Practical advice for small business websites

Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing customers see, before your website. Here is how to set it up properly and keep it working for you, step by step.

Websites are easy to buy and hard to judge. These ten questions help you compare designers and agencies, and avoid the surprises owners usually find out about too late.

When someone searches for a service nearby, Google picks a handful of businesses for the map. Here is what it looks at, in plain words, and what you can actually do about it.

A Facebook page is free and easy, so why pay for a website? Because they do different jobs. Here is what each one is good at, and how to make them work together.

Website prices range from free to thousands of dollars, which makes them hard to compare. Here is what actually goes into the cost, so you can compare options fairly.

You don't need to be technical to keep your website safe. These are the basics every owner should check, and the warning signs to watch for.

When the phone starts ringing, the website is the last thing you have time for. A little preparation a few weeks before your busy season goes a long way.

Your contact page is where interest turns into a call or a message. Here is what it needs, what to leave out, and how to make it easy on a phone.

A bad review stings, but a calm, thoughtful reply can actually win you customers. Here is a simple way to respond, with an example you can adapt.

If you work across several towns, a page for each area can help you show up when people search there. Here is how to do it right, and what to avoid.

A slow website loses visitors before they see anything. Here are the usual causes on small business websites, and which ones you can fix yourself.

Websites get dusty too: old prices, broken links, last year's hours. Set a timer and work through this checklist once a season.

Most happy customers are glad to leave a review. They just need to be asked at the right moment, in the right way. Here is how to make it feel natural.

Three words that get mixed up all the time, and confusing them can cost you. Here is what each one is, in plain words, and what you should own.

Real photos of your jobs sell better than any stock image. A few simple habits make phone photos look clean and professional, no camera or photographer needed.

Your About page is often the second page people visit. Here is a simple structure for writing one that sounds like you and builds trust, without bragging.