Notes on winning local clients.
Finding work, auditing websites, and writing outreach that gets replies. For UK freelance web designers and small agencies.
15 September 2026 · 5 min read
Signs a WordPress site needs a rebuild, not a patch
Signs a WordPress site needs a full rebuild rather than another patch: the structural problems a fix will not solve, and how to make the call honestly.
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14 September 2026 · 5 min read
How to find local businesses to email
How to find local businesses to email with cold outreach: where to search, what to note down, and how to build a prospect list worth working through.
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13 September 2026 · 4 min read
What to look for when you audit a competitor's website
How to audit a competitor's website properly: what to check, how it strengthens a pitch, and where competitor website analysis crosses into unfair territory.
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12 September 2026 · 5 min read
Website contact page mistakes that cost you enquiries
Website contact page mistakes are easy to miss because the page still loads. What actually costs local businesses enquiries, and how to check for them.
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11 September 2026 · 5 min read
Onboarding a new web design client: the first month
Onboarding a new web design client badly costs you the first month. A practical kickoff call checklist and what to lock down before any design work starts.
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10 September 2026 · 4 min read
Turning a website audit into a paying client
Turning a website audit into a paying client takes more than a list of problems. How to lead with what matters, scope the fix, and time the follow-up.
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9 September 2026 · 5 min read
How many cold emails to send per day
How many cold emails to send per day from your own mailbox: sensible daily limits, warming up a new inbox, and why sending fewer, better emails wins.
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8 September 2026 · 4 min read
How to price a website audit, or give it away
How to price a website audit: when it earns its keep as a free lead generator, when to charge for one properly, and how to work out a fair flat fee.
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7 September 2026 · 4 min read
A local SEO audit checklist that starts with the website
A local SEO audit checklist for a local business should start with the website itself, not the Google Business Profile. What to check, and in what order.
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6 September 2026 · 5 min read
Signs a website needs a redesign, not just a fix
Signs a website needs a redesign rather than a quick fix: a dated design, structural limits, and a site that no longer matches the business.
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5 September 2026 · 5 min read
Running a NAP consistency audit for a local business
A NAP consistency audit checks a business's name, address and phone number match everywhere online. Where mismatches hide, and how to find and fix them.
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4 September 2026 · 4 min read
Subcontractor or employee: a web designer's first hire
Hiring a subcontractor vs an employee for web design work changes cost, control and commitment. What to weigh before a freelancer's first hire.
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3 September 2026 · 5 min read
Cold email templates for web designers, used properly
Cold email templates for web designers save real time, but only one line has to change every time. What to fix, what to rewrite, and what to avoid.
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2 September 2026 · 4 min read
Personalisation in cold email at scale
Personalisation in cold email at scale usually collapses into a template with a name swapped in. What keeps outreach genuine once you are sending more of it.
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1 September 2026 · 5 min read
Subject lines for cold email to local businesses
Subject lines for cold email to local businesses that get opened rather than deleted: what to avoid, what tends to work, and why the preview line matters just as much.
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31 August 2026 · 5 min read
The website with no clear call to action
A website with no clear call to action leaves visitors unsure what to do next, and a hard to find phone number makes it worse. What to check, and how to fix it.
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30 August 2026 · 5 min read
Out of date business information on a website
Out of date business information on a website, wrong hours or old prices, sends customers away before they call. What to check and how to pitch the fix.
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29 August 2026 · 5 min read
Running a broken links and 404 audit on a website
A broken links and 404 audit finds the dead pages, missing images and old links a business site sends visitors to. Which free tools to use and what to fix first.
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28 August 2026 · 5 min read
How to work out what site builder a website is built on
How to work out what site builder a website is built on, WordPress, Wix, Squarespace or something else, before you quote a rebuild or a fix.
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27 August 2026 · 5 min read
How to test website speed for a client
How to test website speed for a client properly before you pitch: which free tool to use, how to read the report, and what actually matters in the result.
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26 August 2026 · 5 min read
Growing from a freelancer to a small agency
Growing from freelancer to a small agency means changing how work gets scoped, priced and tracked before it means hiring anyone. What to fix first, and when a first hire actually makes sense.
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25 August 2026 · 5 min read
The quiet cost of a website with no SSL certificate
A website with no SSL certificate shows a not secure warning before a visitor reads a word. What causes it, what it costs a local business, and how to fix it.
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24 August 2026 · 5 min read
A simple pipeline board for freelance web designers
A pipeline board for freelance web designers keeps track of who you have emailed, who replied, and who needs a follow-up, without turning into a full CRM.
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23 August 2026 · 5 min read
Tracking opens and clicks on cold email: what it tells you
Tracking opens and clicks on cold email tells you less than it looks like. What the numbers measure, where they mislead, and how to time a follow-up.
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22 August 2026 · 5 min read
Companies House data for prospecting: what it tells you
Companies House data for prospecting shows you a business's real age, status and filing history before you send a single email. What to check, and what it can't tell you.
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21 August 2026 · 5 min read
When a business only has an Instagram page
When a business only has an Instagram page instead of a website, here is what that setup is quietly costing them, and how to tell a real prospect from one who genuinely doesn't want a site.
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20 August 2026 · 5 min read
Productised WordPress maintenance packages that sell
Productised WordPress maintenance packages turn ad hoc site fixes into a fixed menu a client can buy, instead of a fresh quote every time something breaks.
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19 August 2026 · 5 min read
Scoping marketing projects so they stay profitable
Scoping marketing projects properly means writing a brief that survives contact with a client, not just one that sounds thorough on the day it is signed.
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18 August 2026 · 5 min read
Agency retainer pricing UK: setting rates across a team
Agency retainer pricing UK: how a small agency prices ongoing retainers across several clients without the maths falling apart as the roster grows.
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17 August 2026 · 5 min read
A website audit checklist for agencies
A website audit checklist for agencies has to work the same way for every person who runs it, not just the one who wrote it down in their head.
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16 August 2026 · 6 min read
How to pitch a WordPress rebuild without sounding negative
Pitching WordPress rebuilds works best when the case is built on risk and opportunity rather than criticism of what a business already has.
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15 August 2026 · 5 min read
Finding WordPress maintenance leads worth keeping
WordPress maintenance leads come from a different kind of prospect than a rebuild. Where to find sites worth taking on, and how to pitch taking over the upkeep.
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14 August 2026 · 5 min read
How WordPress freelancers find new clients
How WordPress freelancers find new clients: where WordPress-specific work actually comes from, and how to pitch it without competing on price alone.
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13 August 2026 · 5 min read
Why a website scorecard for prospects beats a pitch
A website scorecard for prospects gives a business something to look at rather than take your word for, and how to send one well.
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12 August 2026 · 5 min read
Marketing agency leads UK: finding businesses that need help
Marketing agency leads UK: why a bought list is not the same as a lead, and where to find businesses genuinely underserved by their current marketing.
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11 August 2026 · 5 min read
How to get marketing agency clients in the UK
How to get marketing agency clients without a big ad budget: where genuine prospects come from, what to lead with, and how to build a pipeline of your own.
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10 August 2026 · 6 min read
How to build an agency cold outreach process
An agency cold outreach process that does not feel like spam: how to structure prospecting, first emails and follow-ups so a small studio can keep it running.
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9 August 2026 · 4 min read
Web design agency lead generation without buying lists
Web design agency lead generation without a marketing budget or a bought list: where genuine prospects come from and how to prioritise who to contact first.
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8 August 2026 · 5 min read
How agencies win web design clients without a big pipeline
How agencies win web design clients without a big pipeline of leads waiting, and what to put in front of a prospect instead of a generic capabilities deck.
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7 August 2026 · 4 min read
Where web design leads for freelancers really come from
Web design leads for freelancers rarely arrive by accident. Where they come from, and how to build a source you control instead of waiting on referrals.
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6 August 2026 · 5 min read
Productised web design services: fixed-scope packages
Productised web design services turn an open brief into a fixed package with a set price and scope. What to include, what to leave out, and how to price it.
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5 August 2026 · 4 min read
Cold email deliverability from your own mailbox
Cold email deliverability from your own mailbox: what SPF and DKIM actually do, why sending volume matters more than any one setting, and how to avoid the spam folder.
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4 August 2026 · 5 min read
Google Business Profile vs a website: what's missing
Google Business Profile vs a website: why a strong GBP listing still leaves a local business with real gaps, and how to spot the ones worth pitching.
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3 August 2026 · 5 min read
Landing your first web design client
Landing your first web design client without an existing portfolio: how to build proof of work, price the job fairly, and pitch it without giving the work away.
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2 August 2026 · 5 min read
Using a website audit as a sales tool
A website audit as a sales tool beats a cold pitch: it gives a prospect specifics instead of a sales line. How to structure the report and the email around it.
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1 August 2026 · 6 min read
Scope creep in web design: keeping projects profitable
Scope creep in web design turns a fixed price job into unpaid hours. How to scope website projects properly so revisions don't quietly erase your margin.
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31 July 2026 · 5 min read
Old WordPress site problems: what to look for
Old WordPress site problems are visible before you log in: dated plugins, an untouched design, a slow admin. What to check, and how to pitch a rebuild.
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30 July 2026 · 5 min read
Is PECR cold email legal in the UK?
Is PECR cold email legal in the UK? What PECR and UK GDPR actually allow for B2B outreach, and why sole traders are treated differently to limited companies.
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29 July 2026 · 5 min read
How to choose a niche for your web design business
How to choose a niche for your web design business: why picking one trade or sector makes it easier to find clients, price work and write outreach that lands.
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28 July 2026 · 5 min read
What it costs when a website is not mobile friendly
A website not mobile friendly is losing local businesses real enquiries. How to run a proper mobile test, what actually breaks, and how to pitch the fix.
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27 July 2026 · 5 min read
Web design retainers UK: from one-off builds to recurring
Web design retainers UK: how freelancers turn one-off website builds into monthly maintenance income, what to include, and how to price it fairly.
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26 July 2026 · 5 min read
What to send in a follow-up email after no response
A follow-up email after no response isn't pushy if it's short, timed sensibly and adds something new. When to send it, what to say, and when to stop.
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25 July 2026 · 5 min read
Dead booking links and broken forms cost you work
Dead booking links and broken forms quietly cost local businesses enquiries. What to check, how to explain it, and how to fix it without a rebuild.
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24 July 2026 · 5 min read
How to get web design clients without referrals
How to get web design clients without referrals: practical ways for freelance web designers to find work through their own outbound effort, not word of mouth.
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23 July 2026 · 5 min read
Why is my website slow, and what is it costing you?
A slow website costs local businesses real enquiries. Why is my website slow, what actually causes it, and how a freelancer can fix and price the fix.
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22 July 2026 · 6 min read
How much to charge for a website as a UK freelancer
How UK freelance web designers can work out how much to charge for a website: pricing models, what drives cost, and where undercharging creeps in.
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21 July 2026 · 5 min read
Cold email for web designers: one observation, one offer
How to write a cold email for web designers that a local business owner actually reads: one observation, one offer, and no spam tactics.
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20 July 2026 · 6 min read
The businesses without websites hiding in plain sight
How to find businesses without websites in your area, tell the genuine prospects from the ones who don't want a site, and pitch them well.
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19 July 2026 · 5 min read
A website audit checklist for local business sites
A practical website audit checklist for freelance web designers: what to check, in what order, and how to write it up for a prospect.
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18 July 2026 · 5 min read
How to find web design clients in your own town
A practical way for freelance web designers to find local businesses that actually need a new website, and pitch them well.
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