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Harbor Tree

The Harbor Log

Websites.

What makes a small-business website actually win work — design, speed, copy, and the fixes that turn visitors into inquiries.

Websites articles

Websites6 min read

The Maryland small-business website checklist

Being found in your county, earning trust on a phone, agreeing with your listing — and owning what you paid for.

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Websites7 min read

Will ChatGPT recommend your business? What AI assistants actually read

People are asking chatbots for a plumber instead of Googling one. How an AI picks who to name, what your site has to give it, and what nobody can sell you.

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Websites5 min read

Who owns your website when you stop paying?

What actually happens to your site — and your Google rankings — the day you cancel.

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Websites11 min read

Nobody is targeting your website. It's still being attacked.

Small-business sites aren't chosen, they're scanned. What the scripts look for, what happens to a site that gets in trouble, and what's worth doing about it.

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Websites11 min read

Is your website accessible? What the standard actually asks for

Accessibility is a number, not an opinion. The four failures that account for most of it, how to check your own site in twenty minutes, and the legal picture.

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Websites9 min read

Why your website is slow, and what to do about it

Slow is never one thing. How to measure your site properly, the six usual culprits in the order they load, and which ones you can fix without a rebuild.

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Websites10 min read

WordPress vs custom code: what you're actually choosing between

Two studios both say “custom.” One assembles WordPress plugins, one writes the code. Here's the honest difference — including when WordPress is the better buy.

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Websites4 min read

DIY website builders vs hiring a pro: an honest comparison

Wix, Squarespace or a studio? An honest comparison of cost, time, speed and results — including the cases where DIY genuinely wins.

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Websites5 min read

Why your website isn't getting you leads — and the five fixes that matter

Most small-business websites fail quietly: decent traffic, almost no inquiries. Here are the five fixes that move the needle, in the order we'd make them.

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