Getting found on Google
How to show up on Google Maps in Suffolk
Why some local businesses appear on the map when people search and others don't, what Google says it looks at, and the things you can fix yourself this week.
6 min read
Guides
Straight answers to the questions business owners ask most.
Written for business owners, in plain English with no jargon. Each one answers one question, with sources for anything it claims.
Getting a website
How much does a small business website cost?
What a website for a small local business really costs, what changes the price, the monthly costs people forget, and the questions to ask before you pay anyone.
4 min read
For trades
What should a trades website include?
What a plumber, electrician, builder or joiner needs on their website to win local work. The essentials, what to leave out, and how to make it easy for customers to call.
3 min read
Our research
The state of Suffolk trade websites 2026
We checked 100 Suffolk trade websites for three basics a customer needs to get in touch. Thirteen had all three.
Getting found on Google
How to find your Google review link
Where to find the link that takes customers straight to your Google review form, how to tell it apart from your Share link, and how to check it works.
5 min read
Will I lose my Google ranking if I change my website?
Why some businesses drop down Google after a new website and others don't, what a careful move looks like, and how long it takes Google to catch up, from Google's own guidance.
5 min read
How to give someone access to your Google Business Profile
Let a web designer, a member of staff or a business partner help manage your Google listing safely, without sharing your password. Which access to give, how to invite them, and how to remove them later.
4 min read
How tradespeople can get more local jobs from Google
Relying on word of mouth means feast or famine. How to get a steady flow of enquiries from Google, so you can choose the jobs you want.
3 min read
Getting more reviews without being awkward
How to ask customers for Google reviews in a way that feels natural, how to reply to good and bad ones, and the rules you mustn't break.
6 min read
Setting up your Google Business Profile properly
A step-by-step guide to claiming, verifying and filling in your free Google Business Profile, so people nearby can find you, trust you and get in touch.
6 min read
How to show up on Google Maps in Suffolk
Why some local businesses appear on the map when people search and others don't, what Google says it looks at, and the things you can fix yourself this week.
6 min read
Getting a website
What to do if your web designer has disappeared
Your web designer has stopped replying, or their business has closed, and you can't change your website. How to get your domain name into your name, and your website back under your control.
3 min read
Does your website need a cookie banner?
When a cookie banner is really needed, the new rule that lets you count visits without one, and what your privacy notice should say, in plain English.
5 min read
Never remember a password again: password managers in plain English
What a password manager is, why it matters for your business, which one to choose, and the logins to save first so you're never locked out of your own website.
8 min read
What to expect from a new website: the first few months
How the first few months after a new website goes live usually look, why Google takes time, what brings results early, and how to help it along.
5 min read
How to choose a web designer (and the questions to ask)
How to choose a web designer for a small local business. What to look at, what it should cost, the warning signs, and the questions to ask before you pay anyone.
6 min read
Starting a business in Suffolk: the online basics
What a new Suffolk business needs to set up online, and in what order. Your name and domain, a business email, your Google listing, a simple website, the legal bits, and free local help.
5 min read
Should I use a website builder like Wix or Squarespace?
An honest look at website builders for small businesses. When Wix, Squarespace or similar is the right call, where they let people down, and what to ask before you choose.
4 min read
Who owns my website, and can I take it with me?
Who owns your website, domain name and content when someone else builds it? The questions to ask so you can leave without losing everything.
4 min read
Do I need a website if I have a Facebook page?
What a Facebook page does well for a small local business, where it falls short, and why it pays to own your own part of the internet.
3 min read
How much does a small business website cost?
What a website for a small local business really costs, what changes the price, the monthly costs people forget, and the questions to ask before you pay anyone.
4 min read
Do I need a new website, or just fixes?
How to tell whether your website needs starting again or just some sensible fixes, the questions to ask first, and what each route really involves.
5 min read
Making your website work
Do you need an accessibility button on your website?
Accessibility overlays promise to make a website accessible and legally safe with one button. Why they don't, who accessibility is really for, and what to do instead.
9 min read
Why nobody fills in your enquiry form
The common reasons people land on a contact page and leave without getting in touch, and simple changes that make it easier for them to say yes.
5 min read
Why website speed matters more than you think
What the research says about slow pages and lost customers, how a few seconds add up over a year, and how to check and fix your own site's speed.
8 min read
For trades
Checkatrade, MyBuilder or your own website? Where tradespeople should put their effort
Trade directories can bring jobs, but you don't own your profile. Why your own website should come first, and how to use the directories alongside it.
4 min read
Photos that win you work: a guide for tradespeople
How to take photos of your jobs on a phone that make people want to call you, and where to use them.
4 min read
What should a trades website include?
What a plumber, electrician, builder or joiner needs on their website to win local work. The essentials, what to leave out, and how to make it easy for customers to call.
3 min read
Selling and bookings
Does your holiday let need its own website?
What Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo charge, what your own website can do that they can't, and how to use both without double bookings.
4 min read
Selling online: Shopify, Square or Etsy?
A plain-English comparison of the three easiest ways for a small business to start selling online, what each one costs, and how to choose.
4 min read
Logos and branding
What to say on your website (and what to leave out)
How to write the content for a small business website so people understand what you do in seconds, see why they should choose you, and get in touch.
5 min read
What is a logo, and what is a brand?
What a logo is, what a brand is, and why they’re not the same thing. Plus what to get from a designer, and how to check nobody else owns your name.
4 min read
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