The Alectronic Journal

Plain-English notes on web design, local SEO, and website security. Search the archive, or start with the featured story.

Featured storySecurity
Two people exchanging a set of keys across an office desk

Who Actually Owns Your Website? Domain, Hosting, and the Logins to Check Today

How to look up who owns any website domain, then a ten-minute check that your own domain, hosting, and website login are actually in your name.

Alectronic Solutions6 min read
Read the story

Inside this article

  • 01How to Find Out Who Owns a Website Domain
  • 02The Four Things You Have to Control
  • 03The Ten-Minute Check
  • 04The "Web Guy Disappeared" Scenario

From the archive

27 more articles to browse

A tradesperson repairing plumbing under a sink
Web Design

What a California Contractor's Website Needs (Starting With Your License Number)

Plumbers, electricians, HVAC, roofers, handymen, and general contractors: the CSLB rule your site must follow, and the pages that turn a search into a booked job.

Alectronic Solutions6 min read
Two people shaking hands over a signed contract on a clipboard
Business Tips

How to Find a Certified Small Business or DVBE on Cal eProcure (and Use the SB/DVBE Option)

Search Cal eProcure for certified SB and DVBE firms, verify a certification ID, and see when the two-quote option applies.

Alectronic Solutions6 min read
An open monthly planner on a wooden desk
Web Design

How Long Does It Take to Build a Small Business Website?

The building is rarely the slow part. What actually sets a website's timeline, realistic ranges by project type, and how to avoid a launch that drags on for months.

Alectronic Solutions6 min read
A laptop screen showing website performance analytics graphs
SEO

How to Redesign a Website Without Losing Your Google Rankings

Most traffic lost in a redesign comes from changed URLs with no redirects. A plain checklist for before, during, and after launch, including the 301 map.

Alectronic Solutions6 min read
A hand unlocking a smartphone with a fingerprint sensor
Security

The Two Security Habits That Stop Most Small Business Break-Ins

You don't need a security budget to stop most attacks on a small business. You need a password manager and two-factor auth on the right five accounts.

Alectronic Solutions6 min read
A hand-drawn landing page wireframe on a tablet beside a keyboard
Web Design

What Actually Belongs on Your Homepage (and What's Just Noise)

A visitor decides in a few seconds whether your homepage is for them. Here's what needs to be on it, in what order, and the common things that should come off.

Alectronic Solutions6 min read
Two people at a laptop filling out a long online form
Web Design

Your Contact Form Is Quietly Losing You Leads

The contact form is where a website visitor becomes a customer, and it's usually where they give up instead. Here's what's going wrong and the five-field fix.

Alectronic Solutions6 min read
A business owner writing notes beside a laptop and coffee at a cafe table
SEO

Does Your Small Business Actually Need a Blog? An Honest Answer

Everyone says you need a blog for SEO. Sometimes that's true, often it's a time sink. How to tell which one you are, and what to write if the answer is yes.

Alectronic Solutions6 min read
A woman speaking a question into her smartphone
SEO

Google's AI Overviews and ChatGPT Are Answering for You. Here's How to Show Up.

More customers ask an AI instead of scrolling results. The businesses it recommends aren't doing anything exotic: they're clear, consistent, and well-reviewed.

Alectronic Solutions6 min read
A 'Sorry we're closed' sign on a shop door decorated for Christmas
Business Tips

Get Your Website Ready for the Holidays: A Two-Hour Checklist

The busiest season is when small website mistakes cost the most. A two-hour checklist to get your site ready, plus a January reminder to undo it.

Alectronic Solutions6 min read
A laptop on a desk showing a Google Analytics dashboard
Business Tips

The Only 5 Website Numbers a Small Business Owner Needs to Watch

Analytics shows hundreds of metrics and almost none matter to a small business. Here are the five that do, where to find them, and what a bad number looks like.

Alectronic Solutions6 min read
A person working at a desk with a large high-contrast display
Web Design

Is Your Website Accessible? A Plain-English Guide for Small Business Owners

Accessibility sounds like a compliance chore until you realize how many customers it quietly turns away. Here's what it means, what it risks, and what it costs.

Alectronic Solutions7 min read
A customer leaving a star rating on a phone at a cafe counter
Business Tips

How to Get More Customer Reviews Without Being Annoying

Most happy customers will leave a review if you ask once, at the right moment, and make it take thirty seconds. Here's the timing, the script, and the mistakes.

Alectronic Solutions6 min read
A phone showing a loading spinner on a blank page
Web Design

Why Your Website Feels Slow (and What Actually Fixes It)

Slow sites lose customers before the page finishes loading. What's causing the delay, how to measure it honestly, and which fixes are worth paying for.

Alectronic Solutions6 min read
A laptop showing an email inbox in a dimly lit office at night
Security

The Email Scam That Targets Small Businesses (and How to Stop It)

Business email scams cost small businesses more than hacked websites. See how they work and the four fixes that stop them, starting with MFA.

Alectronic Solutions6 min read
A shop owner holding a phone showing a map with a location pin
SEO

Your Google Business Profile Is Doing More Work Than Your Website

For most local searches, your Google Business Profile is the first thing a customer sees and often the only thing. Here's how to fill it out properly.

Alectronic Solutions6 min read
A laptop and desktop monitor side by side displaying website dashboards
Web Design

Wix or Squarespace vs. Hiring a Professional: An Honest Comparison

DIY builders are cheap and fast. Professionals cost more and do more. Here's an honest breakdown of when each one is actually the right choice.

Alectronic Solutions6 min read
A person reviewing a printed invoice beside a laptop showing a billing screen
Business Tips

Website Subscription vs. One-Time Cost: Which Actually Saves You Money?

What one-time website pricing really covers, what keeps costing after launch, and how monthly, annual, and one-time payments compare over the first years.

Alectronic Solutions5 min read
A row of small-town storefronts along a Central Valley main street
SEO

Online Marketing for Central Valley Small Businesses: Where to Start

From Lodi to Merced, Central Valley businesses face a different online landscape than the big metros. Here's where to focus first, and what to skip.

Alectronic Solutions6 min read
Warning alert icon displayed over a laptop screen
Security

What to Do If Your Website Gets Hacked: A Step-by-Step Recovery Guide

If your website has been hacked, acting fast and in the right order matters. Here's exactly what to do to recover safely and prevent it from happening again.

Alectronic Solutions7 min read
Map pin icon over a city street representing local search results
SEO

Local SEO for Small Businesses: The Complete 2026 Checklist

Ranking in local search results takes more than a Google Business Profile. Here's the full local SEO checklist small businesses need to actually get found.

Alectronic Solutions7 min read
Old and new website mockups side by side on a designer's screen
Web Design

10 Signs Your Website Needs a Redesign in 2026

Not sure if your website is holding your business back? Here are 10 clear signs it's time for a redesign, and what to do about each one.

Alectronic Solutions6 min read
Business owner reviewing charts and revenue numbers at a desk
Business Tips

Website ROI: How to Calculate What Your Website Should Be Making You

Most small business owners have no idea if their website is actually paying for itself. Here's a simple way to calculate real website ROI.

Alectronic Solutions6 min read
Two business owners reviewing a website proposal on a tablet
Business Tips

How to Choose a Web Design Company: 9 Questions to Ask Before You Sign

Picking a web design company is a bigger decision than most business owners realize. These 9 questions separate a good partner from a costly mistake.

Alectronic Solutions6 min read
Person working on a laptop with security lock icon overlay
Security

Small Business Website Security Checklist: 10 Things to Do Right Now

Most small business websites have at least 3 of these security gaps. Here's a plain-English checklist to protect your site and your customers.

Alectronic Solutions7 min read
Google search results on a laptop screen
SEO

Why Your Small Business Website Isn't Showing Up on Google

If customers can't find you on Google, you're losing business every single day. Here are the most common reasons and exactly how to fix them.

Alectronic Solutions6 min read
Laptop showing website analytics dashboard on a clean desk
Web Design

How Much Does a Website Cost for a Small Business in 2026?

Typical small business website costs for DIY builders, freelancers, agencies, and subscriptions, what drives the price, and exactly what my plans include.

Alectronic Solutions6 min read

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