The Seadogs notebook
Planning a first website or improving an existing one? Start with the brief, the build choices and what your business really needs.
5 articles · Written by Nick Lawton
A good place to start
A clear build brief reduces ambiguity before it becomes rework. This guide shows founders how to brief a web or app build so scope, ownership, and decisions stay usable.
Read the guideStart with the basics and get clear on what you need.
A good custom website project should feel clear, well-run, and commercially grounded. This guide shows founders what to expect before delivery starts.
A template can be enough early, but not when the business needs stronger SEO, credibility, or room to grow. This guide helps founders choose the right website shape for the current stage.
Compare approaches, costs and the right time to act.
Sometimes the problem is not another page or another plugin. It is the site itself. This guide helps founders decide when a rebuild is the cleaner move.
Work through the details that help a plan become useful work.
A website rebuild should strengthen search foundations, not reset them by accident. This guide shows founders what needs attention before and during the rebuild.
A few common questions
No. It is mainly for owner-led businesses that need a stronger website footprint first. The articles are designed to help founders brief the work, manage delivery better, and understand when a website should stay simple versus when it needs more custom capability.
Because many founders first need a cleaner website and a stronger digital footprint, not a broader technology leadership engagement. This collection keeps the website decision practical while still linking out to wider technical direction when the scope grows.
Yes. The writing is aimed at founders and operators who need to make good build and vendor decisions without being expected to think like an engineering lead.
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