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Leeds, working UK-wide

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The Journal.

Straight answers on Google Ads, SEO, websites and what they actually cost. Written by David, from the work.

SEO10 min read19 Oct 2026

Generative engine optimisation for UK small businesses: how to get recommended by AI answers

I asked ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity 20 buyer questions about web design, local SEO and Google Ads. Here is what they cited, who they named, and what a small business can actually do about it.

Web Design9 min read19 Oct 2026

How much does a website redesign cost in the UK? What agencies publish and what changes the price

SEO9 min read19 Oct 2026

SEO for electricians in the UK: getting found for the jobs you actually want

An open van on a terraced street with racked tools and cable reels, and a phone showing a map on a clipboard.

PPC8 min read10 Oct 2026

Google Local Services Ads in the UK: which trades qualify and when they pay

Two cups of coffee and an open notebook on a cafe table beside a rainy street window.

SEO8 min read10 Oct 2026

How to choose an SEO company: questions to ask and red flags

A market-town high street at golden hour, with shop awnings, a parked van and a noticeboard of blank cards.

SEO8 min read10 Oct 2026

How to promote your business locally: what actually gets the phone ringing

A kitchen table with a notepad, a calculator, a mug of tea and an open laptop at dusk.

SEO8 min read10 Oct 2026

Is SEO worth it for a small business? An honest answer

A plumber's hands tightening a fitting under a kitchen sink with a wrench, with copper pipes and a tool bag nearby.

SEO8 min read10 Oct 2026

SEO for plumbers in the UK: what wins the call, and what to ignore

A clipboard checklist, a pen and a phone showing a map pin on a shop counter, with the high street through the window.

SEO9 min read8 Oct 2026

Local SEO checklist for UK small businesses: the jobs you can do yourself, in order

A plain green hoarding around a city-centre building site, with a crane and a concrete frame rising behind it at sunrise.

Strategy8 min read8 Oct 2026

Marketing for construction companies: which channels win which kind of work

A site cabin desk with a laptop showing a map, drawings, a hard hat and a hi-vis jacket, with a tower crane at sunset through the window.

SEO9 min read8 Oct 2026

SEO for construction companies in the UK: what actually wins work

A builder's van beside a house extension under construction, with a phone on the bonnet.

PPC8 min read29 Sep 2026

Google Ads for builders and contractors: does it work, and what should you set up first?

Two blank white envelopes on a coir doormat inside a front door, lit through the letterbox.

PPC8 min read29 Sep 2026

Google Ads free credit in the UK: how it works, who qualifies, and how to spot the scam

Hands ticking a printed checklist beside a laptop with a blurred dashboard on a workshop desk.

PPC9 min read29 Sep 2026

How to set up Google Ads for a small business: a plain-English first campaign, step by step (UK)

Hands on a laptop showing a blurred chat window, beside a notepad of web page sketches.

Strategy8 min read28 Sep 2026

Can ChatGPT build a website for your business?

A small server rack with soft status lights in a tidy office cupboard.

Pricing8 min read28 Sep 2026

How much does website hosting cost in the UK?

A freshly painted blank fingerpost on a Yorkshire lane at dawn, mist over the fields.

SEO8 min read28 Sep 2026

Is SEO dead? What AI search changes for small businesses

A desk with a folded invoice, a closed laptop, keys and a small spanner on a notebook.

Web Design8 min read28 Sep 2026

Website maintenance cost in the UK: what you pay for

Three different chairs side by side: an office chair, a leather armchair and a wooden chair.

Google Ads8 min read26 Sep 2026

Google Ads agency vs freelancer vs in-house: which suits a UK small business?

A clipboard and pen on a café table between two coffee cups.

Google Ads8 min read26 Sep 2026

How to choose a Google Ads agency: 10 questions to ask

Two phones on a workbench, one showing a photo feed and one showing search results.

Google Ads8 min read26 Sep 2026

Meta Ads vs Google Ads: which suits a local service business?

A car dashboard glowing at night with an empty motorway ahead.

Google Ads8 min read26 Sep 2026

Performance Max for small business: is it worth it?

A magnifying glass on printed bar charts and a ticked notebook.

Google Ads8 min read26 Sep 2026

What a Google Ads audit should check: a 10-point checklist

Two kitchen scales weighing the same bag of flour with needles in different places.

Google Ads8 min read26 Sep 2026

Why are your Google Ads conversions wrong? Seven causes and fixes

A printed landing page wireframe beside a handwritten checklist and a pencil.

Google Ads7 min read24 Sep 2026

Google Ads landing page checklist for small businesses

A single printed page beside a thick folder of printed pages on a desk.

Web Design7 min read24 Sep 2026

Landing page or full website: which does a small business need?

Hands sketching a website layout in a notebook at a sunlit desk.

Web Design7 min read24 Sep 2026

Web designer for small business: how to choose and hire

A clipboard with a blank brief form and a pen on a desk.

Web Design7 min read24 Sep 2026

Website brief template for a small business: what to include

A small toolkit on a closed laptop beside a printed checklist.

Web Design7 min read24 Sep 2026

Website maintenance checklist for a UK small business

A road and a stone-walled footpath diverging on a Yorkshire hillside at golden hour.

PPC9 min read27 Aug 2026

Google Ads vs SEO: which should a small business do first?

An open toolbox on a workbench beside a phone showing a chart and some pound coins.

PPC8 min read17 Aug 2026

How much do Google Ads cost in the UK? Real figures by trade

A plumber's van on a terraced street with its back doors open.

PPC8 min read17 Aug 2026

Is Google Ads worth it for a small business? Two real accounts

Slate tiles and a roofer's hammer on scaffolding above terraced rooftops.

SEO11 min read17 Aug 2026

SEO for roofers: what actually brings the work in

A notebook with a hand-drawn rising chart, a pen and some pound coins.

SEO10 min read14 Aug 2026

How much does SEO cost in the UK? A straight answer

A kitchen table with a paper quote, a calculator, a pen and a laptop, set up for comparing website costs.

Pricing7 min read16 Jul 2026

Affordable small business website design: what cheap should actually buy you

A local paper map on a table with coloured push pins around a town.

SEO8 min read16 Jul 2026

Local SEO for small business: the plain-English playbook

A market town shop window with a blank chalkboard outside and passers-by blurred.

SEO7 min read16 Jul 2026

Local SEO services for small business: what to buy and what to avoid

Hands fitting copper pipework under a sink, with a wrench and fittings laid out.

Strategy7 min read16 Jul 2026

Website design for plumbers: what wins the job before the phone rings

A construction site at dawn with a hard hat and rolled drawings on a site cabin table.

Strategy8 min read15 Jul 2026

Website design for construction companies: what wins the tender

A bright, calm clinic reception with an empty waiting chair and a plant.

Strategy7 min read15 Jul 2026

Website design for healthcare businesses: trust before anything else

A quiet therapy room with two armchairs, a plant and soft afternoon light.

Strategy6 min read15 Jul 2026

Website design for therapists and counsellors: earning contact from someone anxious

Index cards laid out on a desk as a simple site map, joined by pencil lines.

Strategy8 min read7 Jul 2026

How many pages does a small business website need? (2026)

A calm, bright aesthetics clinic treatment room with a treatment couch and a small consultation desk.

Strategy9 min read30 Jun 2026

Aesthetics website design: what a clinic site needs to win bookings

A small shop counter with handmade products and brown paper parcels ready to post.

Ecommerce8 min read30 Jun 2026

Do I need an online shop for my business? An honest answer

An oak sapling in a pot on a windowsill, with a mature tree visible through the window.

SEO9 min read30 Jun 2026

How long does SEO take? An honest timeline (2026)

A home product photography setup with a ceramic mug on a white backdrop and shipping boxes nearby.

Ecommerce7 min read30 Jun 2026

How long does it take to build an ecommerce website?

Shipping boxes, a parcel scale and a receipt roll on a small business packing bench.

Ecommerce9 min read30 Jun 2026

How much does an ecommerce website cost in the UK? An honest breakdown

A phone lighting up with a new message on a workshop bench.

Conversion8 min read30 Jun 2026

How to get more enquiries from your website

Hands holding a phone showing five stars in front of a newly fitted kitchen.

SEO9 min read30 Jun 2026

How to get more Google reviews (without breaking Google's rules)

A wooden step ladder against a bright wall in a sunlit room.

SEO11 min read30 Jun 2026

How to improve your Google ranking: an honest, prioritised playbook

A room mid-renovation with dust sheets, a paint tray and one freshly painted wall.

Strategy9 min read30 Jun 2026

The website redesign checklist (2026): an ordered plan that keeps your Google rankings

A bucket leaking from a small hole on a garden bench.

Conversion8 min read30 Jun 2026

Why is my website not converting? How to find the leak

A van dashboard with a phone showing a map search and a clipboard of job sheets on the seat.

Strategy8 min read19 Jun 2026

Do I need a website for my business? An honest answer (2026)

A phone showing a social feed beside a laptop showing a website, on a café table.

Strategy8 min read15 Jun 2026

Do I need a website for my small business if I have social media?

A wall calendar with a two-week block marked in pencil and sticky notes beside a desk.

Process8 min read15 Jun 2026

How long does it take to build a website? An honest 2026 timeline

A small high street shopfront at dusk, lights on, across a wet cobbled street.

SEO15 min read15 Jun 2026

How to get your business on Google: search and maps, step by step

An old CRT monitor beside a modern slim laptop on a desk.

Strategy8 min read15 Jun 2026

Seven signs your business website needs a redesign

A silent phone on a workbench next to a cold cup of tea.

Conversion9 min read15 Jun 2026

Why is my website not getting enquiries? The six real reasons

A blank signpost on a foggy moor with a stone wall behind.

SEO10 min read15 Jun 2026

Why is my website not ranking on Google? The real reasons, and how to fix each one

Pound coins and a folded invoice next to a closed laptop on an oak desk.

Pricing10 min read6 Jun 2026

How much does a website cost in the UK? An honest 2026 breakdown

Pencil wireframe sketches of website pages spread across a desk beside a laptop.

Strategy10 min read6 Jun 2026

How to build a small business website that wins work (2026)

A neat plastic building kit beside loose wooden blocks on a desk.

Strategy9 min read6 Jun 2026

Wix vs WordPress for a small business: the honest comparison (2026)

A tool belt and a folded hi-vis jacket on a van seat in morning light.

Strategy8 min read29 May 2026

Website design for tradesmen: what actually wins work (2026)

Envelopes sorted on a desk, a small set to one side and a larger pile set aside.

Positioning5 min read18 May 2026

Why we refuse 60% of inbound briefs

A folded sheet of paper and a fountain pen on an oak desk.

Pricing4 min read8 May 2026

Why we don’t write proposals

Identical printed wireframes laid in a grid, with one sheet pulled forward and sketched differently.

Positioning5 min read30 Apr 2026

Anti-template positioning for service businesses

An hourglass on an oak desk beside pencil layout sketches.

Process6 min read22 Apr 2026

The 10-day build constraint

An empty chair at a bare boardroom table with a closed folder.

Positioning4 min read12 Apr 2026

Why we don't pitch

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