Top Three Web Design · The Blog
Written to be checked, not skimmed.
Every statistic here has a named source printed beside it, and where the published sources disagree, this site says so. Most writing about web design and local search is the same handful of numbers recycled until nobody remembers where they came from. These are organized into series — read one, or read the set in order.
Real businesses, written up honestly. What was wrong, what changed, and where the numbers exist, what happened afterwards. Where there are no results yet, the write-up says so.
I built this website in 2020. Six years later it sold
Built from nothing, run for six years, then sold — and the company that bought it kept me on to manage it. What actually makes a website worth buying.
Five domains, three business names, and a reputation nobody could find
Twenty-four five-star reviews, four books, and seven of eleven articles set to noindex. What it took to put one business back into one place.
A website redesign that produced bookings she'd never had
A 5.0 rating, ten years of results, and a site that never mentioned half of what she treated. In her words: a new booking most days, and 68% more traffic.
His "Free Estimate" buttons dialed the wrong number
One digit off, silently, for years — plus a competitor's name still sitting in his homepage copy. What the audit found, and what I told him he didn't need.
A name, a logo and five pages. The best part was what we took out
He came with a weed-eater and a customer list. The research found the one job every other crew turns down — so that became the business.
All eight builds, grouped by industry, are on the case studies page — including the three that don't have a write-up yet.
For owners whose customers call, text, fill in forms and email, and who are starting to lose track. Whether you need a CRM at all, how fast to answer a new lead, how to count the calls you miss, and what a CRM really costs.
Do I need a CRM for my small business? An honest answer from Sebastian
Do you need a CRM for your small business? A 10-minute check, when you can skip one, why owners stop using theirs, and what it costs. From Sebastian, FL.
How fast should you respond to a new lead?
How fast should you respond to a lead? A plain answer for forms, emails, chats, and voicemails, plus the 5-minute rule and what fast means on a job.
How to stop missing customer calls (and find out how many you miss)
How to stop missing customer calls: count what your small business misses with your call log, voicemail, and a test call, then fix it, free options first.
How much does a CRM cost for a small business?
How much does a CRM cost for a small business? Prices from each company's own pricing page in November 2026, your setup time, and what mine costs.
If you'd rather not set one up yourself, I build and run CRMs for local businesses.
For anyone about to spend money on a website. What the law actually says about who owns it, what it should cost, and the one Google field that outweighs everything else.
Is a website redesign worth it? What the 2026 research says
Almost every article on this was written by someone who sells redesigns. Here's the version with the sources attached — including the parts that argue against spending.
Do you own your website? Paying for it isn't enough
Under US copyright law the creator owns the work, not the person who paid. And "work for hire" is the wrong clause for a website entirely.
What a website actually costs, and why quotes vary by 20x
Three quotes for the same job: $900, $4,500, $28,000. Nobody is necessarily lying — and this names the red flag that applies to my own pricing.
The Google profile checklist most businesses never finish
One field outweighs everything else, and Google gives no warning when it's wrong. Includes the six numbers I took out of it, and why.
What local SEO costs on the Treasure Coast
Twelve companies in these towns. One publishes a price list, seven show no dollar figure at all. Here is the monthly work, and what it should cost.
Hurricane season checklist for your website and Google profile
Before, during and after a storm: the hours, phone and booking checks, and when to use special hours versus temporarily closed.
Business not showing on Google Maps? Check these in order
Hidden, or just not ranking? One search tells you which. Then the checks in order, each linked to Google's own help page.
Google Business Profile suspended? How to get it back
The recovery side: what to do in the first hour, the local proof that matches your profile, and the appeal, step by step.
How many Google reviews do I need? I counted the top three in five local towns
Real counts from 30 searches run by hand, what they show, and how to find your own target.
My Google reviews disappeared. Here's how I got them back
The support form that worked, how to answer Google's stock reply, and a message you can copy.
Indian River County business tax receipt: what it costs in each city
The county charges $40, but Sebastian, Vero Beach and Fellsmere set their own. Which receipt you need, late penalties and who's exempt.
Google Business Profile verification problems: what to do when it gets stuck
Still pending, a postcard that never came, a rejected video or no way left to verify. What Google's help pages say to do in each case.
How to report a fake business listing on Google Maps
The two main reporting routes, what Google's rules say makes a listing fake, and what to collect first.
This series leads to the website redesign page — which starts by asking whether you need one.
For anyone paying Angi, Thumbtack or HomeAdvisor. What those leads really cost per booked job, why the same one goes to five contractors, and how to build something you own without canceling anything first.
What contractor leads actually cost in 2026
Angi quotes a price per lead. Thumbtack quotes a price per quote sent. Neither is the number that decides whether you're making money.
Why the same lead goes to five contractors
It isn't a glitch, it's the business model — plus the federal and state settlements over how those leads were described.
Google Local Services Ads: the badge changed in 2025
The green checkmark and the $2,000 guarantee both ended. Guides published this year still say otherwise.
The 90-day plan to stop paying for leads
Don't cancel anything yet — that's why most exits fail. Nothing gets turned off until day 76, and the first month is free.
Florida contractor license number: where it has to go on your website, ads and trucks
Every ad needs your state license number, "regardless of medium," and DBPR says that includes your website. The truck rule, the fines, and where it goes.
This series leads to the page for trades — websites and Google profiles for contractors, plumbers, electricians and roofers.
AEO and GEO services are sold at $2,500 to $35,000 a month. Google published guidance in May 2026 saying most of what they sell isn't needed. Four pieces on what the evidence says, including the part where I correct my own price list.
Why ChatGPT has never heard of your business
ChatGPT recommended 1.2% of chain and franchise locations. Google's map pack showed 35.9%. And the share of people who find AI search more helpful than traditional search fell 28 points in a year.
Is AI SEO worth paying for? What the studies actually found
A test of 1,885 pages found no citation change from schema. Google's own guidance says there's no special markup to add. Both sides, plus where my copy overstated it.
Where AI actually looks for a local business
82% of citations come from somebody else's website. Directories hit 46.3% of ChatGPT citations on "best of" queries.
This series leads to the Google profile management page — because the work that shows up in AI search is the work that shows up on Google Maps.
Escrito en español, no traducido. Cuando revisé en agosto de 2026, ningún otro diseñador web entre Sebastian y Port St. Lucie trabajaba en español. Cada número lleva su fuente al lado — y en dos de estos artículos digo cosas que van en contra de mi propio negocio.
¿Necesita un sitio web, o solo arreglar su Google?
De cada 1,000 búsquedas en Google, solo 276 llegan a un sitio web. Dos de los cuatro pasos que recomiendo son gratis, y el caro va al final.
¿De quién es su sitio web, de verdad?
Pagar no lo hace dueño. Y en Florida se presume que usted conoce lo que firmó, aunque el contrato estuviera en inglés.
Cuánto cuesta de verdad un sitio web
Mediana de $7,750 con un independiente y $17,050 con agencia. Incluye por qué mis propios precios son una señal de alerta.
Cómo aparecer en Google Maps, paso a paso
La guía completa para hacerlo usted mismo. Le cobro $300 por hacerlo, no por saberlo — el saberlo está aquí.
Si su negocio solo existe en inglés, la IA no lo ve
431% de diferencia en los resúmenes de IA de Google entre los sitios con versión en español y los que no. Y ChatGPT investiga en inglés aunque le pregunten en español.
¿Cuántas reseñas de Google necesita su negocio? Las conté en cinco ciudades
Conté a mano las reseñas de los tres negocios del mapa en 30 búsquedas, y cómo sacar su propio número en diez minutos.
Perfil de Empresa de Google suspendido: cómo recuperarlo
Qué hacer en la primera hora, cómo apelar paso a paso según la ayuda de Google y qué documentos de Sebastian, Vero Beach y el condado de Indian River le sirven como prueba.
Huracán: su perfil de Google y su sitio web antes, durante y después
Cuándo usar horario especial y cuándo cerrado temporalmente, qué poner en su sitio web y cómo avisar que ya abrió, con los recursos del condado y de Sebastian.
Esta serie lleva a la página de diseño web en español — donde los precios están publicados y el español es mi primer idioma, no un servicio que contraté.
Browse by question
Whatever brought you here, it's probably one of these.
About your website
Do I actually own my website? Most asked My designer won't give me my logins Why are the quotes so different? Do I even need a redesign? Can I see work you've actually done?About AI search
Why doesn't ChatGPT know my business? Most asked Should I be paying for AI SEO? Does schema markup help with AI? Why does AI recommend my competitor? How do I check if AI mentions me?About getting found
Why don't I show up on Google Maps? Most asked How many reviews do I actually need? Why did my Google reviews disappear? Do I need a business tax receipt in Indian River County? How do I report a fake listing on Google Maps? Are Angi and Thumbtack worth it? Does a rebuild actually bring in more work? How do I stop paying for leads? Where does my contractor license number have to go? What does local SEO actually cost? Should I mark my business temporarily closed for a storm?Ready to go beyond the article?
Three next steps. Pick the one that fits.
Whether you've got no website, a website that isn't working, or a Google listing nobody's ever finished — there's a version of this that costs nothing to find out about.
If you have no website
Get a real price, published
Websites from $800, monthly plans from $150, every number on the site with a buy button next to it. No quote form, no discovery call before you know the cost.
See the price list →If your site isn't working
Find out if you even need a rebuild
Sometimes the site is fine and the Google listing is the whole problem — which is the cheaper half to fix. The redesign page starts by talking you out of it.
Website redesign →If you want to see the work first
Eight builds, written up honestly
What each business came in with, what changed, and the results where they exist. Where there aren't any yet, it says so instead of inventing them.
Case studies →Free, takes about ten minutes
Rather just ask someone?
Send me your business name and I'll look up your Google listing and tell you what's missing from it. No pitch, no obligation, and if it's a ten-minute fix you can do yourself I'll tell you which ten minutes.
