Mike Ferguson - Website Design For Small Business

Why Your Denver Roofing Business Needs More Than Just Good Work to Get Customers

Roofing companies face some of the highest customer acquisition costs in the home services sector, with Google Ads leads alone averaging around $187 per lead—and that's just one way people find contractors these days. The truth is, most homeowners don't flip through phone books anymore when their roof starts leaking. They grab their phone and search for "roofers near me." If you're a solid roofer but your phone isn't ringing much, the problem probably isn't your skills. It's that people can't find you when they need you most. Question: If someone in your neighborhood searched for a roofer right now, would they find you online? Don't take that chance. Contact The Affordable Web Guy and find out why business owners have trusted us for decades! Your Website Works While You Sleep Think about it this way: when someone's ceiling starts dripping at 10 PM on a Tuesday, they're not calling anyone right then. But they are searching online to see who's available in their area. 46% of Google searches are local, which means millions of people every day are looking for businesses like yours in their neighborhood. A simple, professional website from The Affordable Web Guy becomes your 24/7 salesperson. While you're home having dinner or sleeping, your site is showing up in searches, displaying your contact info, and giving potential customers confidence that you're legit and local. Building Relationships Without Being Pushy The best roofing leads often come from relationships with other local businesses. Maybe the hardware store owner mentions your name, or a real estate agent includes your info when someone buys a house that needs work. But here's the thing—when someone gets a recommendation, the first thing they do is look you up online. 97% of people learn more about a local company online than anywhere [...]

By Mike Ferguson|Categories: Competitor Research, Cost-Effectiveness of Online Marketing|Comments Off

Digital Marketing for Startups: Strategies and SEO Importance

Why Digital Marketing Matters for Startups Digital marketing helps put a business on the map. Many potential customers look online before contacting you. With a dependable WordPress site, local business owners can quietly lay the groundwork for long-term visibility. Good content, search visibility, and a reliable presence work together to build trust—even when nobody’s glancing at analytics. What SEO Does for Your Startup SEO helps people find your site when they search for local services. It isn’t a magic trick, and results take time. Still, a well-organized WordPress site, maintained by The Affordable Web Guy, brings a friendly boost in visibility—and credibility—without burdening the owner with technical details. This kind of presence gently signals that the business is real and ready. Key Strategies That Actually Matter Mixing a few thoughtful steps helps without turning the site into a complicated project: Have a WordPress-based site maintained by The Affordable Web Guy Use clear, helpful words about services and local area Add relevant content—like simple blog posts that answer client questions Let the site quietly support credibility and search visibility Why It Works Writing useful content that aligns with what people commonly search—like service descriptions or location-based phrases—helps visibility over time. A maintained site keeps things fresh, reflects your message, and gives search engines a chance to understand who you are. Looking ahead, AI-driven tools will change how searches work, meaning that thoughtful, conversational web content will make your site more likely to answer new-style queries. Keeping things organic and helpful prepares the way for that shift

By Mike Ferguson|Categories: Digital Marketing for Startups|Comments Off

Success Stories of Small Businesses Using Digital Marketing

Looking for success stories of small businesses using digital marketing? Check out these top 10 tips to help improve your online presence and drive sales. Plus, explore FutureLearn's digital marketing courses for further learning.

By Mike Ferguson|Categories: Competitor Research, Customer Communication, Online Reputation|Comments Off

Small Business Marketing in Denver: Why Paid Search Actually Works

Running a small business in Denver means competing with everyone else who's figured out this city is pretty great for entrepreneurs. According to recent state data, Colorado started 48,600 new businesses just in the first quarter of 2025—that's a 19% jump from the previous quarter. While this energy is exciting, it also means you're fighting for attention in an increasingly crowded market. Need help creating a website that supports your paid search campaigns? The Affordable Web Guy specializes in building small business websites that convert visitors into customers. Based in Colorado, we understand the local market and can help your business get found online. So how do you cut through the noise? Let's talk about paid search advertising, which isn't the sexiest topic but happens to be one of the most reliable ways to get your business in front of people who are actually looking for what you sell. What Makes Paid Search Different From Other Marketing Paid search (also called pay-per-click or PPC) works because it shows your ad to people who are already searching for your services. Unlike throwing money at a billboard and hoping the right person drives by, paid search targets folks who are actively typing things like "plumber near me" or "Denver marketing consultant" into Google. The numbers tell a pretty clear story. Businesses using paid search see conversion rates that are 50% higher than people who find them through organic search results. Plus, 65% of high-intent searches end with someone clicking on an ad rather than scrolling down to the organic results. This isn't about tricking anyone—it's about being visible when someone needs exactly what you offer. Why Denver Businesses Should Care About This Right Now Colorado's business landscape is shifting fast, and timing matters. 99.5% of all Colorado businesses are small businesses, [...]

By Mike Ferguson|Categories: Cost-Effectiveness of Online Marketing, Need for Digital Marketing, Online Marketing Strategy|Comments Off

The Power of Video & Getting More Customers

Discover the power of video marketing for small businesses. Learn about the various types of corporate videos that can enhance customer outreach and internal communications while increasing brand awareness and expanding your customer base.

By Mike Ferguson|Categories: Promotional Videos, Screencast Videos, Social Media Videos|Comments Off

Avoid Inbox Fatigue: The Right Email Frequency for Small Business

Email frequency directly affects engagement, unsubscribes, and deliverability. Most small businesses should start with one email per week and test higher cadence only for engaged segments. Keep unsubscribe rates below 2% and spam complaints under 0.3% to stay in inboxes. Use segmentation and automation to send relevant content, and run re-engagement campaigns at 60–90 days of inactivity to maintain list health. Daily sends work only for short promotions or launches, with clear subscriber notice. Follow CAN-SPAM and Gmail/Yahoo rules for one-click unsubscribe and fast opt-out processing. Track open, click, and complaint rates to refine strategy over time. Why Does Email Frequency Matter? Email works when it’s welcomed, not resented. Studies show email marketing still delivers one of the highest ROIs — $36–$42 per $1 spent depending on industry — but only if people keep opening your messages. Over-mailing can: Push subscribers to hit “unsubscribe” or mark you as spam. Lower open rates because your name becomes background noise. Hurt sender reputation, pushing future emails to the Promotions tab or spam folder. Under-mailing isn’t harmless either. People forget who you are, and your next email feels like spam even if they opted in. How Many Marketing Emails Per Week Is Too Many? There isn’t a single magic number, but research and deliverability experts give some guardrails: 1 email per week is a safe starting point for most small businesses. 2–3 emails per week may work if your list is engaged and content is valuable. Daily sends risk triggering complaints unless they’re short bursts for sales or launches. A simple rule: if your unsubscribe rate stays below 2% and your spam complaints stay below 0.3%, your cadence is probably fine. What Are the Best Practices for Segmenting Your List? Segmentation makes email frequency less risky because messages [...]

By Mike Ferguson|Categories: Email Marketing, Internet Marketing, Ramblings|Comments Off

Winning The Domain Lottery: Selling A Valuable Domain

If someone offers to buy your domain name, slow down before you answer. First, make sure the offer is real: a common scam dangles a big offer, then asks you to pay for an "appraisal." Next, decide what selling would cost you. If the domain is your business name or email, selling means rebranding. If you do sell, let real offers set the price and use a licensed escrow service so the money is secured before you hand anything over. Then call your tax pro. And keep expectations realistic: in 2026, most everyday domains aren't the lottery tickets they were in the dot-com days. I sold one in 1999 for $25,000, and I learned most of this the lucky way. The time a $50 domain paid off our car Back in the mid-1990s I had a proper and respectful civil service job in Sonoma County, California, and a Mac Performa with a whopping 4 megs of RAM. My co-worker Sue moonlighted as a realtor, and we agreed this new internet thing could be a great way to sell houses. Put the listing online, add some pictures. That was some cutting-edge thinking at the time! So I paid $50 to an early version of Network Solutions, filled out a registration form that was very unforgiving about formatting, and got my first domain. It was "real estate flavored," and that's as specific as I can be. The sale came with terms I've always taken to mean the name stays private, and the buyer is a major media company that I suspect keeps plenty of attorneys around. If nothing else, I'm a man of my word. I never did build that real estate site. Instead, I used the domain as my brand while building websites for a handful [...]

By Mike Ferguson|Categories: Internet Marketing, Technical|Comments Off

Why We Don’t Offer Email Accounts

We host websites, but we don't host email, on purpose. The big providers like Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 do email better than any small web company can, with better reliability, spam filtering, and tools. We'd rather help you set one up in your own name so you hold the admin keys. Your email shouldn't depend on your web designer. "Wait, you don't do email?"I get it. Plenty of web designers who sell hosting throw in email accounts too. Unlimited accounts! Unlimited storage! Probably a free dessert and a ride home after the show.We decided a long time ago not to do that. Here's why.The big providers simply do it betterEmail looks simple from the outside, but keeping it reliable is a full-time job. Spam filtering, security, uptime, storage, mobile apps, calendars, shared files. Companies like Google and Microsoft have entire teams working on nothing else. A small web company can't match that scope or scale, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise.Email bundled with web hosting tends to be the bare-bones version. It works until it doesn't, and when it doesn't, you're stuck waiting on your web guy to fix your inbox.You should hold your own keysYour business email is one of the most important accounts you have. Password resets, bank notices, customer conversations, vendor invoices. It all goes there. You should be the super administrator on that account, not me and not anyone else outside your business.If you ever part ways with your web designer, your email shouldn't go with them.We'd rather not be near your inboxHonestly? We don't want to be responsible for your mailboxes. Managing other people's email means being in the middle of their private conversations and on the hook every time a message goes missing. That's not a good setup for [...]

By Mike Ferguson|Categories: Technical, Web Design Services|Comments Off

Choosing a Domain Registrar That Won’t Leave You Hanging

Your domain name is basically your digital address. Moreover, picking the wrong registrar to manage it can turn into a real headache down the road. After watching this industry for years, I've seen enough horror stories to know what separates the good registrars from the ones that'll make your life miserable. Why This Still Matters in 2026 Back in the day, you had one choice: Network Solutions. Domains cost $100, and that was it. Now there are approximately 2,800 ICANN-accredited registrars competing for your business, which sounds great until you realize some of them have no business being in business. The domain market has exploded too. Furthermore, we're talking about over 762 million registered domains as of 2025, and that number keeps climbing. With so many options, it's easy to get lured in by rock-bottom prices or flashy marketing. The Real Problems You'll Face Here's what actually happens when registrars go bad, based on verifiable industry data: Transfer troubles - ICANN data shows that transfer and renewal issues are the most common types of complaints they receive. Additionally, while transfers should take about five days, some registrars deliberately delay them as long as possible. Pricing games - Many registrars offer super cheap first-year pricing, then jack up renewal costs. Therefore, what starts as a $2 domain can suddenly cost $25+ to renew. Support nightmares - When things go wrong, you'll discover that some registrars basically don't answer emails or return calls. Consequently, you're stuck waiting while your domain expiration date gets closer. What to Look For Before You Commit Instead of learning these lessons the hard way, here's what actually matters: Test Their Support First Send them a question before you buy anything. Furthermore, time how long it takes to get a real answer from a real person. If [...]

By Mike Ferguson|Categories: Customer Communication, Technical|5 Comments