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Systems

Articles on the architecture of a small-business website — the stack decisions that quietly decide whether your site is fast, indexable, and defensible, or slow, brittle and embarrassing. Static-first vs WordPress, the 0.05-second visual-appeal verdict, how Google actually finds you, and what 'EU-sovereign infrastructure' means in practice when you're a five-person practice in Leeds. Opinionated reads from someone who builds these systems for a living.

All articles 14 articles in this category

  • AI-assisted vs AI-generated: where Claude, Cursor and Copilot fit
    Two-column diagram: 'AI does' (scaffolding, refactor, content first-pass, QA) versus 'AI does not' (schema, auth, payments, brand voice).

    AI-assisted vs AI-generated: where Claude, Cursor and Copilot fit

    AI-built websites flood Fiverr at £40 a pop. AI-assisted production builds are a different thing. Here's where Claude, Cursor, Copilot and Aider actually earn their keep — and the four jobs they don't get.

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  • Core Web Vitals under 1s: what gets LCP under 1s on a UK SMB site
    Waterfall diagram showing a 0.71s LCP build: HTML 80ms, preconnect 120ms, AVIF hero 540ms, font subset parallel.

    Core Web Vitals under 1s: what gets LCP under 1s on a UK SMB site

    Image priority hints, AVIF heroes, font subsetting, critical CSS inlining, zero render-blocking JS — the actual techniques behind a sub-1-second LCP on a UK SMB site, measured on 4G throttled mobile from Vercel London.

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  • EU-sovereign stack for UK SMBs in 2026: Vercel, Resend, Plausible, Capsule
    Four-vendor stack diagram: Vercel London, Resend EU, Plausible EU, Capsule Manchester, with sub-processor arrows pointing back to client data.

    EU-sovereign stack for UK SMBs in 2026: Vercel, Resend, Plausible, Capsule

    Vercel London, Resend EU, Plausible, Capsule Manchester — the four-vendor sovereignty stack defended against the obvious US defaults. Schrems II, sub-processor disclosure, and the question your client's DPO will eventually ask.

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  • Information architecture before design: the order UK SMB sites ship in
    Diagram: URL graph → render contract → content model → components → visuals, with arrows running left to right.

    Information architecture before design: the order UK SMB sites ship in

    Most UK SMB websites are built visuals-first. Here's the inverse — URL graph, render contract, content model, components, visuals — and why a Loughborough engineer's view of build order saves six weeks of rework.

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  • Integrated marketing communications: how paid ads fit (and when they don't) alongside organic search intent

    Integrated marketing communications: how paid ads fit (and when they don't) alongside organic search intent

    When paid ads make sense for a UK SMB, when they don't, and how the IMC flow actually works — written by a developer who'd rather you spent the money on compounded organic, except where ads are genuinely the right tool.

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  • Managed website service UK — the complete 2026 guide

    Managed website service UK — the complete 2026 guide

    What a managed UK website service actually includes, what it costs, how it compares to agency one-offs and DIY platforms, and how to choose one.

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  • Pages vs systems: why a website is the wrong unit of design
    Diagram: a single booking system rendering through six different pages — services, team, contact, pricing, booking, confirm — with arrows showing one engine, many surfaces.

    Pages vs systems: why a website is the wrong unit of design

    Agencies price per page. UK Web Marketing prices per system. Here's why — the booking module that lives across six pages, the schema-driven catalogue, the redirect layer that holds Google rankings through a redesign.

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  • Vercel vs Netlify vs Cloudflare Pages: the UK SMB hosting guide (2026)

    Vercel vs Netlify vs Cloudflare Pages: the UK SMB hosting guide (2026)

    Three modern static-first hosting platforms compared honestly for UK small businesses in 2026. Pricing, data residency, free tier limits, build minutes, and which one I actually use for UK Web Marketing client sites — and why.

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  • The complete guide to small-business websites in the UK (2026 edition)

    The complete guide to small-business websites in the UK (2026 edition)

    Everything a UK small-business owner needs to know about getting a website that actually wins customers in 2026 — what matters, what doesn't, every option compared, and how to choose. Long read.

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  • Should I just build my own website on Wix? An honest answer from someone who builds them for a living

    Should I just build my own website on Wix? An honest answer from someone who builds them for a living

    When Wix is genuinely fine for a small business, when it's costing you customers, and how to tell the difference — written by a developer with no Wix referral commission.

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  • Your website is either earning you work — or losing it

    Your website is either earning you work — or losing it

    Why a slow, dated, or missing website quietly costs UK small businesses real customers — and what a good one does instead.

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  • 0.05 seconds — the test your website is failing

    0.05 seconds — the test your website is failing

    Google research: people form a first impression of your website in 50 milliseconds. Here's what the 0.05-second test actually measures, why most small-business sites fail it, and what to do about it.

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  • Five things every small-business website needs to actually work

    Five things every small-business website needs to actually work

    The five things separating a small-business website that wins customers from one that sits there: speed, mobile, clarity, a clear next step, and being found.

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  • Getting found on Google: a plain guide for small businesses

    Getting found on Google: a plain guide for small businesses

    How UK small businesses actually get found on Google in 2026 — local search, the technical basics that matter, and the Google Business Profile most people forget.

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