Branding
When to rebrand and when to refresh
A full rebrand is not always the answer. Sometimes a refresh is all you need. Here is how to tell the difference before you spend money on the wrong one.
13 May 20265 min read
The Blog
Thinking out loud.
Web design, SEO and marketing insight for UK small businesses. Written by the Makeproper team in Surrey.
SEO and Web Design
What makes a good website homepage
Your homepage has about five seconds to tell a visitor who you are, what you do and why they should care. Most homepages fail all three. Here is what the good ones get right.
13 May 20265 min read
Local Surrey Business
Email marketing for small businesses: where to start
Email is the highest-return digital marketing channel available to most small businesses. Here is how to start without overcomplicating it, and what to send once you do.
13 May 20266 min read
Behind the Scenes
Why Makeproper does not use page builders
Wix, Squarespace, Elementor, Webflow. There is a reason we do not build client sites on any of them. Here is the honest explanation, including when a page builder is actually fine.
13 May 20265 min read
Branding
How to brief a logo designer
The brief you give a designer determines the quality of what you get back. Most clients who are unhappy with a logo design were let down by their own brief. Here is exactly what to include.
13 May 20265 min read
Local Surrey Business
Surrey web design: what local businesses need to know
Whether you are in Guildford, Reigate, Dorking or anywhere in between, the web design market in Surrey has some specific characteristics worth understanding before you spend any money.
13 May 20265 min read
SEO and Web Design
The real cost of a cheap website
A cheap website feels like a saving. Most of the time it is the most expensive decision a small business makes. Here is the honest maths, and what you are actually paying for.
13 May 20265 min read
SEO and Web Design
Content marketing for trades businesses: what actually works
Most trades businesses ignore content marketing entirely. The ones that do it well generate a consistent flow of organic enquiries without paying for ads. Here is how, and what to actually write.
13 May 20266 min read
SEO and Web Design
Five things every small business website needs in 2026
The bar for what a small business website needs to do keeps rising. Here is what is non-negotiable in 2026, and what is costing businesses enquiries if it is missing.
13 May 20265 min read
Local Surrey Business
How to get more Google reviews for your local business
Reviews are one of the most powerful trust signals available to a local business, and one of the most ignored. Here is a simple, repeatable system for generating them consistently.
12 May 20265 min read
SEO and Web Design
What is a landing page and when do you need one
A landing page is not the same as a homepage. Here is what it actually is, when it works, and when it is the wrong tool entirely, so you stop sending paid traffic somewhere it cannot convert.
11 May 20265 min read
Local Surrey Business
New year, new website: why January is the best time to invest in your online presence
January is quiet for most businesses. That makes it the best possible time to sort your website, so you are ready and ranking by the time things pick up in spring.
10 May 20264 min read
SEO and Web Design
Google Business Profile: the most underused tool in local marketing
Most local businesses have a Google Business Profile. Almost none use it properly. Here is what a fully optimised listing looks like and why it matters more than your website for local search.
9 May 20265 min read
Branding
The difference between a logo and a brand identity
Most businesses ask for a logo when what they actually need is a brand identity. They are not the same thing, and confusing the two leads to wasted money and a brand that looks different everywhere.
8 May 20264 min read
SEO and Web Design
Why your website needs to load in under three seconds
A slow website is not just annoying, it is losing you customers before they have read a single word. Here is what page speed actually costs you and how to fix it.
23 March 20266 min read
SEO and Web Design
How to choose a web designer for your small business
If you are searching how to choose a web designer for your small business, you have probably seen ten near identical portfolios. Here is a checklist that sorts signal from noise before you sign.
12 March 20268 min read
Behind the Scenes
What a good website brief looks like
People search what a good website brief looks like when they are about to speak to designers and do not want to waste the first meeting. Here is a structure that gets you accurate quotes and fewer surprises.
3 March 20267 min read
SEO and Web Design
How to read Google Analytics and what to do about it
If you typed how to read Google Analytics and what to do about it, you are probably staring at GA4 after a relaunch or an agency handover. Here is a short path from noise to decisions a small business owner can act on this week.
19 February 20268 min read
Behind the Scenes
Social media for small businesses: what actually works
If you are searching social media for small businesses what actually works, you have probably tried posting for a month and heard crickets. Here is a simple approach that fits a UK owner who already has a day job running the firm.
11 February 20267 min read
Branding
Vision, mission, values: what they mean for a small business
People search vision mission values small business when a bank, a partner or a senior hire asks for something official. Here is what each term is for, what good looks like on a single page, and what you can safely skip.
2 February 20267 min read
Branding
How to write a brand strategy for a small business
If you type how to write a brand strategy for a small business into Google, you are usually past the logo sketch stage. You want a short document that keeps decisions consistent. Here is a practical framework that works on one side of A4 or on ten.
22 January 20268 min read
Behind the Scenes
What to expect when you work with Makeproper
No jargon, no surprises, no disappearing acts. Here is exactly what working with Makeproper looks like from first message to finished site.
14 January 20263 min read
Local Surrey Business
Why independent businesses lose to chains online and how to fight back
A national chain has budget, resource and brand recognition. An independent has local knowledge, personality and the ability to move faster. Here is how to use what you have.
7 January 20265 min read
Local Surrey Business
Does a small business in Surrey actually need a blog
The honest answer depends on what you are trying to achieve. Here is when a blog genuinely helps, and when it is a waste of time.
29 December 20254 min read
Behind the Scenes
Hartley and Sons: how we built a Surrey builder a brand worth being proud of
Twenty years of exceptional building work. One website that did not reflect any of it. Here is how we approached the Hartley and Sons project from brief to launch.
17 December 20254 min read
SEO and Web Design
What good local SEO actually looks like for a small business
Local SEO is not a mystery. It is a set of specific, repeatable actions that put your business in front of people searching for exactly what you offer. Here is what it involves.
9 December 20256 min read