Guides for small businesses
Plain-English technology advice for small and rural businesses across Eastern Washington.
Why Your Email Lands in Spam, and How to Fix It
When your own emails get flagged as junk, it costs you customers you never hear from. The cause is usually fixable, and the fix is mostly a one-time setup. Here is what is going on.
Read itTaking Payments Online, Without the Headache
Letting people pay you online sounds complicated and risky. Done right, it is neither. Here is what online payments actually involve for a small business or town, in plain terms.
Read itWhat to Ask Before You Let Anyone Build Your Website
Before you hire someone to build your website, a handful of plain questions will tell you whether you will own the result or end up renting it back. Here they are.
Read itWhen the One Person Who Knew the System Leaves
In a lot of small businesses and towns, one person quietly holds all the logins and know-how. When they leave, it can leave with them. Here is how to fix that before it happens.
Read itWhy WordPress Is the Wrong Choice for Most Small Business Websites
WordPress became the default way to build a website. For most small businesses, that default quietly costs you in speed, security, and upkeep. Here is why.
Read itYour Website Should Be Your Hardest-Working Employee
A good-looking website is only the front door. The real value comes when it connects to the tools that run your business: leads, follow-up, and quotes.
Read itGetting Found on Google: A Local Business Owner’s Guide
A plain-English guide to getting your local business found on Google: your listing, reviews, and a website that backs it up.
Read itCybersecurity Basics Every Small Business and Town Should Have
You do not need an enterprise budget to be reasonably safe. Here are the practical safeguards that stop most common cyber incidents, in plain language.
Read itPractical Ways Small Businesses Can Use Automation (Without the Hype)
Forget the buzzwords. Down-to-earth ways a small business can use automation to cut busywork, with a person still in control.
Read itLocked Out of Your Own Website? Here’s How to Get It Back
If the person who built your website is gone and no one can get in, you are not stuck. Here is how to regain control of your site.
Read itDoes Your Small Business Actually Need a Website?
If you run a small or rural business and get by on word of mouth, here is an honest look at when a website is worth it, and when it can wait.
Read itHave a question we haven’t covered?
Tell us what you’re trying to figure out and we’ll give you a straight answer, from people who live and work right here.