Journal

Notes on rebuilds, local-business websites, and what we’re learning as we ship.

Short essays from the studio. Published when we have something to say, not on a schedule.

01
June 14, 20265 min
Should a Canadian business use a .ca domain?
Whether a .ca domain helps you rank, what it signals to Canadian customers, when .com still makes sense, and how to own both without splitting your search authority in two.
Local SEOStrategy
02
June 12, 20265 min
Hiring a web designer in Calgary
What a Calgary small business should actually look for in a web studio, what local-versus-remote really changes, and the five questions that separate a studio worth hiring from one that bills its time.
CalgaryLocal SEOStrategyHiring
03
June 10, 20266 min
Do you need a bilingual website in Quebec?
If your business has a presence in Quebec, your website needs a real French version, not a Google Translate toggle. Here is what the language rules actually ask for, what counts as compliant, and how a French-first build changes the work.
MontréalLocal SEOStrategy
04
May 26, 20269 min
Why your website isn't getting leads
If your small-business website gets visits but no calls, the cause is almost always one of nine things. Here is the order to check them in, with a plain-English test for each.
Lead generationDiagnostics
05
May 26, 20268 min
Why your business isn't showing up on Google
If you type your business name or your service into Google and you can't find yourself, the cause is one of seven things. Here is how to figure out which, in order.
Local SEODiagnostics
06
May 8, 20266 min
Hiring a web agency in Vancouver when you're remote
Most Vancouver business owners can afford to hire any web agency in Canada, not just the ones with a Granville Street address. Here is how to evaluate a remote studio, what the time-zone gap actually costs, and which on-site visits are worth paying for.
VancouverHiring
07
May 1, 20265 min
Should a Toronto business hire a Toronto agency, or any Canadian one?
Does a Toronto small business actually need a Toronto branding agency, or will a Vancouver shop do? Here is when proximity matters and when it does not.
StrategyProcess
08
April 24, 20266 min
Hiring a web agency in Toronto: what to ask before you sign
Five questions to ask a branding agency in Toronto before you hire them. What separates a real shop from a deck-and-dashboard operation, and what the contract should say.
StrategyProcess
09
April 17, 20266 min
What converts on a dental homepage in 2026
Most dental websites lead with a stock photo of a model smiling at a dentist. Here is what actually moves new-patient bookings on a Canadian dental site, with the four homepage changes we make on every rebuild.
DentalConversion
10
April 10, 20266 min
What a working website does for a Toronto trade business in 2026
Web design for Toronto trades in 2026: load fast on a phone, surface the call, prove the work, and feed numbers the owner actually reads. Here is what changed.
DesignStrategy
11
April 3, 20268 min
The lead-gen audit checklist for a small-business website
The exact checklist we use to audit a small-business website's lead-generation performance in five business days. Eleven questions, plain English, the same ones a working site has to answer in 2026.
AuditConversion
12
March 20, 20267 min
Webflow versus a custom build for a Toronto trade business
Webflow is good. It is also a subscription with a ceiling. For a Toronto roofer, HVAC contractor, or paving company, here is when Webflow makes sense, when a custom build makes sense, and what owners get wrong about both.
ComparisonToronto
13
March 13, 20266 min
Why most law-firm sites bury their case results
Most law-firm websites lead with adjectives and bury the case history three clicks deep. For personal-injury and immigration practices, that is the costliest mistake on the site. Here is what to put up front and how to do it within ethics rules.
LawDesign
14
March 6, 20266 min
HVAC sites that win the emergency call
An HVAC emergency happens at eleven on a January night. The homeowner calls the first contractor they reach. Here is what a Canadian HVAC website needs to do to be that contractor, and why most sites lose the call before the homeowner has finished scrolling.
TradesHVAC
15
February 27, 20267 min
How a roofing site should handle storm-damage calls
Storm season is the year for a residential roofer. Most roofing websites are not ready for it. Here is what a site needs to do in the seventy-two hours after a hailstorm to keep the calls landing on you, not the next roofer in the search results.
TradesStrategy
16
February 20, 20265 min
Five things a bad website quietly tells your customers
A bad small-business website doesn't just look bad. It tells the customer five specific things about whether you'll show up for the job. Most owners cannot read the signal.
DesignConversion
17
February 13, 20266 min
The quote form tax
Every field on a quote form costs you somewhere between seven and ten percent of the submissions you would have gotten. Most small-business forms have six too many.
Lead generationConversionForms
18
February 6, 20265 min
Rebuilds beat builds
For most small-business owners, the website doesn't need more features. It needs to actually work.
ProcessStrategy
19
January 30, 20265 min
Your logo is not your brand
Small businesses hiring a branding agency often confuse a logo with a brand system. The logo is the cheap part. Here is what the rest is, and what it earns.
StrategyBranding
20
January 23, 20265 min
What a phone number is worth
For most service businesses, the phone is still where the job gets booked. The website's job is to make calling the obvious move.
Lead generationDesignStrategy
21
January 16, 20267 min
Reporting at 30 and 90 days
What we measure after a rebuild ships, which numbers actually move, and what we change when the numbers do not.
ProcessMeasurement
22
January 9, 20265 min
Why your Wix site is fine
Most of the time, the platform is not the problem. Replace the platform first and you will ship faster. Rewrite the argument first and you will ship better.
StrategyProcess

Design & build

Grow & maintain

Free tools

Trades & home services

Professional services

Health & wellness

Hospitality & lifestyle

Recent work

Lunarlink Solutions, Toronto

Lucky Pizza, Calgary

Notes on rebuilds, local-business websites, and what we’re learning as we ship.

Should a Canadian business use a .ca domain?

Hiring a web designer in Calgary

Do you need a bilingual website in Quebec?

Why your website isn't getting leads

Why your business isn't showing up on Google

Hiring a web agency in Vancouver when you're remote

Should a Toronto business hire a Toronto agency, or any Canadian one?

Hiring a web agency in Toronto: what to ask before you sign

What converts on a dental homepage in 2026

What a working website does for a Toronto trade business in 2026

The lead-gen audit checklist for a small-business website

Webflow versus a custom build for a Toronto trade business

Why most law-firm sites bury their case results

HVAC sites that win the emergency call

How a roofing site should handle storm-damage calls

Five things a bad website quietly tells your customers

The quote form tax

Rebuilds beat builds

Your logo is not your brand

What a phone number is worth

Reporting at 30 and 90 days

Why your Wix site is fine

Notes on rebuilds, local-business websites, and what we’re learning as we ship.

Should a Canadian business use a .ca domain?

Hiring a web designer in Calgary

Do you need a bilingual website in Quebec?

Why your website isn't getting leads

Why your business isn't showing up on Google

Hiring a web agency in Vancouver when you're remote

Should a Toronto business hire a Toronto agency, or any Canadian one?

Hiring a web agency in Toronto: what to ask before you sign

What converts on a dental homepage in 2026

What a working website does for a Toronto trade business in 2026

The lead-gen audit checklist for a small-business website

Webflow versus a custom build for a Toronto trade business

Why most law-firm sites bury their case results

HVAC sites that win the emergency call

How a roofing site should handle storm-damage calls

Five things a bad website quietly tells your customers

The quote form tax

Rebuilds beat builds

Your logo is not your brand

What a phone number is worth

Reporting at 30 and 90 days

Why your Wix site is fine