Blog
Practical writing on building, launching and growing a website: getting found on Google, winning customers and running your site. From the SimplePath team.
October 6, 2026 · Getting Found
Why your competitor ranks higher and what to do about it
A competitor usually outranks you because their site answers searches more clearly, earns more trust, and works better on a phone, and each of those gaps can be fixed.
October 3, 2026 · Vibe Coding
What AI website builders are actually good at
AI website builders are genuinely good at three things: turning your words into a working site, handling the technical setup you'd otherwise need to learn, and making changes on…
October 2, 2026 · Design and Layout
Sidebar or no sidebar: which layout wins
For most small sites a single-column layout without a sidebar wins, and a sidebar only earns its place when visitors need to browse or filter lots of content.
October 1, 2026 · Winning Customers
The homepage layout that converts the most visitors
The homepage layout that converts best opens with one clear promise and one button, then follows with proof, a simple explanation, answers to doubts, and the same button again.
September 30, 2026 · Running Your Site
Website speed: how slow is too slow
Anything past 3 seconds to load is too slow for most visitors, and the drop-off gets worse with every second after that.
September 28, 2026 · Getting Found
Meta tags and descriptions that people actually want to click
A meta title and description are the headline and preview text people see in search results, and writing them like a real invitation instead of a keyword list is what gets the…
September 27, 2026 · Getting Online
SSL certificates explained: what they do and why you need one
An SSL certificate encrypts the connection between your website and its visitors, and without one browsers will flag your site as "not secure" and search engines will rank it…
September 26, 2026 · Vibe Coding
Fixing it when AI builds the wrong layout
When an AI website builder puts things in the wrong place, the fix is almost always in how you describe the change, not in starting over.
September 25, 2026 · Design and Layout
Font choices that make your content easier to read
The easiest content to read uses one or two simple fonts, a body size of at least 16 pixels, and generous line spacing, and the rest of this post shows you exactly how to set…
September 24, 2026 · Winning Customers
Pricing pages that don't scare people away
A pricing page that doesn't scare people away shows the real numbers, uses plain words, and tells visitors exactly what they're getting before they ever have to ask.
September 23, 2026 · Running Your Site
Managing multiple authors on one website
Managing multiple authors on one website comes down to giving each person their own login with the right permissions, and agreeing on a few style rules before anyone hits publish.
September 22, 2026 · Getting Online
What happens in the first week after you launch
The first week after launching a website is mostly quiet, and that's normal: here's what's actually happening behind the scenes and what to do about it.
September 20, 2026 · Design and Layout
Color psychology in website design
The colors on your website shape how visitors feel about your business before they read a single word, and getting them right is simpler than it sounds.
September 19, 2026 · Winning Customers
Trust signals every small business website needs
A trustworthy small business website shows real contact details, real proof from real customers, and a few small signs that a real person is behind it.
September 18, 2026 · Running Your Site
Broken links on your site and why they matter
A broken link is a dead end on your website, and every one of them chips away at visitor trust and search engine rankings.
September 17, 2026 · Getting Found
What are keywords and what is keyword research?
Keyword research is just writing down the exact words your customers would type when they need you, and then using those words on your website.
September 16, 2026 · Design and Layout
Mobile design mistakes that lose you customers
Most website visitors are on their phones, and small design mistakes there cost you customers faster than almost anything else on your site.
September 16, 2026 · Getting Found
Backlinks explained: how other websites help you rank
A backlink is simply a link from another website to yours, and search engines use those links as a signal of trust and relevance when deciding how to rank you.
September 15, 2026 · Winning Customers
Customer testimonials and where to put them
The best place for a customer testimonial is right next to the decision it's supposed to help someone make, not tucked away on a page nobody visits.
September 14, 2026 · Running Your Site
Backing up your website so you never lose everything
Backing up your website means keeping automatic, scheduled copies of your files and content in more than one place, so a crash or mistake never means starting from zero.
September 11, 2026 · Getting Online
Can you move your website to a different platform later
Yes, you can move your website to a different platform later, but how easy that move is depends entirely on the choices you make when you first set it up.
September 10, 2026 · Getting Online
What is web hosting?
Web hosting is simply renting space on a computer that's always connected to the internet, so your website is available whenever someone types in your address.
September 9, 2026 · Design and Layout
Navigation menus that visitors actually use
A navigation menu that actually gets used is short, clearly labeled, sits in a predictable spot, and always shows visitors exactly where they are.
September 8, 2026 · Winning Customers
Call to action buttons that actually get clicked
A call to action button gets clicked when it tells visitors exactly what happens next, stands out visually, and shows up right when they're ready to act.
September 8, 2026 · Running Your Site
How often should you post to keep visitors coming back
The honest answer is that consistency matters more than frequency, and once a month done well beats once a week done poorly.
September 6, 2026 · Design and Layout
White space on your pages and why it matters
White space, the empty area around your text and images, is what makes a page easy to read instead of overwhelming, and it matters more than almost any other design choice you'll…
September 4, 2026 · Winning Customers
Writing a headline that makes people stay on the page
A headline keeps people on the page when it makes a clear, specific promise in the visitor's own words, and the page underneath actually delivers on it.
September 3, 2026 · Getting Found
How long does it actually take to rank in Google
Most new websites need three to six months to start appearing in Google and six to twelve months to rank well for competitive searches.
September 2, 2026 · Running Your Site
Updating old content to rank better without starting over
You don't need to rewrite an old page from scratch to make it rank better again; you just need to know which parts to fix.
September 1, 2026 · Vibe Coding
AI color suggestions and when to ignore them
AI color suggestions are worth trusting most of the time, but you should override them when they hurt readability, clash with your brand, or make your site blend into every other…