Website guides for small-business owners
Plain guides for small-business owners about their website: what to put on it, what it costs, domains and email, and Google.
Redesigning your website
When an old site holds you back, and how to replace it without losing what works.
Your website is ten years old: what has changed since thenA 10-year-old website was built for a different internet. What changed with phones, security, speed, forms and customer habits, and what still holds.
Why your old website looks bad on phones and what to doOld websites were built for a desk-sized screen. Here is why yours shrinks, cuts off or hides its menu on a phone, how to test it, and your options.
When your web designer disappears: getting your website backYour web designer stopped answering. How to check what is at risk, secure your domain first, deal with hosting and files, and get back in control.
What to tell customers when your website changesHow to announce a new website without fuss: a short email, a social post, what to tell staff, signs at the counter, and when to say nothing at all.
What to save before you replace your old websiteBefore a redesign, save your text, photos, page addresses, form settings, email records and logins. A plain checklist that takes an afternoon.
What to look for in a website rebuild previewHow to review a website preview before you approve it: check the facts, use it on your phone, click every link, test the form, and write changes clearly.
Websites by trade
What customers look for on the website of a plumber, a salon, a bakery and many more.
Yoga studio websites: schedules, beginners and membershipsHow to show a yoga class schedule people can read on a phone, explain styles to beginners, and describe memberships and class packs in plain words.
What a yoga studio website needs: pages, words and photosThe pages a yoga studio website needs, what newcomers check first, which photos help, what to leave off, and how to make calling or emailing easy.
Window cleaning websites: residential, storefront and high-riseHow a window cleaning website can serve homeowners, shop owners and building managers at once: screens and tracks, storefront routes and insurance.
What a window cleaner website needs: pages, words and photosThe pages a window cleaning business site needs, what homeowners ask before booking, how to show clean glass in photos and keep the quote quick.
What electricians should show about licenses and insurance onlineWhere to put your electrical license number, how to word insurance and bonding, how to talk about permits, and what homeowners do with that information.
What a welding shop website needs: pages, words and photosThe pages a welding shop website needs, what customers check before they call, what to cut, and a contact path that takes photos of the broken part.
Pages that bring enquiries
Home page, services, about, contact, photos and the words on them.
Writing your business description in two sentencesA simple formula and real examples for a two-sentence business description that says who you are, what you do and where, ready to reuse everywhere.
Writing town pages without copying the same pageHow to write location pages for the towns you serve with real local detail, when a town page is worth having, and how to avoid near-identical copies.
Writing for your website when you're not a writerHow to write website content when you are not a writer - talk it through like a phone call, write it down, cut it short - with a simple method for any page.
Writing alt text for your website photosHow to write alt text for images on a small business website in plain words, which photos need it, which do not, and where to type it in your editor.
Writing a services list that doesn't overwhelm visitorsHow to turn a long services list on your website into something people can scan: group it, put the common jobs first, name things plainly and link each one.
Writing a page for financing or payment optionsWhat to put on a financing or payment options page, from accepted payment methods to financing partners, and how to word it carefully and honestly.
Getting found on Google
Plain answers about Google for business owners, with no ranking promises.
Why Google shows old information about your businessOld hours, an old phone or an old name in Google come from one of three places: your website, your Business Profile or a directory. How to tell which.
What page of Google am I on? How to check honestlyYour own search flatters you. Check in a private window, from your customers' town, and read Search Console's average position to see where you really are.
How to verify your Google Business ProfileGoogle picks the verification method for you: phone or text, email, a video, a live call or a postcard. What to have ready, and what to do when it fails.
How to remove a duplicate business listing on GoogleTwo Google listings for one business? Find both, claim the one you do not control, report it as a duplicate in Maps, and why deleting rarely helps.
How to get a Google review link to send customersFind the review link in your Google Business Profile, copy it or save its QR code, and share it in texts, emails, receipts and signs within Google's rules.
How to check if one page of your site is on GoogleCheck one page with a site: search for its exact address, then confirm it in Search Console's URL Inspection and read what each "not indexed" reason means.
Domains, hosting and email
Your web address, where the site lives and a business email, explained.
Who owns my website? The domain, the hosting and the filesA website is three separate things - the domain, the hosting account and the site's files. How to check who holds each one and what to get in writing.
A professional email signature for a small businessWhat to put in a small-business email signature, what to leave out, how to set it in Gmail, Outlook and on your phone, and why logo images so often go wrong.
IONOS domains: moving them or pointing them elsewhereHow to transfer a domain away from IONOS (lock, auth code, the contract you still have to cancel) or point it at a new website, and keep IONOS email running.
How to contact the owner of a domain nameMost domain owners are hidden for privacy, but you can still reach them - through the site itself, or the relay email or contact form the lookup points to.
How to check when your domain expiresLook up your domain at lookup.icann.org to see its expiration date, then confirm it in your registrar account with auto-renew on and a working card.
How to check if a domain name is availableType the name into a well-known registrar's search box or ICANN's free lookup. How to read taken, parked, for sale and premium, and what to do once it is free.
Website basics for owners
Costs, builders, phones, speed, safety and the choices before you start.
What platform is my website built on? How to tellFind out if your site runs on WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy or Shopify from its footer, its page source and its login address, then what to do next.
Taking deposits online before a job or bookingHow trades, studios and event businesses take deposits online with a payment link or booking tool, what to write beside it, and how to match each payment.
Payment links: getting paid online without a shopWhat a payment link is, how to make one in Stripe, PayPal or Square, how to send it by text or email or put it on your website, and when you need more.
Is my website down? How to check in two minutesCheck whether your website is down for everyone or just you, read the error your browser shows, and know whether to call your host, registrar or designer.
Cancelling a website subscription: what to save firstBefore you cancel Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy or a designer's plan, secure your domain and email, save text, photos and form messages, then cancel in order.
Your website's contact form and email: making sure nothing gets lostWhy website form emails go missing or land in spam, how to test your contact form properly, and the settings that make sure every enquiry reaches you.