Connor Jones
Full-stack software engineer with 13+ years of experience, building and maintaining websites and software for UK local businesses from Croydon, south London.
Connor Jones writes and builds everything published here. Jones Digital is his independent studio in Croydon: he designs the sites, writes the code, configures the servers and answers the email, which is why these guides are specific about what actually works rather than general about what might.
The guides below come out of client work, not a content calendar. Every statistic in them is attributed to a named source, every Lighthouse score quoted in a case study was measured rather than estimated, and nothing is published that has not been done. The case studies behind it: Ashveil RPG, CoDash, My Coinage, South Croydon Conservative Club.
Want the studio rather than the writing? Start with website prices, care plans, AI implementation, or just send a message.
21 guides, newest first.
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How to get your business recommended by ChatGPT and AI search
AI assistants recommend businesses they can find, read and verify. Most of the work is ordinary SEO, but four things are specific to AI answers: structured data that describes your business as one entity, the direct answer placed first, checkable specifics like real prices and dated sources, and explicitly letting the AI crawlers in.
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What does website maintenance cost in the UK?
UK website maintenance in 2026 typically runs £25 to £150 a month for a small business site. What that buys, what published price guides quote, and the two questions that expose an overpriced plan.
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How much does a web designer cost in Croydon?
What a web designer actually costs in Croydon and South London: typical freelancer and agency prices, what moves the number up or down, and the questions to ask before you pay anyone.
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How to verify your Google Business Profile
Google now decides your verification method for you, and for most service businesses that means recording a video. What each method involves, how long it takes, and how to pass first time.
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How long does it take a new website to show up on Google?
Google says crawling takes a few days to a few weeks. Here is what that actually looks like for a small business site, measured page by page, and the three things that genuinely speed it up.
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Will ChatGPT and AI search bring my business customers?
Do AI tools like ChatGPT and Google's AI answers actually send a local business customers? The honest answer: a growing amount, but not by magic, and the things that get you recommended by AI are the same fundamentals that get you found on Google.
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Why isn't my website getting any enquiries?
Your website exists but no enquiries come in. The cause is almost always one of six fixable things: nobody finds it, it loads too slowly, it hides how to get in touch, it does not look trustworthy, it has no proof, or it breaks on a phone. Here is how to tell which.
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Squarespace vs a custom-built website: an honest 2026 comparison
An honest 2026 comparison of Squarespace and a custom-built website for a UK small business: the real monthly cost, the transaction fees most guides skip, speed, SEO, and whether you can ever take your site with you.
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GoDaddy website builder vs a custom site: is it good enough to rank?
An honest 2026 look at the GoDaddy website builder against a custom-built site for a UK small business: introductory pricing versus renewals, the SEO controls it hides from you, and when GoDaddy is genuinely enough.
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Is a Facebook page enough, or do you need a website?
Plenty of local businesses run on a Facebook page alone. Here is the honest case for a website too: the reach you have lost, the trust you are missing, and the customers who check online before they call.
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Do you actually own your Wix or Squarespace website?
Most small businesses assume they own their website. On Wix, Squarespace and other builders you rent it, and the design cannot be exported. Here is what ownership really means and why it matters.
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Why doesn't my business show up on Google? Eight reasons, and the fixes
If your business is invisible on Google, the cause is nearly always one of eight fixable things: an unindexed site, a missing Business Profile, a website that never says what or where, inconsistent details, no reviews, a slow site, the wrong search terms, or simple newness.
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How to choose a web designer, without getting burned
Anyone can call themselves a web designer, so picking one is really a trust decision. Here is a practical checklist: what to look at before you enquire, the questions that reveal how someone actually works, the red flags that predict a bad ending, and the ownership terms that protect you.
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What pages does a small business website need?
How many pages a small business website actually needs in 2026: the core five, what each one is for, the pages you can skip, and why starting lean beats building fifteen pages nobody reads.
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How to get your business on Google Maps, and rank higher
A plain-English 2026 guide to ranking on Google Maps: why the local pack wins the clicks, the three things Google ranks you on, and how to set up your Google Business Profile so nearby customers find you first.
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How to get more Google reviews for your business
A practical 2026 guide to getting more Google reviews: why they matter more than ever, exactly how and when to ask, how to reply, and the Google rules you must not break.
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Wix vs a custom-built website: which is right for you?
An honest 2026 comparison of Wix and Squarespace against a custom-built website for a UK small business: real costs, speed, SEO, and the rent-versus-own question that most guides skip.
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What should a small business website actually cost?
A straight answer on UK website prices in 2026: the real range, freelancer vs agency, the hidden VAT and upkeep, and how to tell what you are actually paying for.
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Your own website vs Checkatrade and the directories
What Checkatrade and similar directories really cost a tradesperson in 2026, how shared leads work, and why your own website is the cheaper asset over time.
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How long does it take to build a website?
How long a small business website really takes to build in 2026: the honest timeline by project type, where the time actually goes, and why content, not code, is the thing that decides it.
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Do you actually need a website in 2026?
Whether a small local business still needs a website in 2026: what the numbers say, why social media is not a substitute, and when you might genuinely be fine without one.
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