Insights
Notes worth your time.
Plain-English tips on websites, SEO, and running a small business online in Kansas City. No jargon, no fluff, just the stuff that helps you make a better call.
What to Put on Your Home Page (and What to Leave Off)
A stranger decides whether to stay on your home page in about ten seconds. Here is what has to be in that window, what belongs below it, and the standard pieces that are only taking up room.
Website Redesign in Kansas City: Fix It, Refresh It, or Rebuild It
Most owners who tell me they need a redesign need about four hours of fixes. Here is how to tell the difference between a site that needs work and a site that needs replacing.
Website Maintenance: What Actually Needs Doing After Launch
A website is not an appliance you install once and forget. Here is what website maintenance actually involves after launch, what you can handle yourself, and what quietly breaks when nobody is watching.
Kansas City Manufacturing Website Design: What Actually Wins Work
Most machine shop websites are a photo of the building and a contact form. Here is what a sourcing engineer, a repeat customer, and a job applicant each come looking for, and what it costs you when they cannot find it.
How Long Does It Take to Build a Website?
Most small business websites take three to six weeks, and the design is almost never what holds them up. Here is where the time actually goes, and the one thing that decides whether you launch on schedule.
Local SEO for Kansas City: How to Show Up in Google's Map Pack
The three businesses under the map get most of the local clicks. Here is how Google chooses them, and the plain steps to get your Kansas City business in the map pack.
5 Signs Your Website Is Quietly Losing You Customers
Nobody emails to tell you they gave up on your website. Here are the five failures that cost you customers silently, and how to check for each one in about ten minutes.
WordPress or a Custom-Built Site? How to Choose
WordPress powers a huge share of the web, but it is not always the right call. Here is the honest comparison of WordPress versus a custom-built site, and how to tell which one fits your business.
Web Designer vs. DIY Site Builder: What's Right for a KC Small Business?
Wix and Squarespace make building your own site look easy, and sometimes DIY really is the right call. Here is the honest tradeoff versus hiring a web designer, and how to tell which fits your business.
Why Website Speed Matters, and How to Tell If Yours Is Too Slow
Your site feels fast to you because your browser cached it. Here is the real test, the number Google cares about, and what to do if your site is on the wrong side of it.
Hiring a Web Designer in Kansas City: 8 Questions to Ask First
The right questions beat a pretty portfolio. Here are the 8 things to ask any web designer before you sign, and what a good answer actually sounds like.
Does Your Small Business Actually Need a Blog? (And How to Prove It Works)
Everyone says your small business should have a blog. Here is the honest answer: when it is worth it, when it is not, and how to measure whether yours actually works.
How Much Does a Website Cost in Kansas City?
Wondering what a website really costs in Kansas City? Here are honest 2026 ranges for small business sites, and the things that actually move the price up or down.
Web Design in Kansas City: Do You Need a Static Site or a CMS?
Meet TJ Slade, your Kansas City web designer, and get a plain-English answer to the first question I ask every client: does your business need a static site or a CMS?
What I write about
Topics worth your time.
Web design & development
How to build a site that actually works for your business, and what separates a good one from a template.
SEO & getting found
Plain-English ways to show up when Kansas City customers search for what you do.
Pricing & planning
What a website really costs, how to budget for it, and how to avoid paying for things you'll never use.
Running a business online
Practical tips on content, email, and turning your website into something that brings in real work.
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