Technical consultancy in Prestwich
A lot of the technical questions businesses face don't need a full project - they need someone who's seen the same problem before. I've been working with websites and web infrastructure for over 20 years, and a fair bit of my consultancy is exactly that kind of thing: a quick email or call, a decision gets made, and everyone moves on.
If the question's quick, I'll just tell you - no charge. If it looks like it'll take longer to work through properly, I'll estimate the hours before we start, at my flat hourly rate.
What I help with
Platform decisions - whether to stick with Wix or WordPress, what it would actually cost to move to a static site, or whether a full rebuild makes sense or a migration to something cheaper would do the job. I've built sites on just about every platform and can give you an honest read on the tradeoffs.
Self-hosted software - if you want your own instance of Nextcloud, Ghost, a CRM, or any of the dozens of apps available through PikaPods, I can get it running. Often much cheaper per month than the SaaS equivalent, and you own the data.
SEO and content planning - working out what's actually worth doing to improve your rankings, or reviewing an existing approach. The SEO audit service is the more structured version of this, but sometimes a conversation is all it takes rather than a formal deliverable.
Liaising with other specialists - I've coordinated with Fiverr designers on behalf of clients, reviewed work before approval, and sat in on regular meetings with the Blue Pits Housing Action tech team to make sure they understand what they're being told. If you're dealing with a developer or supplier and want someone who can follow the technical detail in your corner, I can help with that.
Making sense of technical proposals - if you've been quoted something and want a second opinion on whether it sounds reasonable, I can give you one.
Domains, DNS, email, and hosting - the plumbing that trips people up more than it should.
Open source alternatives to expensive software - if you're paying ongoing subscriptions for something, there's often a decent free equivalent I can help you switch to. See the de-Googling page for a longer version of this.
What I won't help with
I'm not a Microsoft or Windows infrastructure person - Active Directory, Windows Server, and enterprise Microsoft tooling aren't my area, and I'd rather point you somewhere better than have you pay me to google things. Same with hardware buying advice.
If you need someone to actually run a content strategy or manage your social media, I'd recommend finding someone whose whole job that is.
How it works in practice
A lot of consultancy work comes from people I've worked with before - often from my time at Bouncy Castle Network - dropping me a question by email. If I can answer it in five minutes, I do and move on. Most of it works that way, and it doesn't get invoiced.
For bigger decisions - comparing options, working through what a project would actually involve, or sitting in on an ongoing technical relationship - I'll give you an estimate upfront so there are no surprises.
Stefan knows his stuff with SEO and websites and gives great advice. The price for the knowledge is great.
Got a technical question you're trying to work through? Fill in the form below and I'll tell you if I can help.