What US small business owners actually need from a website
Forget the trends. Here's the short list of things that actually move the needle for a small business website — and the much longer list of things you can safely skip.
Read · 8 min read →
Notes from the studio
Notes from the studio.
Plain-language writing on websites, business applications, and the tradeoffs small business owners face when deciding what to build. No SEO bait, no thinly-rewritten listicles — just opinions from people who actually do the work.
Why your small business website isn't showing up on Google
Eight reasons a perfectly good small business site can be invisible in search — and the order to fix them in.
Read · 9 min read →The honest truth about page builders
Elementor, Divi, Wix, Squarespace, Webflow — they all promise to remove the developer from the equation. Here's what they actually cost you, and the cases where they're still the right answer.
Read · 10 min read →Will AI website builders replace developers? A grounded take.
Wix ADI, Squarespace AI, Framer AI, V0, Lovable, Bolt. The pitch is always 'describe your site and it builds itself.' Here's what's actually happening behind the demo, and what it means for small business owners deciding what to use.
Read · 9 min read →Custom website vs template: when each one actually makes sense
A framework for the most common decision a small business owner faces — and an honest read on which side of it we usually fall on.
Read · 8 min read →How much does a custom website actually cost in 2026?
Real numbers, real ranges, and an honest read on what you're actually paying for at each price point.
Read · 9 min read →Spreadsheet, off-the-shelf tool, or custom app — how to choose
Most small business workflow problems get solved with the wrong tool. Here's a framework for figuring out when each one is actually the right answer.
Read · 8 min read →Signs your business has outgrown its website
Six specific symptoms that mean the site is now actively costing you money — and a few false alarms that mean nothing.
Read · 7 min read →
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