Notes and how-tos
What I learn building sites that get found, written for the people who run them.
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A small business website needs to tell visitors what you do, where you do it, and how to contact or buy from you, all on the first screen of a phone. Beyond that, it…
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Choose Squarespace if you want a polished site quickly and like having design guardrails. Choose Wix if you want more freedom to place things where you like and a big…
To choose a web designer in Hawaii, look at live sites they've built (on your phone, not just in screenshots), make sure you'll own your domain and site, and ask how…
To show up on Google Maps in Hawaii, start with a verified, complete Google Business Profile, then earn steady reviews, keep your name, address and phone number…
To set up a Google Business Profile, search for your business on Google Maps to see if a listing already exists, then either claim it or add a new one at Google's…
Short answer: yes, if you want people who don't already know your name to find you. Great Yelp reviews prove you're worth a visit. A website is what gets you found in…
This is a small vacation rental business in Hawaii: surf-stay rentals that guests book directly by sending an inquiry. No big booking platform in the middle. Just a…
This one is a surf school in Hawaii. Like a lot of tourism businesses, many of their customers are visitors planning a trip from a phone. Someone is sitting in a hotel…
The best website builder for a small business depends on the site's main job. Squarespace is great for a clean, polished site with little fuss. Wix suits owners who…
SEO, short for search engine optimization, is the work of making your website easy for Google to understand and worth showing when someone searches for what you offer…
A Hawaii business has four realistic ways to get a website: build it yourself on a website builder, hire a local freelancer, hire an agency, or have one person design…
A small business website can cost anywhere from a modest monthly subscription to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on how it's built. Doing it yourself on a…
Any size. Small businesses and startups especially welcome