# Writing https://smartwebutah.com/blog/ Plain advice about websites, search and the tools around them, written for people who run a business, by Seth Shoultes in Southern Utah. What I have learned about websites, written for people who run a business. ## Keep your website fast and safe Speed, backups, themes and the decisions behind a good site. - [### A faster WordPress site, and why Google cares Why a slow WordPress site costs you visitors and search rankings, and the steps that make it fast, in the order worth doing them.](https://smartwebutah.com/wordpress-site-speed-seo-the-technical-optimization-masterclass/) - [### Running several websites? WordPress Multisite lets you manage them from one place What WordPress Multisite is, when a business with several locations or brands should use it, and how to set it up and look after it well.](https://smartwebutah.com/wordpress-multisite-setup-management-guide-for-saint-george-businesses/) - [### Headless WordPress, in plain words: is it right for your business? What headless WordPress means, why it makes a site faster and safer during busy seasons, what it costs you, and how to know if you need it.](https://smartwebutah.com/wordpress-headless-cms-implementation-guide-for-saint-george-utah/) - [### Should you pay for a custom WordPress theme? What to weigh before you decide When a custom WordPress theme is worth the money for a small business, what a good one must include, and what to ask before you hire anyone.](https://smartwebutah.com/custom-wordpress-theme-development-best-practices-in-saint-george-utah/) - [### If your website broke tonight, could you get it back by morning? How to back up and update your WordPress site so a hack, a bad update or a server failure costs you an hour, not your business's website.](https://smartwebutah.com/wordpress-backup-strategies-for-saint-george-utah-businesses/) - [### What a good logo does for your business Why your logo matters, what makes one work, and how we design one with you, from learning about your business to files ready for every use.](https://smartwebutah.com/logo-design-crafting-your-business-identity/) - [### What are Core Web Vitals? Google's three measures of how a page feels to a visitor, in plain words, plus what makes a site work well on the phones most people use.](https://smartwebutah.com/what-are-core-web-vitals/) - [### How to choose the right website development agency Eight things to check before you hire someone to build your website, from their past work to what happens after launch and who owns the site.](https://smartwebutah.com/website-development-agency/) ## Get found by customers Search, local marketing and what AI changes about both. - [### The phishing scams aimed at small businesses, and how to stop them The kinds of phishing that reach a small business, from fake invoices to fake support calls, and the simple habits that stop most of them.](https://smartwebutah.com/phishing-attack-types-explained-from-email-scams-to-advanced-persistent-threats/) - [### How AI can help you earn links from other websites Why links from other sites still matter for search, and how AI tools help you find good ones, spot bad ones and keep an eye on both.](https://smartwebutah.com/ais-role-in-link-building-transforming-strategies-for-seo-success/) - [### What AI can and can't do to help people find your business Where AI tools genuinely help with getting found on Google, from keyword ideas to reports, and where you still need your own judgment.](https://smartwebutah.com/the-role-of-ai-in-seo-whats-next-for-2024/) - [### The SEO work that keeps paying off, year after year Fast pages, a site that works on a phone, sensible use of AI, local listings and genuinely useful content: the five SEO habits that outlast trends.](https://smartwebutah.com/year-in-review-top-seo-strategies-of-2023/) - [### Five things that get a small business found in local search Your Google Business Profile, reviews, local pages, local links and a phone-friendly site: what to do on each so nearby customers find you first.](https://smartwebutah.com/5-essential-local-seo-strategies-for-small-business-owners/) - [### Mailchimp for beginners: your first email to customers How to start emailing your customers with Mailchimp: building a list people agreed to join, writing a campaign, sending it, and reading the results.](https://smartwebutah.com/mailchimp-for-beginners/) ## Tools and projects Plugins, apps and things I have tried myself. - [### Pretty Links or Lasso: which WordPress link tool fits your site Pretty Links tidies up every kind of link; Lasso turns affiliate links into product boxes. Here is how to tell which one your site needs.](https://smartwebutah.com/prettylinks-vs-getlasso-complete-feature-comparison-for-wordpress-link-management-in-2026/) - [### Your 2011 iMac still has work in it: here is what to do with it Turn a 2011 iMac into a media server, retro game station, smart home hub or Linux learning machine, with the upgrades that make it feel fast again.](https://smartwebutah.com/a-new-lease-on-life-a-comprehensive-guide-to-repurposing-your-2011-imac/) - [### The MemberPress robot dance A short music video I made for the MemberPress WordPress plugin, with the song and the editing done using AI tools. A note on what it was.](https://smartwebutah.com/memberpress-robot-dance/) - [### How a kid who took electronics apart ended up building software Seth Shoultes on the early experiences that led to Event Espresso: tinkering, the Air Force, pizza jobs, and a blog the IT department would not build.](https://smartwebutah.com/from-tinkerer-to-tech-entrepreneur-how-seth-shoultes-early-life-shaped-his-success/) - [### How AI helped a struggling garage door company get found online What I did with AI tools for a garage door repair company in St. George: research, content, local search, and what any service business can borrow.](https://smartwebutah.com/harnessing-ai-for-local-service-businesses-a-success-story-from-a-garage-door-repair-company/) - [### What Housecall Pro does for a home-service business like a garage door company How Housecall Pro handles scheduling, dispatch, estimates, invoices and customer texts for a home-service business, and how to set it up well.](https://smartwebutah.com/how-housecall-pro-revolutionizes-scheduling-dispatch-for-garage-door-businesses/) - [### How to get ChatGPT to remember what you told it How ChatGPT remembers within a chat and across chats, and a simple habit that keeps long conversations on track whatever the settings.](https://smartwebutah.com/how-to-retain-memory-in-chatgpt/) - [### Selling digital products from your WordPress site with Easy Digital Downloads What Easy Digital Downloads does, who it suits, and how it compares with WooCommerce if you sell ebooks, music, software or other downloads.](https://smartwebutah.com/easy-digital-downloads-explained/) - [### Want to sell online from your WordPress site? Look at WooCommerce What WooCommerce is, what it can sell, what it costs, and why it is a sensible way to turn a WordPress site you already have into an online store.](https://smartwebutah.com/woocommerce-the-ultimate-tool-for-building-online-stores/) - [### How to run your events from your own WordPress site with Event Espresso Set up an event calendar, sell tickets, take payments and check people in at the door, all from your own WordPress site with Event Espresso.](https://smartwebutah.com/maximizing-event-management-with-event-espresso-and-wordpress/) - [### How I find and learn new AI tools A simple way to discover which AI tools people actually use for a job, and then learn them straight from the people who make them.](https://smartwebutah.com/how-i-learn-about-new-ai-platforms-and-how-to-use-them/)