Blog · Real features, real walkthroughs
Each feature below was built for a real small business — with a video walkthrough showing exactly how it works. Use these as a menu of what your 7-Day Online Liftoff can include. Or head to the Showcase to see the finished sites live.
· 6 min read
Name, website, analytics, Google Business Profile, ads, custom software — most businesses tackle these out of order. Here’s the sequence that actually works, step by step.
· 6 min read
Once ads started driving traffic, I took the prices down on purpose. The reasoning, the trade-off, and why I dialed back keyword-stuffed copy too.
· 6 min read
A friend asked me to help relaunch his business and assumed step one was a rebuild. I told him not to touch his site. When keeping what you have is the smart call.
· 5 min read
Ads got clicks and no leads. One happy client keeps sending family. So I’m launching a simple referral program for existing clients.
· 7 min read
Turning a rough idea into a working prototype, a product spec, and a data model — so an engineering team builds the right thing the first time.
· 6 min read
Some open-source projects (like Papercups live chat) are worth adopting; others (like self-hosting with Coolify) are more work than they’re worth. How I sort them.
· 6 min read
Wire a small AI check into a form so it can filter spam, route inquiries, or tidy messages. What it actually means, when it’s useful, and when it’s overkill.
· 6 min read
Free hosting covers most local businesses forever. Here’s exactly where the free tier stops — and why hitting an edge is never lock-in.
· 6 min read
47 clicks, zero leads — and why that’s normal at day five, not a failure. My honest baseline, one thing I’m fixing already, and what I’m watching next.
· 5 min read
You get the occasional call — but no idea which ones came from the site, what’s working, or where to fix things. 3 free analytics reviews this July.
· 7 min read
The Cursor setup you get at handoff isn’t a snapshot — every rule, skill, and MCP server you add teaches it more about how your business works.
· 7 min read
I charge $100/hr, less than most local designers. Why I’m staying there — and the deeper reason the hourly model is slowly cracking in 2026.
· 6 min read
Wired the Facebook Ads MCP into Cursor. Now I run my own ads from the same tool I build sites in. The workflow, the spend, what I’m watching.
· 5 min read
Two clients ordered business cards and shirts right after their sites launched. The website isn’t the deliverable. The confidence is.
· 6 min read
Crossing $5k/month meant separating the books. The honest first-90-days checklist — what I did, what I skipped, and what I’d do differently.
· 7 min read
Test two headlines, buttons, or heroes with a few lines of JavaScript and GA4. No Optimizely, no $200/month tools. You own the data.
· 6 min read
SEO wants weird words in weird places. Simplicity wants clean writing. How I balance both without making the site look like a 2009 article farm.
· 6 min read
A static site can serve the world from day one. Here’s why focusing on Oakland or Genesee County still beats “global on launch.”
· 7 min read
Reviews decide who gets the call. A simple 5-step system to get more of them — without feeling awkward — plus a text you can copy and send today.
· 8 min read
Visitors but no phone calls? The gap is usually fixable. Five things to check — including a candid look at my own site’s analytics.
· 7 min read
Homeowners search before they call. The five things every electrician’s website needs in 2026 — with a real local example (Colville Electric).
· 7 min read
From $0/month DIY platforms to $25,000 agency builds — what each tier actually delivers, and where most local Michigan businesses should land.
· 6 min read
A 5-minute self-audit to check who actually owns each of the six pieces of your website — domain, hosting, code, GBP, analytics, DNS — and what to do about it.
· 6 min read
Stop paying $150 every time you need to change a price or phone number. Make the edit yourself in 30 seconds using AI tools — no coding required.
· 6 min read
Most trades websites are brochures when they should be lead engines. Here’s how to spot the difference and five fixes you can make this week.
· 7 min read
A step-by-step guide to the local map pack — what Google actually looks at, and the four moves to start showing up in 60–90 days.
· 6 min read
What should be in a $1,500 contractor website, what kind of lead flow it can produce, and what you should never accept at that price point.
· 6 min read
HVAC customers in Oakland County search online before they call. The five things every HVAC website needs in 2026 — and why a Facebook page isn’t enough.
· 6 min read
If you’re a plumber in Flint without a real website, you’re losing calls every week. Five places it’s happening — and what to do about each one.
· 7 min read
What to look for when hiring a web designer in Oakland County — and the five questions that expose whether they’re building your independence or your dependence on them.
· 6 min read
Wix vs. hiring a web designer — an honest side-by-side comparison including what you actually own, what it costs over 5 years, and when DIY stops making sense.
· 5 min read
Honest breakdown across all five pricing tiers — DIY platforms, freelancers, local web designers, and agencies — with the hidden costs nobody mentions upfront.
· 7 min read
A step-by-step guide to the Google local pack: claim your profile, pick the right category, build reviews, post weekly, and get consistent citations across the web.
· 5 min read
No logins, monthly fees to keep the lights on, $150 to change a phone number. Here’s how to tell if it’s happening and what to do about it.
· 5 min read
$23/month feels cheap. $1,380 over 5 years for something you own nothing of at the end does not. Here’s the full math, including the hidden costs nobody mentions.
· 5 min read
How a referral mechanic wired into a giveaway entry form turns every entrant into a distribution channel — no ad spend, no referral SaaS.
· 4 min read
What it costs to build your own LinkTree alternative, why it’s worth it, and what you actually get instead of paying $60–$288/year forever.
· 5 min read
A landing page with pitch, comparison, email capture, and a downloadable PDF — the same funnel pattern I use, without the $97/month subscription.
· 4 min read
A survey embedded in your own site, with responses in a Google Sheet you own. No SurveyMonkey, no Typeform, no monthly bill.
· 4 min read
How a waitlist captures demand, validates ideas, and gives you a list of warm leads before launch day — no third-party tool required.
· 5 min read
A local AI script that processes sensitive data without ever leaving the owner’s machine. Nothing touches the cloud, nothing breaks HIPAA.
Not sure which of these fits your business? A free, honest conversation — I’ll tell you straight which features matter and which don’t.
