Marketing & web design blog
Marketing insights
Practical web design, SEO, Google Ads and digital marketing advice for local businesses. No jargon, no fluff.
How to stop Google Ads wasting your budget
Most Google Ads budgets leak on searches you'd never have chosen to pay for. Here's how to find that waste in the search terms report and shut it off.
Should your agency white-label Google Ads?
When a client wants Google Ads and you have no PPC team, you can hire, outsource or muddle through. Here is how those three options really compare for an agency.
How to get found in a town you're not based in
Can you win work in a town you're not based in? An honest look at what the map pack, organic search and Google Ads can and can't do from out of town.
What's a good conversion rate for a small business website?
Wondering whether your website's conversion rate is any good? Here's an honest look at what's normal for a small business site, and what actually shifts it.
Google Ads conversion tracking: the setting most accounts get wrong
Most Google Ads accounts quietly count the wrong things. Here is how conversion tracking really works, and how to check yours counts real enquiries.
How to write a Google Ads advert that gets clicks
Your Google Ads advert has a few seconds to earn a click and put off the wrong people. Here is how I write ads that pull in enquiries rather than tyre-kickers.
Should you apply Google's Ads recommendations?
Google keeps nudging you to apply its recommendations and lift your optimisation score. Here is which of those suggestions are worth taking and which quietly cost you money.
Real photos, real names: why they win you more work
Stock photos and a faceless About page cost small businesses trust. Why real photos of your work and a real name behind the business win more enquiries.
Should you show your prices on your website?
It is one of the most argued-over questions in service business marketing. Here is a straight look at when showing your prices wins you work, when it costs you, and how to do it well.
How to choose a web designer for your small business
Picking a web designer is mostly about asking the right questions before you pay. What to look for, what to avoid, and what people wish they had checked.
Should you rebuild your website or improve the one you have?
A full rebuild is not always the answer. Here is how to tell whether your website needs replacing or just a few honest fixes, from someone who does both.
How to market a small business in a small town
Marketing a small local business works differently. How to get known locally, show up in nearby searches and win work from bigger competitors.
How to write service pages that bring in enquiries
Your service pages do the quiet selling on your website. Here is how to write ones that both rank on Google and turn a visitor into a phone call or form.
Do you still need a website if you're on social media?
Doing well on Instagram and Facebook and wondering if a website is still worth it? Here is an honest answer, and where each one really earns its keep for you.
Will AI search kill your website traffic? An honest answer
AI Overviews and chatbots now answer questions that once sent people to your site. Here is what is really happening to small business traffic, and what to do.
How long does SEO take to work? An honest answer
Most SEO takes three to six months to show, and closer to a year to really pay off. Here is what actually drives the timeline, and how to spot progress early.
How fast should you reply to a new enquiry or call?
Most small businesses lose work through slow replies and missed calls, not poor marketing. How fast to respond, why calls matter, and a simple standard.
How to know if your marketing is actually working
A plain way to tell whether your marketing is paying off, and a calm, step-by-step way to find out why when enquiries suddenly drop.
Do Facebook ads work for small businesses?
An honest look at when Facebook and Instagram ads pay off for a small business, when they quietly waste money, and how to test them without getting burned.
Why a slow website costs you customers
A slow website loses enquiries before anyone reads a word of it. Here is how to tell if yours is too slow, why it quietly matters, and what actually fixes it.
How to get more Google reviews, and handle the bad ones
Google reviews help decide who local customers call. How to get more of them, reply to the good ones, and handle a bad or unfair review well.
What makes a good landing page for a service business?
A good landing page does one job: turn a visitor into an enquiry. Here is what actually works for service businesses, from someone who builds them.
How to get found on Google Maps and check where you rank
Many local enquiries start on Google Maps. How to set up your Google Business Profile, and how to check where you really rank without fooling yourself.
Why your website gets visitors but no enquiries
Plenty of small business websites get traffic and no enquiries. Why visitors leave without getting in touch, and the small fixes that change it.
How much should a small business website cost?
Website quotes range from a few hundred pounds to tens of thousands, which helps nobody. Here is a clear way to think about what a small business website should cost, and why a monthly fee often makes more sense than a big upfront bill.
Should small businesses run Performance Max?
Performance Max is Google's flagship campaign type and the one its sales reps push hardest. For some businesses it is genuinely brilliant. For others it is a quick way to set fire to a budget. Here is how to tell which one you are.
What is a good ROAS for Google Ads?
ROAS is one of the most talked-about metrics in Google Ads, and one of the most misunderstood. Here is what it actually means, what a realistic target looks like, and why chasing a high number can sometimes make things worse.
Google Ads vs SEO: which first, and how they work together
Google Ads and SEO cost, behave and pay back differently. Which to start with for your situation, and how to run both so each makes the other cheaper.
Why your Google Ads get clicks but no enquiries
Clicks but no calls or forms? The leak is usually the searches you pay for, the page the click lands on, or missing tracking. How to find and fix each.
How much should a small business spend on Google Ads?
There is no universal answer to the Google Ads budget question, but there is a sensible way to think about it. Here is how to work out what to spend and what to expect in return.
Not sure which of these applies to you?
Tell us what you are trying to fix and we will tell you what we would do about it, what it would cost, and whether it is worth doing at all. Reply by email within one working day.