Plain answers about websites that bring in calls.
One question per post, answered in the first sentence, with the sources linked. Written by Joeless Pierre from the checks the studio runs on every site. 30 posts so far.
Every post, newest first.
Check your site · October 4, 2026The Capital Region website audit: what we found on local business sitesOn 115 Capital Region business sites, 45 had a number that was not tap-to-call, 69 had a broken link preview, and 98 of 102 missed Google's speed line.
Keep it running · October 4, 2026What does a website maintenance plan include?A real maintenance plan has five parts: hosting, updates with a tested backup, monitoring with a person, a monthly check with a report, and edit hours.
Get found · October 4, 2026Search Console in plain English: the reports worth readingFive Search Console reports are worth a monthly look: Performance, Page indexing, Core Web Vitals, Sitemaps and URL Inspection. Here is what each says.
Websites that catch calls · October 4, 2026Squarespace vs custom: an honest comparisonSquarespace is cheaper in cash and right if you edit weekly. Custom is right when you want to own the files and control every line. Here is each.
Websites that catch calls · October 4, 2026Static sites explained: why a plumber's site does not need a databaseA plumber's pages are the same for every visitor, so they can be written out once as files and served as-is. No database, fewer parts to patch.
Websites that catch calls · October 4, 2026Building websites with AI: what it is good at and where it breaksAI produces a page that renders in minutes. It breaks where nothing fails loudly: a script that quits silently, a default that promises, a date that lies.
Websites that catch calls · October 4, 2026What happens to your site if you stop paying your web platformIt depends on the platform's own terms: Squarespace shows a Website expired page, Wix keeps the site up with ads at a free address, GoDaddy deletes it.
Websites that catch calls · October 4, 2026Accessibility statements: what they are and why every site should have oneAn accessibility statement names the standard you build to, what you know does not work yet, and how a person who hits a problem can reach you.
Websites that catch calls · October 4, 2026Does a small business website need a privacy policy?Yes in practice. A contact form or Google Analytics collects personal information, and California's law plus Google's own terms require a posted policy.
Fix the site you have · October 4, 2026Why your site loads slow on phones: the usual suspectsFour things make a site slow on Google's phone test: a heavy first image, scripts and styles that block drawing, web fonts, and a slow server.
Fix the site you have · October 3, 2026'"My nephew built it": when a family-built site is fine and when it is not'A family-built website is fine when the number dials, the form arrives, the padlock shows, and you hold the logins. Six checks from your phone settle it.
Keep it running · October 3, 2026DMARC in plain English: stop people faking your emailDMARC is a DNS record telling mail servers what to do with messages that claim your domain but fail SPF and DKIM. Without it, anyone can send mail as you.
Websites that catch calls · October 3, 2026What should be above the fold on a contractor home pageThe first screen of a contractor home page: what you do, where, the phone as a tap-to-call button, one request button, one line of proof. The rest waits.
Fix the site you have · October 3, 2026The tap-to-call link: one line of code, explainedA tap-to-call number is an anchor tag whose href starts with tel: and a plus sign, as RFC 3966 defines it. Plain text is not a link, however it looks.
Websites that catch calls · October 3, 2026WordPress vs custom website: which is better for contractors?For a five to ten page contractor site that changes a few times a year, a static site has fewer moving parts. WordPress fits when many people publish.
Fix the site you have · October 3, 2026HTTPS and the Not secure warning, in plain wordsChrome labels any plain HTTP page Not secure. HTTPS encrypts the connection, your host can usually issue the certificate, and forcing it is a setting, not a rebuild.
Websites that catch calls · October 3, 2026One page, one job: why every page needs one main actionEvery page on a contractor site should have one main action, usually call or request service, because visitors scan and pick the first clear choice.
Get found · October 3, 2026How does ChatGPT find local businesses? What is known and what is notChatGPT search uses third-party search providers and its own OAI-SearchBot crawler. How it picks one local business over another is not published.
Fix the site you have · October 3, 2026What Largest Contentful Paint means for your websiteLargest Contentful Paint is the time until the biggest thing on the first screen is drawn. Google calls 2.5 seconds or under good. Here is how it is timed.
Fix the site you have · October 3, 2026Contact forms that quietly fail, and how to test yours from a phoneA contact form can show a thank-you screen and deliver nothing. The only proof it works is a test message that lands in your inbox today.
Get found · October 2, 2026Why "page one guaranteed" is a red flagGoogle says no one can guarantee a number one ranking and nobody can pay for one. A firm promising page one is guessing or planning what Google forbids.
Websites that catch calls · October 2, 2026Questions to ask any web designer before you pay a depositAsk who owns the domain, what happens to the deposit if you cancel, what you get at the end, whether they promise rankings and how the site is tested.
Websites that catch calls · October 2, 2026Is Wix good enough for a contractor website?Wix is good enough when you stay on Wix, keep the plan paid and check the pages like any site. The trade is that the site itself can never leave.
Get found · October 2, 2026What is a Google Business Profile, and do you need one?A Google Business Profile is the free listing that puts you on Google Search and Maps. If customers find you on Google at all, you need one, verified.
Fix the site you have · October 2, 2026Link previews: why your texted link shows a gray boxThe gray box means the page has no og:image tag, or the image it names is one Messages will not use. Two tags in the page head and one sized photo fix it.
Websites that catch calls · October 2, 2026Who owns your website? The domain, the hosting and the codeA website is three things with three owners: the domain, the hosting and the code. Own the domain first, and know who holds the other two.
Fix the site you have · October 2, 2026How to read your Google PageSpeed score without panickingThe score is Google's lab test on a simulated slow phone, not your customer's phone. Read the main-image time against Google's 2.5-second line first.
Get found · October 2, 2026Does structured data help my business show up in Google?Structured data helps Google understand your page and makes it eligible for enhanced results. Google states in writing that it does not guarantee display.
Keep it running · October 2, 2026Is a monthly website care plan worth it for a small business?Worth it when someone must notice a broken site before a customer does. Not worth it when the site never changes and the platform renews for you.
Fix the site you have · October 2, 2026Your call button might not dial. Here is how to check in 30 secondsOpen your site on your phone and tap the number. If the phone does not offer to call, the number is text or a picture, and one line of code fixes it.