It’s the end of 2025, which means I’ve been doing this for over 20 years. That’s a sobering thought.

Instead of the usual “top trends for 2026” post that every other agency is publishing right now, I thought I’d do something different. I’m going to tell you the things I wish I’d known when I started – and the things most agencies still won’t tell their clients.

I’ve built over 500 websites since 2004. In that time, I’ve learned that most of what agencies tell small businesses about websites is either outdated, over-complicated, or just plain wrong.

Here’s what actually matters, based on two decades of seeing what works and what doesn’t.

Your Logo Doesn’t Matter as Much as You Think

I know. Controversial right out of the gate.

Every new business spends weeks agonizing over their logo. Should it be blue or green? Modern or traditional? What font conveys “trustworthy but approachable”?

Here’s what I’ve learned: your customers care far more about whether you answer the phone than whether your logo is perfectly on-brand.

Yes, you need a logo. Yes, it should look reasonably professional. But spending £2,000 on logo design before you’ve even validated your business model? That’s backwards.

I’ve seen businesses with clipart logos do £500k a year because they’re brilliant at what they do. I’ve seen businesses with stunning brand identities fail because they forgot to actually deliver good service.

What actually matters: A clean, readable logo that doesn’t embarrass you. That’s it. You can always rebrand later when you’ve got the revenue to justify it.

Most Small Businesses Don’t Need a Blog

“You need to be publishing regular blog content for SEO!”

Every marketing agency says this. Most of them are wrong – at least for small businesses.

Here’s why: writing good blog content that actually helps SEO takes time and expertise. Most small business owners can’t write SEO-optimized content (nor should they – that’s not what they’re good at). And paying someone to write it properly costs £200-500 per post.

If you’re a plumber, your time is worth £50-80 an hour doing actual plumbing. Writing a blog post takes 3-4 hours and might bring you one extra customer in six months. The math doesn’t work.

What actually works better: A handful of really good service pages that answer specific questions your customers ask. “How much does a boiler replacement cost?” “Do I need planning permission for a loft conversion?” “What’s the difference between composite and porcelain veneers?”

Five excellent pages that answer real questions beat 50 mediocre blog posts every single time.

Exception: If you’re in a knowledge-based industry (consultancy, financial advice, etc.) where demonstrating expertise IS the product, then yes, regular content helps. But for most tradespeople and service businesses? Skip the blog.

Your Homepage Hero Image Won’t Make You Money

You know that massive full-screen image at the top of most websites? The one agencies charge extra for and spend hours finding the “perfect” stock photo?

It doesn’t really matter.

I’ve A/B tested this on dozens of sites. The hero image makes almost zero difference to conversion rates. You know what does?

  • A clear headline that says what you do
  • Your phone number visible without scrolling
  • A contact form that actually works
  • Fast loading time
  • Mobile optimization

I’ve seen businesses obsess over getting the perfect hero image while their contact form is broken and nobody can find their phone number. It’s insanity.

What I do now: Use a simple, clean image that loads quickly and doesn’t distract from the actual content. Or skip the massive hero image entirely and just get straight to the point.

“Best Practice” Web Design is Often Just “What Looks Like Other Websites”

There’s a design trend in web agencies where everything has to look “modern” and “clean” – which usually means lots of white space, minimal text, and vague copy like “We deliver innovative solutions for tomorrow’s challenges.”

This design philosophy comes from big corporate websites with massive marketing budgets. They can afford to be vague because people already know who they are.

You can’t.

If you’re a local electrician, your website doesn’t need to look like Apple’s. It needs to clearly say:

  • What you do
  • Where you cover
  • How much you roughly cost
  • Why someone should trust you
  • How to contact you

I’ve had clients push back on putting pricing information on their website because it “looks unprofessional” or “isn’t best practice.” You know what happens? Their competitors who DO show pricing get the enquiries.

What actually works: Clear, specific information that answers customer questions, even if it means more text and less “white space.”

Mobile-First Means Mobile-ONLY for Most Small Businesses

Everyone talks about “mobile-first design” but here’s the reality: for most small businesses, 70-80% of your traffic is mobile. Not “mobile-first” – mobile-only.

That plumber’s website you’re designing? Most people will find it when their boiler breaks at 9pm and they’re searching on their phone in a cold house. Nobody’s sitting at a desktop comparing plumbers.

Yet I still see websites that look great on desktop but are barely functional on mobile. Tiny phone numbers you can’t click. Forms that don’t work properly. Menus that don’t open. Images that take 30 seconds to load on 4G.

What this means: Build for mobile. Test on mobile. Show the client on mobile. If it’s not working perfectly on a phone, it’s not done.

And here’s the thing nobody tells you: if your site loads slowly on mobile, Google ranks you lower. Fast mobile site = better rankings = more customers. It’s that simple.

Your Website Doesn’t Need to “Explain Your Business”

This is the trap I see constantly: businesses trying to explain everything about what they do, their process, their philosophy, their team values, their journey…

Your website isn’t a biography. It’s a tool to get customers.

Most visitors to your website are asking one question: “Can this business solve my problem?”

They don’t care about your company values or your mission statement or your 20-year history. They care about:

  • Can you do what I need?
  • Are you any good?
  • How much will it cost?
  • Can I trust you?

Answer those four questions clearly and you’ve got a good website. Everything else is decoration.

Real example: I had a client who wanted four paragraphs on their homepage about their commitment to sustainability and ethical business practices. We tested it. Conversion rate: 2.3%.

We replaced it with three clear service descriptions, pricing guidance, and customer reviews. Conversion rate: 4.1%.

People don’t read manifestos. They want to know if you can fix their problem.

You Don’t Need Every Social Media Platform

“You need to be on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitter…”

No, you don’t.

You need to be where your customers actually are, and you need to do it properly. One platform done well beats five platforms done badly.

I’ve seen tradespeople kill themselves trying to maintain five social media accounts, posting content nobody sees, because some marketing agency told them they “needed a social presence.”

What actually works: Pick ONE platform where your customers actually hang out. For most small businesses, that’s Facebook or Instagram. Post occasionally when you’ve got something worth sharing. Link it from your website. Done.

The time you save not managing five social accounts? Spend it doing actual customer service or improving your core business.

“We’ll Sort SEO After Launch” is a Disaster

This happens constantly:

“Let’s just get the website live, we’ll worry about SEO later.”

No. No no no.

SEO isn’t something you bolt on afterwards. It’s baked into how the site is built from day one:

  • URL structure
  • Page titles
  • Meta descriptions
  • Heading hierarchy
  • Image optimization
  • Site speed
  • Mobile optimization
  • Content structure

Trying to “add SEO” after a site is built is like trying to add a foundation to a house after you’ve built the walls. Technically possible, but expensive and awkward.

What we do: Build SEO in from the start. Every page is optimized as we build it. By the time the site launches, it’s already search-engine friendly.

The sites that rank well aren’t the ones that got SEO “added later.” They’re the ones that were built right from the beginning.

Your Competitor’s Website is Probably Bad Too

When clients show me competitor websites, they often say “We need something like this.”

Usually, the competitor’s website is terrible. Just because it exists and that business is doing well doesn’t mean the website is any good. It often means that business succeeds DESPITE their website, not because of it.

I see successful businesses with awful websites all the time. They’re successful because they’re good at what they do, they’ve been around for years, or they get most of their work from word-of-mouth.

The lesson: Don’t copy competitor websites. Most of them are bad. Build something that actually works.

Expensive Doesn’t Mean Better

I’ve seen £20,000 websites that are slower, buggier, and less effective than £3,000 websites.

Big agencies charge big prices because they have big overheads – fancy offices, account managers, project managers, multiple rounds of revisions, stakeholder meetings.

You’re not paying for a better website. You’re paying for process.

For most small businesses, you don’t need that process. You need:

  • Someone who understands your business
  • A site that loads fast and works properly
  • Content that answers customer questions
  • Ongoing support when things need updating

What you should pay for:

  • Technical competence (site works properly, loads fast, is secure)
  • Good copywriting (answers customer questions clearly)
  • Proper SEO (built in from the start)
  • Ongoing support (things break, need updating, search engines change)

Everything else is optional.

You Can’t “Set and Forget” a Website Anymore

This is the biggest change I’ve seen in 20 years.

In 2004, you could build a website and leave it alone for three years. Not anymore.

Search engines change their algorithms constantly. Security vulnerabilities get discovered. Plugins need updating. Content becomes outdated. New competitors appear. AI search changes how people find businesses.

I see businesses with websites from 2018 that haven’t been touched since launch. They wonder why they’re not getting enquiries. Meanwhile, Google’s ranking algorithm has changed 50 times since then.

What actually works: Ongoing maintenance and optimization. Monthly SEO work. Regular updates. Keeping content current. Adapting to how search is changing.

This is why we do monthly packages. Not because we’re trying to extract ongoing revenue (though that helps), but because websites genuinely need ongoing work to stay effective.

The Honest Truth About Website Results

Here’s what agencies won’t tell you: a website alone probably won’t transform your business.

A good website is a tool. It makes your marketing more effective. It helps customers find you and trust you. It saves you time by answering common questions.

But it won’t magically create demand that doesn’t exist. It won’t fix a bad business model. It won’t compensate for poor service or uncompetitive pricing.

The businesses that succeed with their websites are the ones that:

  • Already deliver good service
  • Understand their market
  • Have competitive pricing
  • Use their website as part of a broader marketing strategy
  • Keep the site updated and relevant

The website amplifies what’s already working. It doesn’t create success from nothing.

What I Wish I Could Tell Every New Business

After 500 websites, if I could tell every new business one thing, it would be this:

Keep it simple. Get it working. Make it fast. Answer customer questions. Then worry about making it perfect.

Most businesses do it backwards. They agonize over design perfection, spend months planning, delay launch until everything is “just right.”

Meanwhile, their competitors with simpler, uglier, but functional websites are getting all the enquiries.

Perfect is the enemy of done. Done and good enough beats perfect and never launched.

The Things That Actually Matter

After 20 years, these are the things that genuinely make a difference:

For SEO:

  • Fast loading speed (especially mobile)
  • Answers real questions people search for
  • Proper technical setup (titles, meta descriptions, structure)
  • Regular updates and fresh content
  • Local optimization if you’re a local business

For Conversions:

  • Clear headline that says what you do
  • Visible contact information
  • Social proof (reviews, testimonials)
  • Specific service descriptions
  • Pricing guidance (even if approximate)

For Long-term Success:

  • Ongoing maintenance and updates
  • Adapting to search engine changes
  • Fresh, relevant content
  • Good customer service (the website is just the first touchpoint)

Everything else is secondary.

Why Agencies Won’t Tell You This

Most of what I’ve written here goes against what large agencies sell.

They sell complexity because complexity justifies higher prices. They sell “comprehensive strategies” and “integrated approaches” and “brand ecosystems.”

Most small businesses don’t need any of that. You need a website that works, ranks well, and brings in customers. You need someone who’ll be honest about what matters and what doesn’t.

That’s what 20 years has taught me: strip away the marketing fluff, focus on what actually works, and be honest about results.

Your website doesn’t need to be perfect. It needs to be effective.

Want a website built by someone who’s learned what actually works? We’ve been doing this since 2004, and we’ve stopped trying to be clever. We just build websites that work and bring in customers. Get in touch for a straight conversation about what your business actually needs – no jargon, no overselling, just honest advice from 20 years in the trenches.