GuidesAll eight chapters

Guides

Newest first. Each guide names the one thing to check before you pay, and says when the free theme or the free plan is enough.

10 guides

  1. 5Web Design

    Font pairing for websites: how to choose two fonts

    Choose a body font for reading and a heading font for the feel, set the sizes, then test both on your own homepage. Eight free Google Fonts pairs to start.

  2. 6Hosting & Domains

    How much does a website cost per year? The DIY numbers

    What a site you build yourself costs a year on Squarespace, Wix, Shopify or WordPress, line by line, in year one and once the first-year discounts end.

  3. 5Web Design

    How to choose a color palette for your website

    Pick a background, a text color and one accent from what your business already looks like, check each pair for contrast, then set them once in your theme.

  4. 1Themes

    How to choose a website template: a first-timer’s checklist

    Choose a website template by its look, then test it with your own photos and your longest page, open it on your phone and add up what year two costs.

  5. 8SEO & Growth

    How to get your new website on Google, step by step

    The launch-week steps to get a new site on Google: the setting that hides it on each platform, Search Console, your sitemap, and how long to wait.

  6. 1Themes

    How to switch WordPress themes without breaking your site

    A new theme leaves your posts alone but can scatter menus, widgets and CSS. Back up, list what the old theme does, preview with your content, then switch.

  7. 1Themes

    Restaurant website templates: 5 picks and their yearly cost

    Five restaurant, café and bakery templates on Squarespace, Wix and WordPress, with what each costs a year after the intro offers and the catch with bookings.

  8. 2Website Builders

    Squarespace vs Wix: which suits your first website?

    Squarespace suits a tidy site you set up and leave; Wix suits moving things anywhere and taking bookings. The yearly bills, the fees and what you can’t undo.

  9. 3WordPress

    WordPress.com vs WordPress.org: which one for a first site?

    Same software, two ways to run it: which WordPress.com plan runs the theme you want, what each route costs a year, and who does updates, backups and security.