Launching our own Online Community
I’m doing what now? Launching a free community to help others launch their own.
Launching our own Online Community Read More »
Do you trust me? (What are you doing next Friday?)
If I told you that I’d like to introduce you to a group of local business people who meet up to help each other, who find me a huge proportion of my clients, would you believe me?
Do you trust me? (What are you doing next Friday?) Read More »
How Logo & Brand Designers Can Keep Website Designers Happy
If you’ve just designed a logo for a client, the last thing you want is their website designer moaning at them about it.
How Logo & Brand Designers Can Keep Website Designers Happy Read More »
Don’t go leaving Facebook on the shelf
Just because you’re too young for Facebook doesn’t mean it won’t help your business.
Don’t go leaving Facebook on the shelf Read More »
Misty Mornings are Here
And it can only mean one thing. Foglamp chaos.
Misty Mornings are Here Read More »
Cookies – what does ‘good’ look like?
This blog from the ICO gave some really useful guidance that helped shape the way we work with cookies on our clients’ sites.
Cookies – what does ‘good’ look like? Read More »
How To Make the Most of Video Conferencing
Our friend Maddie, from Fides Films, shares her top Zoom tips with us.
How To Make the Most of Video Conferencing Read More »
A Super Simple Guide to Writing a Blog Post
A video showing how to create a simple blog post with some very basic SEO.
A Super Simple Guide to Writing a Blog Post Read More »
Hippo Pages Case Study
Hippo Pages was our first CIC “project” – ticking all the boxes of how we want to help people get their business online – but almost by chance. Jo, it’s founder, explains more…
Hippo Pages Case Study Read More »
Using Gmail to Access Other Accounts
Most web hosting comes with free email accounts, but what if you want something a bit more powerful and free?
Using Gmail to Access Other Accounts Read More »
Celebrating #Web30 with a blast from the past
30 years ago, the world wide web was born. I was a bit of an early adopter…
Celebrating #Web30 with a blast from the past Read More »
And the colour of the year is…
Pantone’s colour of the year for 2019 has been announced. It’s going to be a challenge, and we do love a challenge…
And the colour of the year is… Read More »
Lies, damned lies, and Search Engine Market Share statistics…
…or “why are Yell.com trying to pull the wool over our eyes”
Lies, damned lies, and Search Engine Market Share statistics… Read More »
SSL Certificates – Closing the stable door before the horse bolts
Google are making sure that having a little green padlock on your website is not just nice to have, but a necessity.
SSL Certificates – Closing the stable door before the horse bolts Read More »
The Great Dot UK Scam
As we look forward to the huge time savings gained by typing .uk instead of .co.uk, I wonder if it really benefits anyone other than the registrars and their wallets.
The Great Dot UK Scam Read More »
Tool of the Month: Make your diary work for you with Acuity Scheduling
Organising your diary can still be a chore, even in this modern age of smartphones. Acuity Scheduling can make booking and managing your appointments an easy, streamlined process.
Tool of the Month: Make your diary work for you with Acuity Scheduling Read More »
Making the most of your content – online and off!
A presentation I gave to Business over Breakfast on using website content across social media and offline networking.
Making the most of your content – online and off! Read More »
The About Us Page – Show Yourself Some Love
It’s Valentine’s day, so don’t forget to give you, and your website, some love. Perhaps it’s time to liven up your ‘About Us’ page?
The About Us Page – Show Yourself Some Love Read More »
Learning from The Shed – An Exercise in Social Media Manipulation
London’s top-rated restaurant didn’t just have fake reviews, it had fake everything. But what can we small businesses learn from this?
Learning from The Shed – An Exercise in Social Media Manipulation Read More »
Five good reasons your website needs a sheepdog
Every shepherd needs a sheepdog, every business needs a website, and every website should have a web designer/developer
Five good reasons your website needs a sheepdog Read More »
Streamline your writing – stop being a perfectionist!
Perfectionism becomes unhealthy when you mix it with self-doubt and undermine your creative productivity. You need to become a writing pragmatist.
Streamline your writing – stop being a perfectionist! Read More »
What’s in a name? Do you need a brand?
What do The Dukes of Hazzard and a geography teacher have in common? Why, a brand, of course!
What’s in a name? Do you need a brand? Read More »
The Dangers of Stock Photography
There’s nothing wrong with using stock photos, as long as you’re careful and sincere.
The Dangers of Stock Photography Read More »
Colour in Branding Infographic
How does the colour of your logo or brand affect how your potential customers perceive you – is it putting them off?
Colour in Branding Infographic Read More »
Do you do SEO?
At about half of our initial client meetings we get asked the question “Do you do SEO?” If only there was a simple answer.
Video killed the radio star…
…but is it a social media marketing killer?
Video killed the radio star… Read More »
The great #portfoliocatchup batch 3!
The best things come to those who wait…
The great #portfoliocatchup batch 3! Read More »
#portfoliocatchup batch 2
A new launch in amongst our tidal wave of past projects being added to the portfolio.
#portfoliocatchup batch 2 Read More »
The Great #portfoliocatchup
We’ve written about the cobbler’s children having no shoes before and it certainly seems that we are so busy expanding our website design portfolio that we never have time to update it! However, we’ve given our website a little refresher, especially the portfolio section, so it seemed a good time to start catching up. So,
The Great #portfoliocatchup Read More »
Social Media Image Sizes Cheat Sheet
If you want your social media images to look their best, you need to optimise your sizes. Keeping on top of what sizes are best for which site isn’t always easy.
Social Media Image Sizes Cheat Sheet Read More »
How to hide your address on Nextdoor
Nextdoor is the replacement Streetlife.com and I’m distinctly unimpressed so far. In particular, they think it’s acceptable to display your home address for all to see. So if you want to give Nextdoor the benefit of the doubt but not reveal your full address – here’s how…
How to hide your address on Nextdoor Read More »
Plenty more Phish in the sea… it’s not just emails from your bank
Most people nowadays have got themselves into the habit of not trusting every email they receive. We’re constantly reminded that just because something looks like it came from your bank it doesn’t mean it really did. “Don’t click the links!” we’re told – sensible advice.
Plenty more Phish in the sea… it’s not just emails from your bank Read More »
Proud to be a Recommended Beaver Builder
We love Beaver Builder, so we’re very proud to be on the recommended builder list!
Proud to be a Recommended Beaver Builder Read More »
The Lauren Effect – Anyone can build a website, cannot they?
Can anyone build a website? Well, companies like Wix, Weebly and 1and1 would certainly like us to think so. And now Eastenders would like us to think that anyone can start a website design business.
The Lauren Effect – Anyone can build a website, cannot they? Read More »
What’s in a number? The difference a local phone number can make.
Mobile phones have changed the way we live our lives, how we think about communicating and opened a whole new opportunity for small businesses to keep in touch. But sometimes the old ways are good, and having a “proper” phone number can make a big difference. So how can you go old school without going
What’s in a number? The difference a local phone number can make. Read More »
Lessons from the Heart – why you shouldn’t keep all your eggs in one basket
How would you cope if your whole business went offline for 5 days? And how do we make sure it doesn’t?
Lessons from the Heart – why you shouldn’t keep all your eggs in one basket Read More »
If a picture paints a thousand words, then why not paint your blog?
Having images on your blog posts makes a huge difference in how many people will read it and how many will follow links to your site.
If a picture paints a thousand words, then why not paint your blog? Read More »
Hello 2016
As we embark on a new year, we tend to take a little inward look at ourselves and decide to make some New Year’s Resolution or other. I’m not a big fan of resolutions but it does occur to me that I use one phrase far too often during client meetings. The cobbler’s children have
How we stopped contact form spam with CleanTalk
The first “spam” email was sent in 1978 and we’ve been battling it ever since. It’s an annoyance that has become less of a problem as email services have improved their filtering, but for people running a business online, contact form spam is still a big headache. You can skip my explanation / rant and jump
How we stopped contact form spam with CleanTalk Read More »
Headway tip – removing Category Archives title
This is a slight change in the nature of the blog posts here. Sometimes I find useful snippets of code or ideas that other WordPress / Headway geeks may enjoy. If this post makes no sense to you whatsoever, don’t worry, it’s not supposed to! If you’re using the Headway theme and you want to
Headway tip – removing Category Archives title Read More »
Using Yoast? “Your homepage cannot be indexed by search engines” – DON’T PANIC!
How to clear that worrying “Your homepage cannot be indexed by search engines” message from Yoast.
Using Yoast? “Your homepage cannot be indexed by search engines” – DON’T PANIC! Read More »
Using Google Chrome and getting strange menu flickering in WordPress? That will be the slimming paint!
If you use Google Chrome as your browser, in the last day or two you may have noticed strange things happening to the menus in your WordPress dashboard. This is “thanks” to a new feature being enabled in the latest version of Chrome but is easy to fix.
Why taking Direct Debits on your website is both easy and worthwhile
If you’ve ever gone through the hurdles to set up a website to take credit card payments, and the associated hassles with merchant accounts and processors, you’d be forgiven for deciding to stick with PayPal. Direct Debit, well that sounds like even more of a nightmare, doesn’t it?
Why taking Direct Debits on your website is both easy and worthwhile Read More »
What are the best times to post on Facebook, Twitter etc?
Ever felt like you’re talking to yourself? That fantastic blog you’ve just shared on Facebook being greeted with a deafening silence? Perhaps you’re just posting at the wrong time.
What are the best times to post on Facebook, Twitter etc? Read More »
Are you missing out on at least 300 visitors per day? (clue: “no”)
What a fantastic offer – all those extra visitors to your website. It almost sounds too good to be true…
Are you missing out on at least 300 visitors per day? (clue: “no”) Read More »
Why Facebook Like Ladders are worse than a waste of time
If you hang around any of the business groups on Facebook, you’ll probably see Like Ladders pop up now and again. If you comment on the post with a link to your page, and Like the page of everyone who has commented before you, they will all Like your page. It’s just like any chain
Why Facebook Like Ladders are worse than a waste of time Read More »
Pick your featured images with care!
Having the right image appear on a shared post on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn can make a huge difference. Have you ever seen one that was just completely wrong?
Pick your featured images with care! Read More »
Finally some good news for Facebook Page managers!
Lots of people have had a downer on Facebook recently, and it seems every time they change something there is uproar. But the recent changes for Page managers on the browser client make such a difference, it’s a shame more people aren’t shouting about it.
Finally some good news for Facebook Page managers! Read More »
A Busy Summer for our Portfolio
It seems like ages since we last updated our portfolio. The cobbler’s children never have shoes, just as our own site is usually the last to be worked on! However, our clients keep telling us we should be blowing our own trumpet more often, so here goes…
A Busy Summer for our Portfolio Read More »
Please, does the new iPhone 6 mean we can finally kill mobile websites?
So finally the iPhone catches up with Android and starts offering decent sized screens – 4.7 inch or 5.5 inch on the 6 Plus. I really hope that means the death of the mobile website.
Please, does the new iPhone 6 mean we can finally kill mobile websites? Read More »
What is Bounce Rate? Plus 5 tips for reducing it!
One of the first questions I’m asked when a client receives their first Google Analytics report from us is “What’s Bounce Rate?” and “do we need to get it higher?”
What is Bounce Rate? Plus 5 tips for reducing it! Read More »
“Hardly anyone sees my Facebook posts any more.” Good. That means it’s working.
If everybody saw everything that everyone else posts on Facebook, the world would end in zero productivity oblivion. Sorry, but not everything you post will be seen by everyone.
“Hardly anyone sees my Facebook posts any more.” Good. That means it’s working. Read More »
Perfecting your cover photo for the new Facebook Page layout – complete with template
While the latest changes to the Facebook page layout may not have affected image sizes, they have changed the way things overlap your cover photo. This Photoshop file can help you perfect your appearance.
Perfecting your cover photo for the new Facebook Page layout – complete with template Read More »
Who owns your website? 3 important things to check.
We do come across some interesting ideas in this world of web design. Certainly other designers and hosts can be awkward, putting up barriers when clients want to move. I’m sure that not all of them do it out of self-interest or dangerous business tactics, some just don’t completely understand what they’re doing. In this
Who owns your website? 3 important things to check. Read More »
A new website for @GreggaWallace
We’re very proud to announce the launch of a new website for Gregg Wallace, TV presenter – yes, him off MasterChef. It has a very different look to his old site with an emphasis on visuals. Because Gregg is a big Twitter fan, it is vital that his site is “responsive” – so that it
A new website for @GreggaWallace Read More »
5 reasons your website is like a dog
Over the last couple of days, we’ve had an extra resident at Fairly Marvellous Hall. This is Phoebe and she’s been staying with us while her family went away for a night. She’s great fun, very friendly, and loves having her tummy rubbed. She also takes over the house, can be a right pain and
5 reasons your website is like a dog Read More »
A history of Google search engine optimisation crackdowns
Since Google started, the holy grail of search engine optimisation has been to find a secret way to the top. It used to be easy – fill your page with keywords, add a meta keywords tag (ha ha!) and get as many incoming links as possible. Spam, spam, spam, spam, spam… (a little Monty Python
A history of Google search engine optimisation crackdowns Read More »
I hate “blogging” and I’m not alone – I need a Social Media Mentor
I had a lovely meeting with a lovely lady this week. We were talking about the need for a social media mentor – she’s in a great place for me, she knows that blogging and sharing is really important but needs a little help and encouragement in turning that knowledge into practice. I know it
I hate “blogging” and I’m not alone – I need a Social Media Mentor Read More »
The (not so big) secrets of On Page SEO
In this article I want to try and take away some of the mystery around search engine optimisation. There are two parts of this puzzle and we’re going to start with on page SEO, although I will cover a couple of things that will help with off page.
The (not so big) secrets of On Page SEO Read More »
Facebook kill Page status updates – make sure your links don’t go the same way
Facebook have just announced a change to their ranking algorithm (what we used to call Edgerank) that will definitely affect how many of your Page’s posts get seen by your fans. We always knew a plain text status update by a page ranked low and that it was better to post links, pictures or videos.
Facebook kill Page status updates – make sure your links don’t go the same way Read More »
Free gifts for bloggers – remember that calendar?
Regular readers will have realised that I’m embracing 2014 with “practice what you preach” attitude. A big part of that is improving my blogging and putting more thought into my social media output. A lot of that is around structure and habit, which means I need a new tool. Sadly, not an excuse to go
Free gifts for bloggers – remember that calendar? Read More »
Psst. Wanna buy a domain name? (5 reasons buying extra domain names is a waste of money)
Have you received a phone call offering you a fantastic opportunity to buy a domain name? Will extra domain names help your SEO? Perhaps someone who runs the same kind of business as you, based in the same area and who has a very successful website, has decided to retire. And they’d like you to
Psst. Wanna buy a domain name? (5 reasons buying extra domain names is a waste of money) Read More »
Back to work for 2014
Although some of us were back to work on the 2nd (in fact, some of us didn’t really stop at all) for many, the first serious work day is when the little darlings are back at school. Especially those who are starting up new businesses this year, or launching a big push to help their
Back to work for 2014 Read More »
Can your web hosting cope?
There are so many web hosting options available that it is easy to become confused. This then leads to the temptation of picking your provider either based on how (in)famous they are or how cheap they are.
Can your web hosting cope? Read More »
What should I build my website with?
This is a question we get asked frequently and, while there’s a very simple one word answer, the justification is a bit more complicated and it’s easier to start with what not to use…
What should I build my website with? Read More »
