Blog
Straight answers to the questions we get asked most, including the ones where the honest answer is that you do not need to hire anyone.
Websites
Costs, timelines, and what to sort out before you brief anyone.
How much does a website cost in the UK?
Real UK website pricing for 2026: what you get at each budget level, what drives the cost up, and where people waste money. Written by a developer, not a salesperson.
WordPress vs a custom-coded website: which do you actually need?
An honest comparison of WordPress and hand-coded websites — speed, cost, editing, and SEO. When each one is the right call, from a developer who builds both.
What to sort out before you brief a web designer
The preparation that decides whether your website project runs smoothly or drags on for months. A practical checklist, including the bit that delays nearly every build.
Why website speed matters more than you think
What page speed actually costs you in lost enquiries and rankings, how to test yours in two minutes, and the handful of things that cause almost every slow site.
Do I need a website if I already have a Facebook page?
An honest answer for small UK businesses weighing whether a website is worth it when social media is already bringing in work.
How long does it take to build a website?
Realistic UK website timelines by project type, what actually causes delays, and how to tell whether a quoted timescale is honest.
Nine small business website mistakes that cost you enquiries
Common problems on UK small business websites that quietly lose you work — and how to check for each one in about fifteen minutes.
Custom software
When bespoke is worth it, when it is not, and what it costs.
Seven signs your business has outgrown spreadsheets
Spreadsheets work until they suddenly do not. The warning signs that your business needs proper software, and the honest answer on when it is still too early.
Moving off spreadsheets: how to do it without breaking everything
A practical migration approach for businesses replacing spreadsheets with proper software — what to move first, what to keep, and how to avoid a failed rollout.
What does bespoke software actually cost in the UK?
Straight talk on custom software pricing for UK businesses — what drives the number, why nobody publishes rates, and how to tell an honest quote from a hopeful one.
Manufacturing systems
Production tracking, shop-floor visibility and traceability.
Custom production software vs off-the-shelf MRP: which is right?
An honest comparison for UK manufacturers weighing a bespoke production system against a standard MRP package. Where each wins, and how to tell which side you fall on.
Shop-floor visibility: why your team keeps asking where the job is
If supervisors are walking the floor to find out job status, that is a systems problem. How live production boards work and what they change day to day.
Production traceability: what auditors actually ask for
What a usable audit trail looks like in a production system, why paper travellers fail under scrutiny, and how to record sign-offs without slowing the floor down.
Job tracking software for small manufacturers: what to look for
A practical guide for UK manufacturers choosing job tracking software. What actually matters on the shop floor, what to ignore, and the questions that expose a bad fit early.
Getting found
Why sites do not rank, and the free things most businesses miss.
Why isn't my website ranking on Google?
The real reasons small business websites get no search traffic — and why a redesign usually is not the fix. A diagnostic checklist you can work through yourself.
Google Business Profile: the free thing most local businesses get wrong
How to set up and use a Google Business Profile properly so you appear in local map results — the highest-value free marketing available to UK local businesses.