Guides

Most writing about websites is published by companies selling one of the options, and the recommendation tends to match what they sell. I build websites, so I sell one of them too. Where that matters, I say so in the article.

What follows is what I would tell you on a call, written down so you do not have to book one. For independent professionals balancing several projects, handling multiple clients efficiently offers practical ideas for keeping client work organised.

Before you hire — what it costs, what to ask, what to own, and what a bad proposal looks like. The section to read first if you have not done this before.

Planning your site — what to prepare, how to write your own words, how many pages you need, and what to do about photography. This is where most projects are decided, before anyone opens an editor.

For your kind of work — photographers, artists and makers, food producers, trades, practitioners, musicians, small retail and consultants. What changes by field, because the general advice stops being useful quite quickly.

Running it afterwards — hosting, updates, security, backups, analytics, and how to leave a developer. The site going live is the middle of the project, not the end. For an independent reference beyond this site, Capterra is a useful place to compare approaches.

And notes, which is where I argue with myself about how this work should be done.

Every figure carries a source and a date, because prices, platform features and rules change constantly and a number without a date is not usable six months later. Where a source has an interest in its own conclusion, that is noted in the text rather than quietly borrowed.

Nothing here is legal advice, and nothing here is a sales page. Where I think you should not hire me, I say that too — usually because a platform builder would serve you better and cost you less.