A client rang me last month after spotting a cookie pop-up on a partner organisation’s website. “Do we need one of those too?” Good question, and one I get more often than you’d think. The honest answer is: probably not that exact pop-up. But almost certainly something. Cookie consent banners are one of the most […]
Caolan
Head Honcho @ Regional Business Toolkit
Does your website need to be WCAG compliant?
Nobody asks about accessibility. Ninety percent of the time it doesn’t come up in a project at all. The other ten percent, someone asks if I can “just add” it, like it’s a plugin. Neither one is close to the truth. Why this matters more than it looks like In 2022, 1 in 5 Australians, […]
Will Australia’s Privacy Act Soon Apply to Small Businesses?
A board member asked me a version of this question last month. “Are we actually covered by the Privacy Act, or are we one of the small ones that’s exempt?” I gave her an honest answer, which was also an unsatisfying one. Right now, almost certainly not. But that answer comes with an expiry date […]
Do I Really Need a Privacy Policy on My Website?
It’s a question that comes up almost every time we get close to finishing a website build. “Do I actually need a Privacy Policy?” For a lot of the community organisations and regional businesses I work with, it’s not really an abstract question. It’s a board member asking, right before a funding acquittal, whether the […]
What real estate agents taught me about SEO vs Google Ads
A colleague asked me a good question last week. Her clients keep asking about SEO, but what they actually want to know is more basic than that. What does it involve, does it work, and why does it cost what it costs. That last part is the one people skip over, so let’s not skip […]
What Two Mechanics Taught Me About Automated Booking Confirmation Emails
Three weeks ago I booked my car in for some work. I sat down with the mechanic, they wrote it in the diary, and I went home. Since then, nothing. No confirmation. No reminder. Zero contact. The booking is tomorrow. Over the past couple of days I’ve tried to call and cancel, because I can […]
Your Website’s Next Visitor Might Not Be Human
In January this year, someone in Australia asked an AI assistant to sort out their cinema tickets. They didn’t open a website. They didn’t type in a card number. The AI chose the session, paid with their Commonwealth Bank card, and the booking was done. The cinema, the bank and the AI all recognised it […]
The Ultimate Website Maintenance Checklist for Small Businesses & Community Organisations
A practical guide to keeping your website secure, up to date and working for your organisation. Whether you’re running a small business, managing a community organisation or coordinating a not-for-profit, your website is one of your most valuable assets. It’s often the first impression people have of your organisation. It helps customers make enquiries, members […]
Why I always remove the carousel and what I put there instead
When I look at a community organisation or regional business website for the first time, there’s something I check within about ten seconds. Not the colours. Not whether the logo is the right size. Not the fonts. I look at the top of the homepage and check whether there’s a rotating image slider (that thing […]
I tried six tools. Then I built my own.
I spent six months looking for the right client portal. Then I built it myself. Picture this. Your organisation has a website care plan with a local agency. Reports arrive every month… updates on what’s been fixed, what’s been improved, how your traffic is trending. They’re useful. You read them when they land, then file […]
