for a few, make them these.
How to Rank Higher on Google Maps in 2026
The Google Maps 3-pack is where most local enquiries are won or lost. Here's exactly what Google looks at in 2026 — and how to climb from position 10 into the top 3.
Core Web Vitals Explained: LCP, INP and CLS in Plain English
Three initials decide whether Google thinks your site feels fast. Here's what LCP, INP and CLS really measure — and the fixes that actually shift them.
How Much Does a Small Business Website Cost in the UK? (2026 Guide)
Quotes from £200 to £20,000 for the same brief? Here's exactly what UK small business website pricing should look like in 2026 — and where the value really is.
Should Small UK Businesses Start With Google Ads or SEO?
Two of the most common questions we get from small business owners — and the honest answer is rarely 'just one'. Here's how to think about it.
What Makes a Good Website Design in 2026?
Good design is invisible — it gets out of the way of the visitor's task. Here are the non-negotiables that separate a website that converts from one that just looks nice.
Website Maintenance: What Should Be Included, and What Should You Pay?
Most small business owners have no idea what 'website maintenance' should actually cover — until something breaks. Here's what a real plan includes, and what it should cost in the UK.
Latest articles
How Much Should a Small Business Budget for Marketing in 2026?
"How much should I be spending?" has no single answer — but there are sensible ranges, and a split that works for most small businesses.
How AI Search and Google AI Overviews Are Changing SEO in 2026
AI answers are eating the top of the search results page. For local small businesses, the picture is less bleak than the headlines suggest.
What Makes a Website Feel Trustworthy? The Design Cues That Win Enquiries
Visitors decide whether to trust you in seconds, and almost none of it is conscious. Here are the cues doing the deciding.
Call Tracking: How to Know Which Marketing Is Making Your Phone Ring
If half your marketing budget is wasted, phone calls are usually where the evidence is hiding. Call tracking is how you find it.
Website Copywriting: How to Write Content That Actually Converts
Most small business websites are written for the owner, not the customer. Swapping that around is the cheapest conversion improvement there is.
GDPR and Cookie Consent for UK Small Business Websites
Most small business cookie banners are either wildly over-engineered or quietly illegal. Here's what the rules actually ask for.
Facebook and Instagram Ads for Small Businesses: A Beginner's Guide
Facebook and Instagram ads interrupt people who weren't looking for you. That's their weakness and, used properly, their biggest strength.
Website Accessibility in 2026: What UK Small Businesses Actually Need to Know
Accessibility isn't a legal box-tick or a niche concern — it overlaps almost perfectly with plain good design. Here are the wins worth doing first.
Domain, DNS and Hosting Jargon Explained for Small Business Owners
Nameservers, A records, propagation. Here's what the words on your domain control panel actually mean — and which ones you should never touch.
How to Respond to Google Reviews (the Good Ones and the Bad Ones)
A calm, human reply to a one-star review sells you better than ten five-star reviews with no response. Here's how to handle both.
How to Choose the Right Domain Name for a UK Small Business
Your domain is the one decision that's genuinely painful to reverse later. Here's how to pick one you'll still be happy with in five years.
Mobile-First Indexing Explained: Why Your Phone Experience Is What Gets Ranked
Google stopped caring about your desktop site years ago. If content is missing on mobile, as far as ranking is concerned it doesn't exist.
Schema Markup for Local Businesses, Explained in Plain English
Schema markup is just a label telling Google what your page is about. Here's which types a local business needs — and which ones are a waste of time.
Google Ads Performance Max Explained: Is It Right for Your Small Business?
Google will push you towards Performance Max the moment you open an account. Here's when it genuinely works for a small budget — and when it quietly burns it.
Why Your Website Images Are Probably Slowing You Down
The single most common reason a small business site loads slowly isn't hosting or code — it's a 4MB photo straight off a phone. Here's the fix.
Web Design for Small Businesses in Wisbech & St Neots: What to Look For
Local search in Wisbech or St Neots is a genuinely different game to competing in Cambridge itself. Here's what a small business in either town should look for in a web designer.
Website Builder vs a Real Web Designer: What Wix and Squarespace Don't Tell Small Businesses
Wix and Squarespace are genuinely good for some small businesses. Here's when they aren't — and the total-cost-of-ownership comparison nobody in their marketing wants you to see.
Are Divi and Page-Builder Themes Right for Your Small Business Website?
Divi and Elementor are fast and cheap to launch — that's real. Here's the honest trade-off: plugin bloat, speed drag, and the 'when your builder disappears' problem nobody talks about.
How Much Traffic Does Your Website Actually Get? A Simple Guide for Small Business Owners
'Hits' hasn't been a real metric for 20 years. Here are the four numbers that actually tell you whether your small business website is doing its job — and how to find them.
How to Check If Your Website Is Ranking on Google (A Small Business Owner's Guide)
Googling your own business name tells you almost nothing about where you actually rank. Here are the free, correct methods — and what to do with the numbers once you have them.
Responsive Web Design Explained: Why Your Site Must Work Perfectly on Every Device
'It looks fine on my laptop' is the wrong test. Here's what responsive web design actually means in 2026 — and why Google decides which version of your site to rank based on the mobile one.
What Does a Web Designer Actually Do? (And What You Should Expect For Your Budget)
"Web designer" means a dozen different things to a dozen different people. Here's what one should actually do for your small business — and what should already be set up for you on day one.
How to Tell If a Website Is Secure (And Why So Many Small Business Sites Aren't)
A padlock in the address bar doesn't mean your website is safe. Here's the two-minute check every small business owner should run — and why so many sites quietly fail it.
Do I Need a Website If I Have a Facebook Page? (Honest 2026 Answer)
A Facebook page is free and familiar — but is it enough on its own in 2026? Here's the honest side-by-side for small UK business owners.
How to Get More Google Reviews (Without Buying Them)
Reviews are the single biggest local ranking factor after distance. Here's how to get more of them — without ever paying for a fake one.
Google Business Profile SEO in 2026 and How Local Businesses Can Rank Higher on Google
Your Google Business Profile is one of the strongest local ranking signals in 2026. Here's how Cambridgeshire businesses can use it to win more local enquiries.
Local SEO Guide for Tradespeople: Get Found in Your Town
Plumbers, electricians, builders: this is the practical local SEO playbook that gets your phone ringing — without paid ads.
What Small Businesses in Cambridgeshire Should Look For in a New Website
From St Ives tradespeople to Cambridge startups, here's exactly what to demand from a new website — and the technical traps to avoid.
Static Websites vs WordPress, Wix and Other Dynamic Platforms
Static sites consistently beat WordPress and Wix on every metric Google cares about. Here's the technical breakdown.
Why Google PageSpeed Insights Matters for Small Business Rankings
Your PageSpeed score isn't vanity — it's how Google decides where you rank. Here's what it really measures and how to fix it.