Websites, search and AI, in plain English.
Guides I write for business owners who would rather understand the decision than be sold one. Each one is checked against the best pages already answering the question before it goes up.
Found in AI answers
How ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google’s AI features choose the businesses they mention, and what makes a site worth quoting.
- 01 Answer engine optimization: how businesses get into AI answers Guide · 11 min read What answer engine optimization is, how AI tools like ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews pick the businesses they cite, and what a small business can do.
- 02 Is your website agent-friendly? A checklist Article · 12 min read What makes a website agent-friendly, a 10-point checklist for letting AI agents reach, read and use your site, and the free tests that show where you stand.
- 03 What is llms.txt, and does your site need one? Article · 9 min read What an llms.txt file is, who actually reads it, whether it helps SEO or AI answers, and how to write one in half an hour if your site is worth it.
Local search
Google Business Profile, reviews and local SEO for businesses that serve a place, plus honest answers on what SEO costs and how long it takes.
- 01 Local SEO for small businesses: a plain-English guide Guide · 14 min read How local SEO works, what Google actually ranks, and the steps a small business can take itself: its Business Profile, reviews, website pages and listings.
- 02 Google Business Profile optimization: what actually moves the map Article · 14 min read Which parts of a Google Business Profile affect where you show on the map, which barely matter, and which retired features guides still tell you to use.
- 03 How much does SEO cost? Real prices for small businesses Article · 11 min read What small businesses pay for SEO by the month, the hour and the project, what each budget actually buys, and the cheap offers Google itself warns about.
AI for small-business marketing
Practical ways to use AI for SEO, content and automation without publishing anything you would not sign your name to.
Headless and agentic WordPress
Keeping WordPress where it earns its place, putting a faster front end on it, and letting AI agents do the routine work safely.
- 01 Headless WordPress, explained for business owners Guide · 14 min read What headless WordPress is, how it works, what it costs and what you give up, and how to tell whether your business needs it, from someone who builds them.
- 02 WordPress MCP: letting an AI agent manage your site safely Article · 15 min read What WordPress MCP is, what an AI agent can really do on your site, the risks no one mentions, and the setup that keeps a mistake small and easy to undo.
- 03 EmDash vs WordPress: which CMS is ready for AI agents? Article · 14 min read EmDash, Cloudflare's open-source CMS, was built for AI agents. How it compares with classic and headless WordPress on agent safety, cost, plugins and migration.
Funnels and lead generation
How a visitor becomes a lead and a lead becomes a customer: funnel stages, landing pages and follow-up that runs on its own.
- 01 Sales funnel stages, with real examples Guide · 16 min read The stages of a sales funnel in plain English, why guides disagree on how many there are, and two real funnels taken apart step by step for a service business.
- 02 What makes a lead generation website? The parts that bring in calls Article · 13 min read What a lead generation website is, the seven parts that turn visits into calls and quote requests, what to do after the form, and a ten-minute test for a site.
- 03 Speed to lead: what it is and what the research shows Article · 16 min read What speed to lead means, which response-time statistics hold up and which do not, and what a fast reply looks like for a contractor, with a live demo to try.
Website cost, care and speed
What websites cost to build and keep, how long they take, and what keeps them fast, secure and accessible.