Field Notes
Straight-talking guides on websites, SEO, pricing, and getting found online - written for small business owners, not other web designers. No jargon, no fluff.
Rebuilding an Old Website Without Losing Your Google Traffic
The old site has been quietly earning things for years, and a rebuild is the easiest moment to throw them away. Here is how Google's own site move guide says to keep the traffic: list the old addresses, redirect each one, and check before launch.
Read the guideWebsite Traffic Dropped? What Google Says to Check First
The chart is pointing down and the phone got quiet. Before you rebuild anything, here is how Google's own debugging guide says to find the cause: reporting glitches, seasonality, ranking updates, broken pages and site moves.
Read the guideWebsite Accessibility: Can Everyone Actually Use Your Site?
Accessibility is the part of a website nobody checks and everybody notices when it is missing. What the WCAG 2.1 AA standard actually asks for, five checks you can run on your own site in five minutes, and the failures I find most often.
Read the guideWhat Google Business Profile Management Actually Involves
Profile management is sold by the month now. Google publishes the short list of what actually affects local results, so here is the real work, what nobody is allowed to promise you, and four checks you can run on your own profile in five minutes.
Read the guideWhy Web Designers Hide Their Prices
Open six web designers’ sites and you will not find a single price. That is a choice, not an accident. What is behind it, what the missing number costs you as the buyer, and the four questions that get you a real figure before you give up an hour on a call.
Read the guideDo You Need to Pay for AI SEO? What Google Actually Says
Hawaii agencies are selling AI SEO and GEO packages. Google's own documentation says there is no separate lever to buy. Here is what actually works.
Read the guideWhat Maui Web Designers Charge in 2026
You have two quotes and they don't agree. The four pricing models you'll run into on Maui, how to convert them all to one three-year number, and the one question that tells you whether you're buying a website or renting one.
Read the guideWhat Does a Restaurant Website Cost in Maui?
Owners get quoted $500 and $12,000 for the same job. Real numbers for a Maui restaurant site, what actually moves the price, the PDF menu that costs you customers, and the one add-on most places overpay for.
Read the guideHow to Get More Google Reviews (Without Breaking the Rules)
Reviews are the one piece of local ranking Google actually confirms in writing. What it says, the line a lot of businesses cross without meaning to, the ask that works, and the review markup that will never earn you stars.
Read the guide7 Questions to Ask Before You Hire a Web Designer in Hawaii
Most people hire a web designer once every five or ten years, so nobody feels like an expert going in. The seven questions I'd ask, including the one that tells you the most and that a lot of shops would rather you skipped.
Read the guide7 Signs Your Website Is Quietly Costing You Business
When a website is losing you customers, nothing breaks - the person just closes the tab and calls the next shop. Here are the seven red flags I check first, and a plain way to test each one on your own site.
Read the guideWhy Your Business Isn't Showing Up on Google Maps
Someone nearby searches for exactly what you sell, and three businesses pop up on a little map. You’re not one of them. Here’s why that happens, and the plain-English steps to get into the map pack - no agency retainer required.
Read the guideHow to Spot a Template Website in 10 Seconds
People can’t always say why a website feels mass-produced. They just feel it and leave. The exact tells - the sparkle badges, the purple gradients, the copy that says nothing - plus a live side-by-side so you can test your eye.
Read the guideWhat a Frontline AI Assistant Actually Does for Your Business
“An AI chatbot” sounds like a gimmick - until you watch one book a job at 11pm. Here’s what a website assistant really does: answer questions, capture leads, and book appointments while you’re off the clock.
Read the guideSocial, Ads, or SEO: Where Should a Small Business Start?
You can’t do everything at once - and you shouldn’t. Here’s how to pick the one marketing channel that will move the needle first for your business, and what each one is actually good at.
Read the guideHawaii Website Design Pricing: What It Really Costs
Ask three web designers what a website costs and you'll get three different answers - usually followed by "it depends." Here are real numbers: what a small business site actually runs, what drives the price, and how to avoid overpaying.
Read the guideDIY Site Builders vs. a Custom Website: What It Really Costs You
Wix and Squarespace look cheap up front. Here's the real math - the ongoing fees, the hidden costs, and where a custom site actually wins.
Read the guideDo You Really Need a Website for Your Maui Business?
“Can't I just use Instagram?” It's the most common question we get - here's the honest answer, and the cases where you might not need one yet.
Read the guideWant to see what your website could look like?
Get a free sample homepage concept for your business - see what a cleaner, more professional site could look like. No pressure, no obligation.