Sandbanks DigitalPlain-English guides for UK businesses online.
Honest answers to the questions we get asked most often, about cost, hiring, security, SEO and the differences between platforms. Written by the founders.
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The guides we have published most recently, newest first.
Europe's Fridge Cyber Attacks: What Food Businesses Should Ask
Hackers pushed shop refrigeration into defrost in France in October, then across Europe in November. What is confirmed, what is not, and seven steps for an owner.
Read the guide →WordPress Plugin Attacks, October 2026: What to Check
Stolen UpdraftCentral keys, the exploited Bricksforge upload flaw and a campaign hiding admin accounts: the safe versions and six signs of a backdoor.
Read the guide →Companies House Accounts Changes: What the Pause Means
Profit and loss filing is paused for small companies, software-only filing from April 2028 is not, and director ID checks are due now. What to do and when.
Read the guide →Windows 10 After October 2026: A Small Business Guide
Year one of paid Windows 10 updates has ended. What year two costs, why the consumer option is barred for businesses, and the order to sort each PC in.
Read the guide →Google's October AI Search Changes: What They Mean
More links in AI Mode, a test of official pages, and Google's new instruction that a person checks AI-written titles and alt text, with six checks to run.
Read the guide →Google Business Profile Rule Changes: Autumn 2026
The four-day window on suggested edits, contact details pulled from posts and no offers in listings, checked against Google's own pages, plus what to fix.
Read the guide →Security and updates
What the month's flaws and deadlines mean for a small business, which versions are safe, and what to check first.
PHP2Shell: How Many WordPress Sites Run Unpatched PHP?
The October 2026 PHP flaws explained, how many WordPress sites run a PHP version that got no fix, and six steps to check your own site.
Read the guide →Next.js Security Update, October 2026: Who Must Upgrade
The two critical Next.js flaws and the Server Actions DoS fixed on 14 October, why version 14 got no fix, and how to check which version a site runs.
Read the guide →The Microsoft Authenticator Flaw: What Businesses Should Do
AuthMask, the Android flaw that let a rogue app take work-account tokens, plus the two earlier 2026 fixes, the safe versions and the admin checks.
Read the guide →Tailworm: The Unpatched Tailscale SSH Flaws Explained
Eleven Tailscale SSH and headscale findings published without a fix, who is actually exposed, and six steps to lock things down until a release lands.
Read the guide →Chrome 156 Security Update: 52 Fixes, Restart to Apply
Chrome 156.0.8078.73 fixes 52 flaws, four critical and none known to be exploited. Why it only counts after a restart, and how to check every staff machine updated.
Read the guide →Telegram Sticker Flaws: What Businesses Should Do Now
ZDI's unfixed sticker advisory, the Tokyo claim of a no-tap chain on iOS, Telegram's server-check reply, and six steps for a work phone while there is no fix.
Read the guide →Microsoft 365 Ends Text-Message Sign-in Codes in 2027
Text and voice codes for work accounts stop on 1 February 2027. Who gets caught, what staff will see at sign-in, and a three-month plan to move to passkeys.
Read the guide →WordPress Plugin Attacks, October 2026: What to Check
Stolen UpdraftCentral keys, the exploited Bricksforge upload flaw and a campaign hiding admin accounts: the safe versions and six signs of a backdoor.
Read the guide →Windows 10 After October 2026: A Small Business Guide
Year one of paid Windows 10 updates has ended. What year two costs, why the consumer option is barred for businesses, and the order to sort each PC in.
Read the guide →Europe's Fridge Cyber Attacks: What Food Businesses Should Ask
Hackers pushed shop refrigeration into defrost in France in October, then across Europe in November. What is confirmed, what is not, and seven steps for an owner.
Read the guide →Search and AI visibility
How local search, Google Business Profile and AI answers actually work, and how long it takes to rank.
Local SEO for Dorset Businesses: A Plain-English Guide
How small businesses in Poole, Bournemouth and across Dorset actually rank locally, Google Business Profile, reviews, citations and local content without the jargon.
Read the guide →How Long Does Local SEO Take to Work?
A realistic, month-by-month timeline: when the map pack moves, when organic rankings follow, and what speeds it up or slows it down.
Read the guide →Local SEO Pricing Guide: What It Costs in the UK
DIY, one-off projects and monthly retainers compared, what a proper retainer includes, and the pricing red flags to avoid.
Read the guide →Google's October AI Search Changes: What They Mean
More links in AI Mode, a test of official pages, and Google's new instruction that a person checks AI-written titles and alt text, with six checks to run.
Read the guide →Google Business Profile Rule Changes: Autumn 2026
The four-day window on suggested edits, contact details pulled from posts and no offers in listings, checked against Google's own pages, plus what to fix.
Read the guide →Guides for trades
Checklists and lead-generation guides written for electricians, plumbers, builders and carpenters.
Trades Lead Generation Guide: How to Win More Work
Where trade leads actually come from, how your website ties the channels together, and the mistakes that quietly cost you work.
Read the guide →Electrician Website Checklist: 30 Things Yours Needs
Audit your own electrician website — the essentials, the service pages that win work, trust signals, conversion and local SEO.
Read the guide →Carpenter Website Checklist: What Yours Needs
For carpenters and joiners: the portfolio that sells bespoke work, a page per commission, proof of trust, and being found locally.
Read the guide →Builder SEO Checklist: How to Rank Locally
A practical local SEO checklist for builders — Google Business Profile, on-site SEO, content, reviews, citations and the technical basics.
Read the guide →Google Business Profile Guide for Tradesmen
How to set up and optimise your Google Business Profile to win the local map pack — the most valuable free marketing channel most trades have.
Read the guide →Website costs and quotes
Realistic prices, what drives them, and how to compare quotes without being caught by hidden extras.
How much does a custom website cost in Dorset? (2026)
Real pricing tiers, what affects cost, hidden charges in template platforms, and how to compare quotes. Written for UK small businesses, last updated May 2026.
Read the guide →How much does a website cost for an electrician? (2026)
Realistic price ranges for an electrician's website, what drives the cost, and which features (EV charger pages, EICR pages, quote forms) are worth paying for.
Read the guide →How much does a website cost for a plumber? (2026)
Realistic price ranges for a plumber's or heating engineer's website, what drives the cost, and whether a boiler quote calculator is worth the extra.
Read the guide →How much does a website cost for a builder? (2026)
Realistic price ranges for a builder's website, what drives the cost, and how much the project gallery and case-study pages add.
Read the guide →Choosing a platform
WordPress, Wix, Squarespace or a custom build, compared honestly, including where each is the right call.
WordPress vs Custom Website: Which is Right for Your Business?
When WordPress is the right call and when it holds you back, performance, security, SEO and maintenance compared. A genuine view from a Next.js agency.
Read the guide →Wix vs Custom Website: Which Should You Choose?
Nine categories compared head to head, cost, SEO, performance, design freedom and platform lock-in. When Wix makes sense and when it costs you more than you think.
Read the guide →WordPress vs Next.js: Which is Better for Your Business?
Ten categories compared, speed, security, SEO, hosting cost and developer experience. We build in Next.js and will tell you honestly when WordPress is the right call.
Read the guide →Squarespace vs Custom Website: Which Should You Choose?
Where Squarespace's design polish and content tools genuinely win, and where its speed, ownership and functionality ceilings start costing you customers.
Read the guide →Getting more enquiries
Why small business sites fail to bring in work, and the features and habits that change that.
Why Most Small Business Websites Fail
The six real reasons small-business sites never win work — no clear next step, slow pages, invisibility, weak proof — and what a site that works does differently.
Read the guide →How to Generate Leads Through Your Website
The full lead loop: the right traffic, a clear offer, effortless contact, proof, capture, fast follow-up and measurement.
Read the guide →Common Mistakes Trades Businesses Make Online
The eight website mistakes that cost trades work — buried phone numbers, no map-pack presence, slow galleries, hidden reviews — and how to fix each.
Read the guide →Website Features That Actually Generate Enquiries
The concrete on-page features that turn visitors into enquiries — sticky tap-to-call, one clear CTA, short forms, visible reviews, speed and clear pricing.
Read the guide →Running the business
Hiring a web designer, speed, cookies and analytics, and the Companies House rules that touch your site.
Freelancer vs Agency for Web Design: Which Should You Hire?
Pros, cons and a simple scope test to decide whether to hire a freelancer, a large agency, or a boutique agency like Sandbanks Digital.
Read the guide →Discord Messages in Google Search: What UK Users Should Do
Discord puts public servers on the web from 16 November and messages in search from mid-December. Who it touches, the UK opt-out default and what admins should switch off.
Read the guide →Companies House Accounts Changes: What the Pause Means
Profit and loss filing is paused for small companies, software-only filing from April 2028 is not, and director ID checks are due now. What to do and when.
Read the guide →Do you need a cookie banner? Umami vs Google Analytics
What the 2026 statistics exemption allows, why a standard GA4 set-up still needs consent, and when cookieless analytics is the better default.
Read the guide →Why Website Speed Matters (and What 'Fast' Really Means)
What slow pages cost you in rankings and sales, what Core Web Vitals actually measure, what makes a site slow, and how to fix it.
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