Antony LockeStudio · Bournemouth

Blog

Practical articles on design, SEO & growth.

Jargon-free thinking on what actually moves the needle for independent businesses online.

Honest reads, no AI filler

Every article below is written from real client work across Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch — no copy-paste blog spam. New posts go out monthly.

Get notified of new posts info@creativelocker.co.uk

Latest articles

Practical reads on web design, SEO and growing online.

7 min read

How much should a small business website cost in Bournemouth?

An honest, jargon-free breakdown of website pricing in Dorset in 2026 — what's reasonable, what's a rip-off, and what to actually budget.

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6 min read

Why your tradesperson website isn't getting calls

Six fixable mistakes I see on 80% of trade websites — and how to solve them in a weekend.

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9 min read

Local SEO for Dorset businesses: a complete guide

Everything you need to dominate Google's local pack in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch.

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8 min read

Shopify vs bespoke: which e-commerce platform should you pick?

An honest, no-affiliate breakdown of when each makes sense for independent brands.

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6 min read

What 'good design' actually means in 2026

Aesthetics, accessibility, performance, conversion — how to balance them all without becoming a designer.

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7 min read

Should you redesign or rebuild your website?

A practical framework for deciding whether to evolve or start over from scratch.

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7 min read

Can I keep my domain if I leave Wix?

Short answer: yes. Long answer: here's exactly how to transfer your domain out of Wix without breaking your email or losing your site.

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6 min read

How to cancel your Wix subscription without losing your site

The safe cancellation order — and the three billing traps that catch most people on the way out.

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8 min read

How to transfer a Wix website to WordPress (or anywhere else)

What actually transfers, what doesn't, and the shortcuts that save weeks of manual rebuilding.

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7 min read

Is Wix SEO really hurting my rankings?

Wix SEO got a terrible reputation a decade ago. Here's where it actually stands in 2026 — and when leaving really does help.

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7 min read

Wix vs custom website: when is it actually time to leave?

A practical, no-hype framework for knowing when your business has outgrown Wix.

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8 min read

How to move your Squarespace site to a custom website without losing SEO

Step-by-step guide to migrating off Squarespace while keeping your rankings, URLs and content intact.

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7 min read

Squarespace is too expensive — what are my real alternatives in 2026?

Squarespace's price keeps climbing. Here are the genuine alternatives, ranked by use case.

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6 min read

Can I export my Squarespace blog and keep my URLs?

The export gotchas nobody mentions — and how to keep every blog URL intact when you migrate.

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7 min read

How to escape GoDaddy Website Builder (and keep your domain & email)

The safe order to leave — and the traps that catch most people on the way out.

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7 min read

GoDaddy hosting is slow — should I move my WordPress site?

Real benchmarks, migration costs, and which hosts are actually worth the move.

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6 min read

How to transfer a domain away from GoDaddy

Step-by-step transfer out — and where to move it for the cheapest renewals.

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9 min read

Leaving Shopify: how to move to a bespoke or headless store without losing orders, SEO or customers

Real process, real timeline, and the decisions that make or break a Shopify migration.

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7 min read

Shopify fees are killing my margins — when does going bespoke pay off?

Break-even maths by GMV — when bespoke actually beats Shopify on cost.

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8 min read

How to migrate a WordPress site to a new host without downtime

The exact process I use — plugin vs manual, DNS tactics, and the bits that trip up most moves.

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8 min read

Best WordPress hosting alternatives to SiteGround, Bluehost & GoDaddy in 2026

An honest, affiliate-free ranking of WordPress hosts that beat the big three on speed, support and value.

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6 min read

My WordPress site is slow — should I rebuild or just switch hosts?

A 5-minute diagnostic to know whether you need a new host, a tune-up, or a full rebuild.

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8 min read

How to move from WordPress to a modern bespoke website (and why people are doing it)

Why businesses are leaving WordPress — what changes, what improves, and when not to.

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7 min read

How to leave Weebly before it shuts down your site

Square is winding down Weebly. Here's how to export, migrate and keep your domain before it's too late.

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7 min read

Can I migrate my Webflow site to a self-hosted custom build?

When it makes sense, when it doesn't, and how the migration actually works.

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12 min read

The complete website migration checklist: 27 things to do before, during and after

The definitive checklist for migrating any site to any platform without losing SEO, email or sales.

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9 min read

How to build a website with Lovable: the full 2026 guide

A practical walkthrough — prompting, hosting, SEO and the limits to know before you commit.

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8 min read

How to make a website with ChatGPT: a realistic step-by-step

What ChatGPT can actually generate, how to deploy it, and the gaps you'll need to fill yourself.

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8 min read

Creating a website with Claude: a designer's honest review

Where Claude beats ChatGPT for web work, where it doesn't, and how the workflow really looks in 2026.

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7 min read

How to build a website with v0 by Vercel

Vercel's v0 is brilliant for UI generation. Here's how to use it end-to-end and where it stops.

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8 min read

Bolt.new vs Lovable: which AI website builder should you pick?

A head-to-head of the two leading AI website builders — UX, output quality, pricing and use cases.

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8 min read

How to make a website with Cursor (for non-developers)

Cursor pairs AI with a real code editor. Here's how a non-developer can use it end-to-end.

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7 min read

Wix AI vs Squarespace AI vs Hostinger AI: are they worth it?

What the AI features inside the big template builders actually do — and when a proper AI-first tool wins instead.

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9 min read

Framer AI vs Lovable vs Webflow: which AI website builder wins in 2026?

Three of the strongest options in 2026 — head-to-head on design, code, SEO and ongoing cost.

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7 min read

How to prompt an AI to build a website that doesn't look generic

Stop shipping the same purple gradient as everyone else. The prompting framework I use on every client build.

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7 min read

Hosting an AI-generated website: where to put it and what it costs

The hosting options that suit each AI builder — and what they actually cost as your site grows.

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6 min read

Connecting a custom domain to an AI-built website

Plain-English DNS guide for connecting a domain to whichever AI builder you've used.

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7 min read

How to edit an AI-generated website after the fact

The maintenance question everyone forgets — how to keep editing months later without breakage.

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8 min read

From prompt to production: launching an AI-built site properly

The pre-launch checklist that turns an AI prototype into a real, indexable, performant website.

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7 min read

Does Google penalise AI-generated websites? The honest 2026 answer

What Google's March 2024 spam policy actually said — and how AI-built sites are really ranking in 2026.

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7 min read

SEO for AI-built websites: the 12-point checklist

The 12 fixes I make to every AI-built site before launch to give it a real shot at ranking.

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6 min read

Will an AI-generated website rank on Google?

Yes / no / depends — the honest framework with examples and the variables that decide it.

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7 min read

The limitations of AI website builders nobody tells you about

Honest list of the trade-offs every AI builder shares — and how to plan around them.

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6 min read

When to stop using an AI website builder and hire a developer

Clear signals that you've outgrown the AI builder — plus the break-even maths.

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7 min read

AI website builder vs custom developer: real cost comparison over 3 years

The honest 3-year maths by site type — when AI wins, when a developer wins, and the hybrid sweet spot.

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10 min read

I built my site with AI — now what? A founder's launch checklist

The full post-build checklist that turns an AI-built site into a real, ranking, converting business asset.

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8 min read

SEO in Bournemouth: the small business playbook

What actually moves the needle for Bournemouth small businesses in 2026 — minus the agency jargon.

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7 min read

Web design for solicitors: an SRA-compliant guide

What the SRA transparency rules actually require — and how to turn compliance into a conversion advantage.

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7 min read

Must-have features for a modern lettings agent website

From portal feeds to instant valuations — the features that separate a working lettings site from a brochure.

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6 min read

AI search optimisation: how to get cited by ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

Practical formatting and content rules that get small business sites cited by AI search in 2026.

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5 min read

Fixed price vs day rate web design: which wins?

Why I switched my whole studio to fixed-price quotes in 2023 — and when day rates still make sense.

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6 min read

What a conversion-led case study should actually contain

Eight sections every web design case study needs — and the three most agencies leave out.

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