Insights on web, SEO & growth
Plain-English thinking on web design, getting found online, and turning your digital presence into real enquiries.
Web Design
The average Exeter trades website: five problems we keep finding
We tested 30 Exeter trades websites: plumbers, electricians, roofers, builders, landscapers and cleaners. The same five problems kept coming up, and every one is cheap to fix.
9 November 2026 · 5 min read
Read article →Web Design
What we change first when we rebuild a service-business website
A new design is the last thing we change, not the first. Here's the order we work in when we rebuild a service business's website, and the data from 65 local sites behind it.
2 November 2026 · 5 min read
Read article →SEO
100 Exeter Google searches: who actually makes page one?
We ran 100 local searches, from 'plumber Exeter' to 'cheap dentist Exeter'. Directories took more page-one spots than local businesses did, and half the searches showed an AI answer first.
26 October 2026 · 6 min read
Read article →Performance
We tested 25 Devon websites on mobile. These were the results.
On a mid-range phone on slow 4G, none of the Devon business websites we tested met Google's 'good' loading speed. The typical site took 7 seconds to show its main content.
19 October 2026 · 5 min read
Read article →Guides
What does a website actually cost an Exeter business in 2026?
We read the published prices of 21 Exeter and Devon web studios and the big DIY builders. The typical local studio starts at £375, and pay-monthly plans run from £9 to £199.
12 October 2026 · 6 min read
Read article →Web Design
We analysed 50 Exeter business websites. Here's what we found.
Fine on a laptop, slow on a phone: on a mid-range phone, 38 of 47 sites took more than four seconds to show their main content. The results from 50 Exeter service businesses, tested on 5 October 2026.
5 October 2026 · 6 min read
Read article →Professional Services
ICAEW and ACCA rules: what you can and can't claim on your website
Most accountancy website copy is written by someone who doesn't know the profession has rules about what you may call yourself. Here's a plain-English tour of where it goes wrong.
1 September 2026 · 8 min read
Read article →Professional Services
“Xero accountant near me”: the software page that wins clients
People search for an accountant by the software they already use. Almost every practice has a row of logos and no page. Here's what that page should say.
28 August 2026 · 6 min read
Read article →Professional Services
Making Tax Digital: what your website should be telling clients
MTD for Income Tax started in April 2026 and the next two phases are already dated. A large slice of your client book is affected and doesn't know it yet. Here's how to get ahead of it.
27 August 2026 · 8 min read
Read article →Professional Services
Client onboarding without the email ping-pong: AML, ID and documents
Onboarding is unbilled, repetitive, and happens exactly when a new client is forming their first impression of you. Here's what's actually causing the delay, and what good looks like.
26 August 2026 · 7 min read
Read article →Professional Services
The January self-assessment rush: what your website should be doing in November
The most predictable event in your year, and most of the pressure it creates is a design problem. Here's what to build in the autumn so January stops being a month you dread.
25 August 2026 · 7 min read
Read article →Professional Services
Trust signals for accountancy firms: reviews, credentials and case studies
A minute into reading your website, a visitor stops judging how it looks and starts looking for proof. Here's what actually persuades at that moment, and where to put it.
24 August 2026 · 7 min read
Read article →Professional Services
What belongs on an accountancy services page, and what to cut
Most services pages are a list organised around your compliance obligations rather than the client's situation. Here's the reorganisation that makes them work.
21 August 2026 · 7 min read
Read article →Professional Services
Switching accountants: the page every practice is missing
The readiest buyer in your market already has an accountant. All that stands between them and you is a vague sense that changing is a hassle. Almost nobody writes for them.
20 August 2026 · 7 min read
Read article →Professional Services
Why “we work with all businesses” costs your practice clients
It's meant to sound welcoming and it's one of the most expensive sentences a practice can write. Here's what the general message costs you, and how to choose a niche without gambling the firm.
19 August 2026 · 7 min read
Read article →Professional Services
Where accountancy clients actually come from in 2026
“Word of mouth, mainly” describes the last step, not the whole route. Here's the honest breakdown of all five sources, and the specific job your website has in each one.
18 August 2026 · 8 min read
Read article →Professional Services
Your accountancy website is a brochure. It should be a filter.
Most practice websites are built to welcome everyone, which is why the enquiries are wrong. Here's the difference between a site that answers questions and one that makes decisions for you.
4 August 2026 · 7 min read
Read article →Professional Services
Should accountants publish their fees online?
The case against publishing is sound and it answers the wrong question. Here's what silence actually costs a practice, and four ways to signal price without giving a quote.
3 August 2026 · 8 min read
Read article →SEO
“Accountant near me”: showing up when someone searches in Exeter
Almost nobody scrolls past the three practices in the map pack. Here's how local SEO for accountants actually works, and why it's a separate contest from ranking your website.
31 July 2026 · 7 min read
Read article →Professional Services
How much should an accountancy practice spend on a website?
A direct answer, the four things that actually drive the number, and the three-year view that matters more than the invoice. Written for people who run this analysis for a living.
30 July 2026 · 8 min read
Read article →Professional Services
The first five seconds: what makes a prospect trust an accountant's website
A prospective client decides whether your practice looks credible long before they read a word of your About page. Here are the nine signals they judge you on, and how to get every one of them right.
29 July 2026 · 7 min read
Read article →Professional Services
Client portals and trust signals for professional services firms
Emailing sensitive documents back and forth is slow and risky. Here's when a client portal is worth building, and the trust signals that turn a cautious visitor into an enquiry.
25 July 2026 · 7 min read
Read article →Professional Services
FCA financial promotions: what the rules mean for your website
If you're FCA-regulated, your website is a financial promotion. Here's a plain-English guide to what that means in practice, and the website mistakes that create compliance risk.
24 July 2026 · 8 min read
Read article →Professional Services
Website design for accountants: winning clients beyond referrals
Most accountancy practices grow on word of mouth until it stalls. Here's how a well-built website brings in the right clients, and filters out the ones you don't want.
23 July 2026 · 7 min read
Read article →Professional Services
Website design for mortgage brokers: from enquiry to application
A mortgage broker's website has to build trust fast, qualify enquiries, and stay the right side of the rules. Here's what actually works, and what quietly loses you clients.
22 July 2026 · 7 min read
Read article →Professional Services
Websites for professional services firms in Devon
Accountants, mortgage brokers, solicitors and advisers sell trust before they sell anything else. Here's what a professional services website in Devon needs to do, and where most fall short.
21 July 2026 · 8 min read
Read article →SEO
How to get your Devon business recommended by AI search
When someone asks ChatGPT or Google's AI for a good business in Devon, a handful get named. Here's how to make yours one of them: a practical, local AEO checklist.
16 July 2026 · 6 min read
Read article →Branding
A logo, or a brand? What Exeter & Devon businesses actually need
A logo is one piece of a brand, not the whole thing. Here's the difference, when each is worth paying for, and how to look consistent everywhere a customer finds you.
15 July 2026 · 5 min read
Read article →SEO
Google Business Profile: the local SEO win most Devon businesses miss
Your Google Business Profile decides whether you show up in the map pack when someone nearby searches. Here's how to set it up properly in about 30 minutes.
14 July 2026 · 6 min read
Read article →Web Design
Web design for Devon businesses: what actually gets you work
A practical guide to web design for Devon service businesses: what a website needs to do beyond looking nice, and how a local site turns nearby searches into enquiries.
13 July 2026 · 6 min read
Read article →Guides
How to choose a web designer in Exeter (2026 guide)
Hiring a web designer in Exeter? Here's how to tell a good one from a cheap one: the questions to ask, the red flags, and what actually matters for a local business.
12 July 2026 · 7 min read
Read article →Guides
How much does a website cost in the UK? (2026 guide)
What you can expect to pay for a business website in the UK, what actually drives the price, and how to get real value instead of just a cheap site.
23 June 2026 · 6 min read
Read article →SEO
What is AEO? Answer Engine Optimisation, explained
Search is changing. Here's how to get your business named by AI answer engines like ChatGPT and Google's AI overviews, not just ranked on page one.
23 June 2026 · 5 min read
Read article →SEO
How to get your business found on Google: a local SEO guide
A plain-English guide to local SEO for small businesses in Devon and the South West: how to show up when nearby customers search for what you do.
22 June 2026 · 7 min read
Read article →Web Design
7 signs it's time to redesign your website
If your website is slow, hard to use on mobile, or no longer brings in enquiries, it could be costing you customers. Here are the signs to watch for.
21 June 2026 · 5 min read
Read article →Performance
Why a fast website wins you more customers
A slow site quietly costs you enquiries every day. Here's what speed really means, why it matters for local businesses, and how to tell if yours is too slow.
20 June 2026 · 4 min read
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