Journal
Notes on doing the work properly.
Short, plain-spoken pieces on marketing for businesses that want to grow. No hype, no jargon.
The One-Page Website: When Less Is Genuinely More
Not every business needs a sprawling site with a dozen pages. For some, one well-built page does the whole job — better.
Keeping Past Clients Close: Your Website Isn’t Just for Strangers
Most businesses aim their website entirely at people who’ve never heard of them — and quietly ignore the warmest audience they’ve got.
From ‘Submit’ to ‘Get My Quote’: Why Your Button Text Matters
It’s two words on a button. It also might be the difference between a click and a shrug. Small words, real money.
Your Google Ranking Isn’t Magic: A Plain Explainer
SEO gets talked about like a dark art. It isn’t. Once you understand what Google’s actually trying to do, most of it makes plain sense.
Website Getting Traffic but No Enquiries? Here’s Where to Look
People are visiting. Nobody’s getting in touch. That gap is frustrating — and usually fixable once you know where to look.
Should You Show Your Prices Online?
It’s the question that splits every service business. Hide your prices and you stay mysterious. Show them and you might scare people off — or might not. Let’s think it through.
Photos That Sell the Job: Getting Usable Images of Your Work
You don’t need a professional shoot for every job. You do need photos that make someone think ‘I want that.’ Most don’t.
How to Get Reviews Without Feeling Awkward
Reviews are the most persuasive thing on your website — and asking for them feels like the most awkward. Here’s how to make it easy for both sides.
Google Business Profile: The Free Tool Most Businesses Neglect
It’s free, it sits right at the top of local searches, and most businesses set it up once and forget it. That’s a gift left on the table.
Do You Need a Website if You’ve Got Social Media?
If your Instagram is busy and the enquiries are coming, it’s a fair question. Here’s the honest answer.
Before You Redesign Your Website, Answer These Five Questions
A redesign that starts with “make it look better” usually ends with a prettier site that still doesn’t bring in work. Start here instead.
Local SEO for Gloucestershire Businesses: A Plain-English Start
You don’t need to “do SEO” like a tech company. You need the right people in your area to find you when they’re ready to buy.
Your Contact Form Is Costing You Leads. Here’s Why.
You spent money getting visitors to the site. The contact form is where most of them quietly give up.
Trust in Three Seconds: What Visitors Decide Before They Read
Long before anyone reads your carefully written paragraph, they’ve already decided whether to take you seriously.
Five Things Every Service Business Homepage Needs
Your homepage isn’t a brochure cover. It’s a doorway, and it has one job: get the right person to the next step.
DIY Website vs Professional Build: An Honest Comparison
A website builder can get you online for the price of a coffee a week. Whether it gets you clients is a different question.
Speed, Mobile, and the Leads You Never See
The most expensive visitors are the ones who leave before your site loads. You’ll never meet them — but you paid to bring them in.
The Page That Quietly Closes Sales: Rethinking Your ‘About’ Section
It’s one of the most-visited pages on most sites — and one of the most wasted. Your About page can do real work.
Words That Sell Without Sounding Salesy
You don’t need to shout, exaggerate, or stack exclamation marks. You need to be clear, specific, and easy to trust.
Why Founders Put Their Website Last (And Why That’s Backwards)
It’s the storefront every potential client walks past — yet it’s the job that never reaches the top of the list. There’s a reason, and a fix.
What ‘Conversion-Focused’ Actually Means
It’s the phrase every web designer uses and few explain. Here’s what it really means — and why it changes everything about how a site is built.
The Real Cost of a Weak Website (It’s Not What You Paid for It)
The cheapest website is rarely the one with the lowest price tag. The real cost shows up in the work you never won.
Why your best work vanishes — and what to do about it
Most businesses do great work and then say nothing about it. Here's why that matters, and the simple fix.