The Straight-Talking Web Blog

When Is It Time to Rebuild Your Website? Your website is like a car. It runs fine for a while, you keep it serviced, maybe give it a polish… but eventually, it starts to feel its age. Pages take longer to load. It looks outdated. You’re embarrassed to send people to it. Sound familiar? So […]

Website Hosting 101 – What Are You Actually Paying for Each Year? Every year, the invoice lands: “Website hosting and domain renewal.” And every year, someone asks the same question: “What am I actually paying for?” Fair enough. If you’re not in the industry, it’s all a bit vague. Hosting? DNS? SSL? Feels like magic […]

What Should You Actually Put on Your Homepage? Your homepage is your shop window. It’s the front door to your business online. But too many small business homepages feel like a jumble sale — a bit of everything, nothing clear, and no real structure. If you’re not sure what belongs there (or you’re worried you’ve […]

Why Website Accessibility Matters (And It’s Easier Than You Think) Let’s be honest — most small business websites aren’t built with accessibility in mind. Not because the people behind them don’t care. But because no one really explained what it is, why it matters, or how easy it can be to fix. So let’s do […]

Are Plugins Slowing Your Site Down? Here’s How to Tell One of the great things about WordPress is how flexible it is. Need a contact form? There’s a plugin for that. Want SEO tools, galleries, backups, booking systems? Plugin, plugin, plugin. But here’s the catch: The more plugins you have, the slower your site can […]

A Beginner’s Guide to Local SEO for Hampshire Businesses If you’re a small business owner in Hampshire or Surrey, one of the most valuable things you can do is get found locally on Google. But when people start talking about “local SEO”, it often turns into a maze of jargon and overcomplicated advice. So let’s […]

What Is “Above the Fold” and Why It Still Matters in 2025 You’ve probably heard the phrase “above the fold” before. It’s one of those old-school web design terms that still gets thrown around – but what does it actually mean? And more importantly… does it still matter in 2025? Short answer: yes. A lot. […]

5 Website Mistakes That Turn Visitors Away (And How to Fix Them) Your website’s job is to attract visitors, build trust, and get them to take action. But all too often, it does the opposite. Whether you built your site yourself or paid someone to do it years ago, it’s easy to overlook little things […]

Should You Redesign or Tweak? Knowing When It’s Time for a New Website So your website doesn’t quite feel right anymore. Maybe it looks a bit tired. Maybe it’s not bringing in leads like it used to. Maybe you’re just not proud of it. Now you’re wondering: Do I need a full redesign – or […]

Is Your Website Sending the Wrong Message? How to Fix Confusing Copy You might have the best product or service in your area. But if your website messaging is off – confusing, vague, or just not quite clicking – you’re losing potential customers before they even pick up the phone. And the tricky part? Most […]

7 Things Every Hampshire Business Website Needs in 2025 If your website hasn’t changed in a while, it might be holding your business back. The web’s moved on. What worked in 2018 doesn’t cut it anymore. And in 2025, your customers expect more than just a logo and a contact form. As a freelance web […]

How to Update Your WordPress Website Without Breaking It Your website’s live. It looks great. But now you want to change something – update a phone number, add a new service, or swap out a photo. You log in, poke around… and suddenly you’re not so sure. “What happens if I break something?” “Where do […]

My Website Was Hacked! What Now? (And How to Stop It Happening Again) It’s the nightmare scenario: you visit your website, and something’s not right. Maybe your home page has disappeared. Maybe you’re redirected to some dodgy site. Maybe your inbox is full of strange emails, or worse – your customers are asking what’s going […]

What Does Website Maintenance Actually Include? And Do You Really Need It? You’ve launched your website. It’s live. It looks great. Job done, right? Not quite. Just like a car or a boiler, your website needs regular care to keep it running smoothly. But if you’re like most small business owners I talk to in […]

How to Keep Your Website Safe, Fast and Google-Friendly (Without Being a Techie) Running a small business is hard enough without having to worry about whether your website’s up to scratch. But here’s the truth: If your website isn’t secure, speedy and Google-friendly – it could be quietly costing you business. You don’t need to […]

How Long Should It Take to Build a Website? A Plain-English Timeline You’ve decided your business needs a new website. Maybe it’s a redesign. Maybe it’s your first proper online presence. You’re ready to go. But then you ask: “How long will it take?” And you get a very unsatisfying answer: “Well… it depends.” Let’s […]

DIY Website Builders vs WordPress: When It’s Time to Move Up a Level You’ve had your website for a while. Maybe you built it yourself on Wix, Squarespace, or GoDaddy Builder. It got the job done. It looked decent enough. It was cheap. But now… it’s not keeping up. Maybe it’s slow. Maybe it looks […]

The Real Reason Your Website Doesn’t Show Up on Google (And How to Fix It) You’ve typed your business name into Google. You’ve searched for your service in your town. And still… nothing. Your website’s live, you paid good money for it, and yet it’s like Google doesn’t even know it exists. If that sounds […]

Why Web Design Costs More Than You Expected (And What You’re Really Paying For) If you’ve ever asked for a quote for a new website and thought, “Blimey – that’s a bit more than I was expecting,” you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common reactions I get from small businesses in Hampshire and […]

Where Is Your Website Actually Hosted? Why It Matters More Than You Think If you run a small business in Hampshire or Surrey, there’s a good chance someone built you a website a few years ago, sent you a login, and that was that. Maybe you get an invoice once a year for “hosting”, or […]