Articles
Practical guides on web design, branding, copywriting and marketing for small businesses. Articles are grouped by topic below; newest first within each topic.
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Website Design
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WordPress 7.2 is scheduled for 8 December. A calm plan for updating a small business site in the busiest month of the year without breaking anything.
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From 9 February 2027 .UK domains are managed through registrars only and move to transfer codes. A short checklist so your web address stays safe.
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UK firms must now give people a way to complain to them about how their data is used. Where to put that on your website and how to word it.
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Security fixes for PHP 8.2 stop at the end of 2026. How to find out what your site runs on and move it to a supported version without breaking it.
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An error message arrives at a moment when someone expected a task to finish.
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An announcement card can outlive the event it describes.
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A desktop composition can hide a weak sequence of information.
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A folder of images is not a complete handover when nobody can tell which crop belongs to which page.
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The footer often becomes the place where unassigned links accumulate.
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A polished button in a design file usually represents only one moment.
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An entertainment landing page has a simple job: help a visitor understand where they have arrived and what the available links will do.
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A link can be obvious inside a large desktop card and confusing when the same card is reduced to a narrow column.
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Before colours and fonts, a website needs a job to do. Here is how to give it one, and how to check it is doing it.
Graphic Design and Branding
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Publisher has left Microsoft 365. Here is how to rescue the flyers, menus and leaflets still sitting in .pub files, and where to make the next ones.
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A brand is not just a logo. For a small business it is a handful of choices made once and then repeated everywhere.
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A short guide to contrast, legibility and picking a palette that works on screen and in print.
Copywriting
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A returns page is sales copy as much as small print. How to explain the legal basics, an extended Christmas window and the exceptions in plain English.
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Most visitors skim. Good website copy is written for skimmers first and careful readers second. Here is how to do both.
Marketing, Print and Adverts
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Small Business Saturday is on 5 December. A three-week plan covering your website, listings, social posts and window so the extra attention turns into sales.
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The advertising rules apply however an image was made. What the ASA has said in 2026 about AI content, and a pre-publication check for small advertisers.
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The CMA has ordered Google to offer publishers an AI opt-out. What it covers, the timetable, and why most small firms should think before switching it on.
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GA4 now reports some chatbot visits as their own channel. What it includes, what still hides in Direct, and how a small firm should use the numbers.
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Getting found by customers nearby: business listings, location pages and the details search engines look for.
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Flyers, adverts and cards still have a place. How to make printed material work alongside your website.