Field Notes
Lab Notes.
Findings from the bench, written for the people who own the sites — plain English, no jargon tax, every claim earned.
Published Articles
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AI · Advisory
What AI Means for Small Business Websites
The honest version: what AI can genuinely help with, what it costs the environment and the people behind it, and how to decide — informed use or deliberate non-use, never default use.
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DIY · Strategy
DIY Website Builders vs. Custom Sites: The Real Tradeoffs
If you're a small business owner looking to get online, you've probably wondered: "Should I just use Wix? Or do I actually need a custom website?"
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Performance · Quick Wins
Performance Wins: What I Do Before Every Launch
Every website I build goes through the same pre-launch routine. It's not glamorous work—no one sees it happen—but it's the difference between a site that feels fast and…
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Craft · Platforms
Why I Custom-Code Instead of Using Page Builders
Page builders are everywhere. Elementor, Divi, Beaver Builder, Oxygen—they promise to make web development faster and easier. Drag, drop, done.
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Accessibility · Small Business
Accessibility 101: Why It Matters for Your Small Business
When most people hear "web accessibility," they think it's something only big corporations need to worry about. Or they assume it means adding features for a tiny…
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Mobile · Performance
What Does "Mobile-First" Actually Mean?
If you've talked to a web developer in the last few years, you've probably heard the phrase "mobile-first." It gets thrown around a lot, usually alongside words like…
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Basics · Education
"How Do You Do That?!" A Guide to How Websites Work
When I tell people I build websites by hand, I usually get one of two reactions: a polite nod (followed by a quick subject change), or wide eyes and the question that…
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Hiring · Standards
5 Things Your Web Designer Should Be Doing (But Probably Isn't)
When you hire a web designer, you expect to get a website. That's the baseline. But there's a huge difference between "technically has a website" and "has a website that…
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The Lab · Announcements
Welcome to the Lab Notes
What this corner of the lab is for: honest, plain-English writing about websites — for the small businesses who own them.
On the Bench
In the Works.
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Ownership · Checklists
Who Really Owns Your Website? A Checklist.
Domain, hosting, files, content — a plain checklist for finding out what you actually control, before the day it matters.