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Tools that check your site in seconds, interactive Kentucky maps, and plain-English guides from a Louisville web designer. Everything here is free, with no sign-up.
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Two things every Louisville business should see.
Interactive Kentucky maps
Two maps people actually use.
Click a county, filter what you care about, plan a route. Both are free to embed on your own site.
Free tools
Check your website in seconds.
Each one runs in your browser and tells you in plain English what it found and what to do about it.
Guides
Plain answers, by the problem you have.
No guide matches that yet. Try another word, or ask me directly.
Planning a website
What a website costs, how long it takes, who should build it and what the contract should say, before you hire anyone.
- What Affects the Cost of a Website for a Louisville Small Business?What drives the cost of a small business website in Louisville: pages, custom design, e-commerce, integrations, content, SEO...
- StudyWhat Louisville Web Designers Charge: A Study of Published PricesLouisville web design prices from 20 local firms' own websites: who publishes prices, typical starting points, monthly plans...
- How Long Does It Take to Build a Small Business Website?How long a small business website takes to build, the phases involved, what slows projects down, and what...
- How to Choose a Louisville Web DesignerHow to choose a web designer in Louisville: questions to ask, red flags, who owns the site and...
- Choosing a web designer for a small business: freelancer, agency or DIYChoosing a web designer for a small business: what a freelancer, an agency and a DIY builder really...
- AI website builders vs a custom website: what you actually getWhat an AI website builder gives you, what it cannot do, who owns the result and when a...
- Who Owns Your WordPress Website?Who owns your WordPress website? The domain, hosting, files, plugin licenses, content, email and Google accounts, and what...
- Web design contract: what yours should sayWhat a web design contract should cover: scope, ownership of the domain, hosting and code, content rights, payments,...
- Website RFP templateA website RFP template you can copy: the sections to include, the questions to ask web designers, and...
- Website launch checklistA website launch checklist for small business sites: content, forms, phones, speed, security, search settings, tracking and the...
- Website Hosting Cost Factors: What Drives the PriceWebsite hosting cost factors: shared, VPS, dedicated and managed hosting, renewal rates, email, SSL, backups and support, and...
- Website Maintenance Cost Factors: What Drives the PriceWebsite maintenance cost factors explained: site type, plugins, tested updates, backups, hosting and support time, and what cheap...
- Kentucky web design sales tax: why invoices include 6%Kentucky web design sales tax explained: since January 1, 2023, website design and hosting carry 6 percent. What...
- GlossaryWeb design glossary: website terms in plain EnglishA web design glossary in plain English: domain, DNS, hosting, CDN, SSL, CMS, plugins, cache, SPF, DKIM, DMARC,...
Website examples worth studying
Real websites, what each one does well, and the ideas a small business can borrow.
- Best small business websites: Louisville examples and what to steal from eachThe best small business websites, from Louisville shops and Kentucky sites I built: what each one does right,...
- Best contractor websites: eleven examples and what to steal from eachThe best contractor websites, from national builders to Louisville roofers and remodelers: what each does right and what...
- Best law firm websites, and what each one does rightThe best law firm websites, from national injury firms to Louisville practices: what each does right on intake,...
- Best Kentucky distillery websites, and what each one does rightThe best Kentucky distillery websites, from Woodford Reserve to Louisville's Whiskey Row: tours, booking, bottles and the ideas...
- About Us page examples, and how to write yoursAbout Us page examples from Basecamp, Mailchimp, Louisville's Muth's Candies and more, plus a plain template for writing...
- Website redesign before and after: real Kentucky rebuilds, in plain wordsWebsite redesign before and after, from sites I rebuilt in 2026: what each one could not do, what...
Redesigning or moving a website
When to repair, redesign or replace, what a redesign costs, and how to leave Wix, Squarespace or GoDaddy without losing your rankings.
- Repair, Redesign or Replace Your Website?Should you repair, redesign or replace your website? What each means, the signs for each, and how to...
- Website redesign cost factors: what drives the priceWebsite redesign cost factors: content, platform changes, features, search protection and testing, the costs people forget, and how...
- What Happens to Your Google Rankings in a Website RedesignWebsite redesign SEO in plain English: why rankings drop, how to build a redirect map, keep the content...
- The details that move an established website forwardHow to improve a website without starting over: keep the style, structure the range, let imagery work and...
- WordPress vs Wix for a small businessWordPress vs Wix for a small business: ownership, cost over time, features, search and leaving later, and the...
- WordPress vs SquarespaceWordPress vs Squarespace for a small business: plans and fees, what you can export, design, selling online, upkeep...
- Squarespace price increase: how to move without losing rankingsThe 2026 Squarespace price increase did not hit every plan or customer equally. Compare Squarespace alternatives and move...
- Leaving GoDaddy Website Builder without losing your domain, email or rankingsHow to leave GoDaddy Website Builder: what you can export, keeping your domain and email, rebuilding on WordPress...
Online stores
Choosing a platform, moving a store without losing a product, and running WooCommerce as the catalog grows.
- WooCommerce or Shopify? An Honest Answer From a Louisville Developer Who Runs WooCommerce StoresWhere Shopify wins, where WooCommerce wins, what each costs and the one question that decides it. From a...
- Square Online vs WooCommerceSquare Online store or WooCommerce? Square's current online card rates, what each plan includes, keeping your register in...
- WooCommerce migration: how to move an online store without losing a single productA WooCommerce migration that keeps every product: count, extract, import, reconcile, rewrite. From a 1,374-product store rebuild. Louisville,...
- What 3,800 Products Teach You That 30 Don’tWhat changes when a WooCommerce catalog grows from thirty products to more than 3,800: collections, duplicate content, sitemaps,...
- PayPal Standard is leaving WooCommerce: how to switchPayPal Standard in WooCommerce is being retired. What WooCommerce announced, what PayPal Payments changes, and how to switch...
Websites for your industry
Questions that only come up for law firms, campgrounds, and tour and tasting businesses.
- Law firm website cost factors: what sets the priceLaw firm website cost factors: practice areas, intake, bar advertising rules, content, photography and SEO, and how to...
- Does your campground website need an interactive park map?When an interactive campground map earns its place, the six things it must do and what the office...
- Campground reservation software vs a custom booking formCampground reservation software or a custom reservation form? Booking fees, who pays them, park maps, long stays, and...
- FareHarbor vs Peek vs a custom booking systemFareHarbor vs Peek vs a custom booking system for tours and tastings: how fees work, who pays them,...
Getting found on Google and in AI answers
Showing up in Google, Maps and AI answers, earning reviews the right way, and when paid ads make sense.
- How Do I Get My Business to Show Up in ChatGPT and Google AI Answers?How to get your business mentioned in ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and other AI answers: profiles, reviews, clear...
- Local SEO and AI answers checklistA local SEO checklist for small businesses: Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Business, reviews, citations, service pages,...
- Website not showing on Google? How to tell why and fix itWebsite not showing on Google? How to check whether it is indexed, the common reasons it is missing,...
- Google AI Mode vs AI Overviews vs ChatGPT for a local businessGoogle AI Mode, AI Overviews and ChatGPT find local businesses in different ways. What each one is, and...
- Are AI Overviews stealing your clicks? Check before you panicPew found Google users click about half as often when AI Overviews appear. How to check your own...
- Google Business Profile suspended or verification pending: next stepsGoogle Business Profile suspended, disabled or verification pending? What each status means, what to do first, and how...
- How to ask for Google reviews without breaking FTC or Google rules (with templates)How to get Google reviews the right way: request templates for email, text and in person that follow...
- How to remove a Google review, and when you’re allowed toHow to remove a Google review the legitimate way: which reviews break Google's rules, how to report and...
- How much should a small business spend on Google Ads?Set a Google Ads budget from your own numbers: cost per click, conversion rate and what a customer...
- Google Local Services Ads vs Google Ads for contractors and lawyersLocal Services Ads charge per lead, Search ads per click. How they differ for contractors and lawyers, the...
Turning visitors into customers
Forms that ask the right questions, stopping spam, taking deposits, and where chatbots and automation actually help.
- What Should a Service-Business Website Ask Before the First Call?How clear service choices, relevant questions and photo uploads can make website inquiries more useful. Examples from the...
- Gravity Forms conditional logic: real client formsGravity Forms conditional logic from three live forms: an RV park reservation, a plumbing request and a project...
- Contact form spam: the fix that actually worksHow to stop contact form spam without puzzles: a honeypot, Cloudflare Turnstile as a reCAPTCHA alternative, and tests...
- Taking deposits on an appointment booking websiteHow to add deposits to an appointment booking website: the tools that can do it, setting the amount,...
- Is an AI chatbot for your website worth it?Should you add an AI chatbot for website visitors? What it does well, where it goes wrong, privacy...
- AI receptionists for small business: cost, limits and when they’re worth itWhat an AI receptionist does well and badly, how the pricing works, the recording and privacy rules to...
- Zapier vs Make vs n8n: choosing an automation platformZapier vs Make vs n8n for a small business: how each one bills, where each breaks, what self-hosting...
- ChatGPT for business: 25 practical ways a small business can use itChatGPT for business, done safely: 25 specific uses for writing, customers, marketing and admin, the privacy settings to...
When your website breaks
Down, hacked, flagged by Google or showing a security warning: what to do first, in order.
- Website down? A 10-minute checklistWebsite down? A 10-minute checklist: is it just you, is the domain or SSL expired, what the error...
- Your WordPress Site Was Hacked. Here Is What to Do in the First Hour.What to do, and what not to touch, in the first hour after a WordPress hack, and how...
- Japanese keyword, pharma and redirect hacks: what each one is and how to clean it upThe Japanese keyword hack, the pharma hack and the redirect hack explained: how to spot each on a...
- After a hacked website: the rebuild, the redirects, and getting the spam out of GoogleAfter a hack: rebuild or clean, 410 the spam URLs, 301 the real pages, lock down the new...
- Google says “Deceptive site ahead”: how to clear itChrome shows “Deceptive site ahead” on your website? What it means, the first three things to do, and...
- Not secure warning and expired SSL: what each message meansA not secure warning or an expired SSL certificate on your website? What each message means, the first...
- Domain expired: how to get it backDomain expired and your website and email stopped? The first three things to do, the grace and redemption...
- A plugin update broke my siteA plugin update broke my site: what to do first, how to roll the plugin back safely, what...
Fixing WordPress
Notes from fixing live WordPress sites: the cause, the fix and how to test it.
- The Blank Gap Above Your Gravity Forms Button Is TurnstileGravity Forms Turnstile leaves a blank gap above the submit button. Why you must not hide it, the...
- Email Logo Not Showing? Your Firewall May Be Blocking ItEmail logo not showing in your WordPress form emails? A firewall rule aimed at bots may block the...
- WP Super Cache Downloading a File Instead of the Page?WP Super Cache gzip pages served as downloads, and cached pages shown to WooCommerce shoppers: how to test...
- Kadence Splitting Words in the Middle? Fix word-breakKadence word break problems: words split mid-word because the theme sets word-break: break-word. The CSS that fixes it...
- How to test website backups before you need themHow to test website backups on WordPress: check what actually lands in storage, restore to a private copy,...
- WordPress 7.0: what changed, and should you update?WordPress 7 added AI building blocks, a new dashboard and a PHP 7.4 minimum. What changed for business...
- Website migration case study: moving more than twenty sites to one serverA website migration case study: how I moved more than twenty sites to one server in 2026, counted...
Kentucky specifics
Rules that apply to Kentucky law firm websites and bourbon sellers, plus a free map of the state’s distilleries.
- Kentucky attorney advertising rules for law firm websitesKentucky attorney advertising rules as they apply to a law firm website: filing, testimonials, results, specialist claims and...
- Kentucky distillery shipping rules for online bourbon salesKentucky distillery shipping rules: what KRS 243.028 allows, which states accepted spirits as of 2025, carriers, limits and...
Rather have it done?
Services and industries I build for.
Services, by the problem they solve
- Free Website Review
- Website Rescue
- WordPress Help
- Fix WordPress Contact Form Emails
- Website Speed Optimization
- ADA and WCAG Accessibility Audit and Fixes
- Website Migration Services
- Managed WordPress Hosting in Louisville
- WooCommerce Care Plan
- Conversion Tracking Setup: Calls, Forms and Bookings into GA4, Google Ads and Meta
- Google Business Profile Management
- WooCommerce Payment Integration: Stripe, PayPal, Square, Clover
- Square WooCommerce Integration and Inventory Sync
- Clover and Your Website: Online Ordering and Inventory Sync
- QuickBooks WooCommerce Integration
- Online Invoice Payments on Your Website
- Custom Auction and Marketplace Website Development
- Spirits Ecommerce Age Verification and Compliant Checkout
- Fractional CTO for a Small Business
Websites by industry
- Contractor Website Design Louisville
- Law Firm Website Design
- Plumbing Website Design
- Physician Website Design
- Manufacturing Website Design
- Campground and RV Park Website Design
- Distillery and Spirits Brand Websites
- Attraction Website Design
- Farm and Livestock Website Design
- HVAC Website Design
- Roofing Website Design
- Electrician Website Design
- Nonprofit Website Design
- Wedding and Event Venue Websites
- Retail Store Website Design
- B2B and Industrial Supplier Websites
- Dental and Chiropractic Practice Websites
Have a question about your own website?
Call or text me, or book a call. The person you talk to is the person who builds the site.