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 organised into series — read one, or read the set in order.
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.
Who owns your website? Probably not who you think
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.
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 cancelling 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.
This series leads to the page for trades — websites and Google profiles for contractors, plumbers, electricians and roofers.
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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 $100, 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're a contractor or trade
Free listing check, ten minutes
Send me your trade and your town. I'll tell you what the leading listings in your category actually have and whether it's winnable. Se habla español.
For trades →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.