Displaying items by Blog Tag: #small business

Most of the website design mistakes people talk about are the obvious ones. Slow load times, a site that's impossible to use on a phone, a contact form that doesn't send anywhere. We covered the obvious five here, and if any of those sound familiar, start there.

But here's what I've noticed after working on hundreds of small business websites: the sites I get called about aren't usually broken. They load fine. They look decent. Nothing is on fire. They're just not producing calls or inquiries, and the owner can't figure out why.

I have built websites for small businesses in Santa Cruz since 2011. In that time, we have quoted thousands of projects, and a common piece of feedback is some version of "I found someone who will do it for $500." Sometimes that is the right call. Sometimes it ends up costing more than the “more expensive” option would have.

The price in the proposal is not the cost of a website. The cost is what you spend over the next two or three years in time, lost business, and rebuilding what should have been done right the first time.  

I build websites for a living. I've been doing it since 2011, here in Santa Cruz. So you'd expect me to tell every business owner that yes, you absolutely need one.

I won't do that. Because honestly, it's not always true.

"Do I need a website?" is one of the most common questions I hear from small business owners. My honest answer, the one that sometimes costs me a project, is: it depends on where your customers find you. Some businesses genuinely do not need one. Others are losing money every month without one and don't realize it.

DIY Website vs. Professional Web Design: The Real Cost Comparison

I’ve been building websites for small businesses for over 15 years, and this is probably the question I hear most: should I build my own website or hire a web designer? The honest answer is that it depends. A DIY website isn't automatically a bad idea, and hiring an agency isn't automatically the right move.

The Real Cost of a Website in 2026

A professional small business website in 2026 typically costs between $5,000 and $15,000 to build, with ongoing costs of $100 to $500 per month for hosting, maintenance, and updates. But those numbers only tell part of the story. What your website cost actually comes down to is what you need, who builds it, and how seriously you take keeping it running after launch.

You Do Not Need to Understand Everything in Google Analytics

If you have ever logged into Google Analytics and felt immediately lost, you are not alone. Website analytics tools have become more powerful over the years, but that power comes with complexity that most small business owners do not need.

Your Contact Page Is a Conversion Page

Most business owners treat their contact page as an afterthought. A form, a phone number, maybe an address. Done. But your contact page design directly affects whether visitors actually reach out or leave your site without a word.

Think about what your contact page really is: it is the final step between someone deciding they are interested and actually becoming a lead. Every other page on your site is designed to build trust and guide visitors toward action. If the page where that action happens is confusing, incomplete, or uninspiring, you are losing people at the finish line.

Redesign vs. Refresh: What Is the Difference?

These two terms get used interchangeably, but they are very different projects with very different price tags.

A website refresh updates the look and content of your existing site without changing the underlying platform or structure. Think of it like repainting a house and updating the furniture. The foundation stays the same.

"Should I use WordPress?" It's one of the first questions we hear from new clients. And after 15 years and 1,500+ projects, our answer is still the same: usually yes, but not always.

WordPress powers over 40% of all websites on the internet. That's not hype. It's a reflection of how flexible, well-supported, and cost-effective the platform is. But popularity doesn't mean it's right for every project, and we think you deserve a straight answer about when it works, when it doesn't, and why we sometimes recommend something else entirely.

In 2023, over 4,600 ADA-related website lawsuits were filed in the United States. That number has continued to climb. And while big brands grab the headlines, small businesses are increasingly in the crosshairs, including businesses with fewer than 15 employees.

If your website is open to the public, ADA website compliance isn't a "nice to have" anymore. It's a legal exposure, a customer service issue, and when done well, a competitive advantage.