Studio Emma Leigh blog

Do I need a new website or just a refresh?

2026-10-16T00:00:00.000Z

Lots of local businesses have a website that was built years ago and hasn’t been touched since. It still works, sort of. So do you need a whole new one, or will a refresh do? Here’s how to decide.

The quick test

Open your website on your phone and ask yourself five questions:

Is everything still true? Opening hours, prices, menus, phone numbers, staff.
Can someone book, order or contact you in one tap?
Is it easy to read on a phone without pinching and zooming?
Do the photos show your business as it is today?
Would you be proud to send a new customer there?

If you answered “no” to one or two, a refresh will probably fix it. If it’s three or more, or the site is very slow, broken or impossible to update, it’s usually time for a new website.

What a refresh covers

A refresh keeps your existing website and platform, but brings it up to date:

new, clearer words that say what you do and who it’s for
fresh photos of your business, your team and your products
a tidy layout that works properly on phones
a clear “Book”, “Call” or “Get in touch” button on every page
out-of-date notices, prices and opening hours removed or corrected

My Website Refresh is £400 to £700, depending on the number of pages.

When you need a new website

A new website makes more sense when:

your current site can’t be made to work properly on phones
nobody can log in to update it any more
you’re paying a lot each month for a site that doesn’t do much
the design is so dated that changing the words won’t be enough

For context, a five-page brochure website from a UK freelancer typically costs £1,500 to £3,000, and £3,000 to £5,000 from an agency (Whito). My New Website package is £900 to £1,500 for up to five pages, because I build lean, fast sites that don’t need expensive plugins or hosting.

What to look out for, whatever you choose

Make sure everything is in your name: your domain, your hosting and your logins. If your web person disappears, you shouldn’t lose your website.
Ask about ongoing costs. Many UK care plans start at around £50 a month (Whito). Mine is £40 to £60 a month, for hosting checks and up to an hour of small updates.
Don’t forget Google. Your website and your Google Business Profile should show the same name, hours and contact details.

Why it matters for your social media

There’s no point getting people excited on Instagram if the website they click through to lets you down. Your website is where interest turns into bookings, so it’s worth getting right before you spend money promoting yourself anywhere else.

Not sure which you need?

Book a free 20-minute call and I’ll have a look at your website with you. I’ll tell you honestly whether a refresh will do the job.

Do local influencers actually work for small businesses?

2026-10-16T00:00:00.000Z

When most people hear “influencer marketing”, they picture celebrities and huge budgets. But some of the most effective creator campaigns I’ve seen are tiny: a handful of local people, with a few thousand followers each, sharing a business they genuinely like.

Why local creators work

Trust. A recommendation from someone in your town feels like advice from a friend, not an advert.
The right audience. A creator with 3,000 followers in Cheshire can be worth far more to a Frodsham café than one with 300,000 followers all over the world.
Content you can reuse. With permission, the photos and videos creators make can go on your own Instagram, your website and your ads.

Gifting or paid?

Gifting means offering something in return for an honest post, such as a free meal, a treatment or a product. It’s a great way to start, and lots of smaller local creators are happy to work this way.

Paid collaborations mean paying the creator a fee for agreed content. You get more control over timing and what’s included, and it tends to suit bigger launches or busier creators.

Many campaigns use a mix of both.

The rules: it has to be labelled as an ad

This catches a lot of businesses out. In the UK, if a creator has been paid or given something for free, the post needs to be clearly labelled as an ad, with a label such as “#ad” or “Ad” at the start of the caption. Words like “gifted” or “in collaboration with” on their own aren’t enough, and the business can be held responsible too, not just the creator (Kolsquare).

Clear labelling doesn’t put people off. Followers know creators work with brands, and honesty builds trust. It’s also the official guidance from the Advertising Standards Authority, so check the ASA’s influencer guidance directly if you’re running a campaign yourself.

How a local creator campaign works

Find the right people. Not just follower counts, but whether their audience is local and genuinely engaged.
Brief them clearly. What to feature, key dates, how to label the post, and anything to avoid.
Host them. A visit, a treatment or a delivery, with someone there to make it a great experience.
Chase every post. Creators are busy people, and campaigns often run over several weeks.
Measure it. Reach, saves, comments, new followers and, most importantly, bookings and visits.

What it costs with me

My management fee is 20% of creator fees, with a £450 minimum, and gifting-only campaigns are £450 for up to five creators. I’m always there in person on the day, and your first collab comes with a reduced 15% management fee.

Thinking about trying it?

Book a free 20-minute call and I’ll tell you whether creators are a good fit for your business, and what a first campaign could look like.

How can a small business use AI to save time?

2026-10-16T00:00:00.000Z

AI gets talked about as if it’s either going to take over the world or write all your posts for you. For most small businesses, the truth is much more useful and a lot less dramatic: it’s brilliant at taking boring admin off your plate.

My rule of thumb is simple: AI for the admin, you for the content. Your customers want to hear from you, not a robot. But they won’t mind at all if a robot sends their booking confirmation.

Six jobs worth automating

Replying to enquiries. An instant, friendly reply to every website or Instagram enquiry, so nobody waits hours to hear back.
Booking confirmations and reminders. Fewer no-shows, with no phone calls needed.
Asking for Google reviews. A polite request after each visit or appointment, sent at the right moment.
Chasing unpaid invoices. Gentle reminders that go out automatically, so you don’t have to.
A weekly “how’s business doing” email. Bookings, enquiries and sales, all in one place, every Monday morning.
Answering common questions. Opening hours, parking, prices and dog policies, answered instantly.

Where AI is useful, but needs a human

Drafting, not finishing. AI is handy for a first draft of an email or a newsletter, but it should always sound like you before it goes out.
Ideas. Use it to brainstorm post ideas or event themes, then pick the ones that fit your business.

Where I wouldn’t use it

Your social media content, without a brand kit. Generic AI captions and images all start to look the same, and customers can tell. Real photos and your own voice win every time. If you do use AI for captions or images, an AI Brand Kit turns your tone of voice, colours and image style into copy-and-paste AI prompts, so everything AI makes for you still looks and sounds like you.
Anything sensitive. Don’t paste customers’ personal details into AI tools without checking how that data is stored and used.

Where to start

Don’t try to automate everything at once. Pick the one job you hate most, the one you do every week, and start there. Get it working properly before moving on to the next.

How I can help

My AI Pain-Point Audit (from £300) finds the three jobs most worth automating in your business, then an Automation Build sets one up for you, tested and handed over with a simple guide. And an AI Brand Kit (£200) gives you ready-made prompts that keep everything your AI tools produce consistent and on-brand. Book a free 20-minute call to talk it through.

How do I get my business to show up on Google Maps?

2026-10-16T00:00:00.000Z

When someone searches “café near me” or “hairdresser in Frodsham”, the businesses that appear on the map at the top get most of the clicks. The tool behind that map is free: your Google Business Profile. Here’s how to make the most of it.

1. Claim and verify your profile

Search for your business on Google. If a profile already exists, claim it. If not, create one at google.com/business. Google will ask you to verify that you own the business, so keep an eye out for its instructions.

If you work from home or visit customers, you can set up as a service-area business and hide your address, showing the towns you cover instead.

2. Fill in everything

The more complete your profile, the better. Make sure you have:

the right category, plus any extra categories that fit
accurate opening hours, including bank holidays
your phone number, website and booking link
a clear description of what you do and where
your services or menu, with prices if you can

3. Add real photos, and keep adding them

Photos of your space, your team and your products help people choose you. Add new ones regularly: a new dish, a seasonal window display, a busy Saturday.

4. Get, and reply to, reviews

Reviews are one of the biggest things that help local businesses stand out. Ask happy customers for a review (a QR code by the till works well), and reply to every one, good or bad. A calm, kind reply to a negative review often impresses future customers more than the review itself.

5. Keep your details the same everywhere

Your business name, phone number and opening hours should match on Google, your website, Facebook, Instagram and any local directories. Mixed-up details confuse Google, and customers.

6. Post updates

You can post offers, events and news on your profile, just like social media. It shows Google, and customers, that you’re active.

7. Link it to a good website

Your profile and your website work together. A website that clearly says what you do and where, and works well on phones, backs up everything your Google profile says.

Need a hand?

Google basics, including your Business Profile, are part of my New Website package, and I’m happy to look over yours on a free 20-minute call.

How much does social media management cost for a small business in Cheshire?

2026-10-16T00:00:00.000Z

If you’ve ever asked a marketer “how much?” and got a vague “it depends”, this one’s for you. Here’s a straight answer, including my own prices, so you can work out what makes sense for your business.

The short answer

For a small, independent business in the UK, social media management typically costs £250 to £800 a month with a freelancer, and £800 to £2,000 a month with a small agency (Whito). Most UK businesses land somewhere between £500 and £1,500 a month.

My founding-client prices sit at the friendly end of that range:

Package	What’s included	Price
Essentials	1 platform, 8 posts a month, a monthly photo and video shoot, a report	£350–£450 a month
Growth	2 platforms, 12 posts plus Stories, a monthly shoot, a report and a monthly call	£550–£750 a month

You can see every price, including add-ons like community management, on my pricing page.

What changes the price?

Two businesses can pay very different amounts for “social media management”. These are the things that make the difference:

How many platforms. Instagram alone is very different from Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
How much content. Eight posts a month is a steady presence. Daily posting plus Stories is a lot more work.
Who makes the content. Real photos and video of your business take time to plan and shoot, but they work far better than stock images or templates.
Replying to people. Answering comments and messages, or joining in with local Facebook groups, is often an add-on because it takes time every single day.
Strategy and reporting. A plan built around your goals, and a monthly look at what’s working, is what turns posting into actual customers.

What should you get for your money?

A basic package, wherever you buy it, should usually include a content calendar, 8 to 12 posts a month, simple graphics, scheduling and a monthly summary (Bravery). If you’re paying for social media help and not getting at least that, it’s worth asking why.

On top of that, I’d look for:

A clear goal. More bookings, more footfall or more online sales. Every post should point back to it.
Real content. Your space, your team, your products and your customers, not generic stock photos.
Plain-English reporting. Not just likes, but what’s actually bringing people through the door.

Red flags to watch for

If it sounds too cheap, it probably is.

Very cheap social media management, under about £300 a month, usually means scheduled posts from a template with no real strategy behind them (Whito). A few other warning signs:

No prices anywhere until you’ve had three calls
Long contracts with no way out if it isn’t working
Every post looks the same, whatever the business
You don’t own your accounts. Your Instagram, Facebook and Google profiles should always be in your name.

Is it worth paying for?

It depends what your time is worth. If you’re spending your evenings trying to think of something to post, or not posting at all, handing it over can pay for itself quickly, as long as it’s done well and tied to a clear goal.

If budget is tight, a one-off Social and Creator Audit (from £250) is a good middle ground. You get a 90-day plan you can follow yourself, and you can always bring in help later.

Want a straight answer for your business?

Book a free 20-minute call and I’ll tell you honestly what I’d do, and what it would cost. No hard sell, ever.

What should a café post on Instagram?

2026-10-16T00:00:00.000Z

“I never know what to post” is the thing I hear most from café and restaurant owners. The good news is that you already have more content than you think. It’s happening in front of you every day.

12 post ideas that work

The hero dish or drink. Your bestseller, shot in natural light by the window.
Behind the counter. Latte art being poured, bread coming out of the oven, the morning prep.
Meet the team. A photo and one fun fact about the person making people’s coffee.
Something new. A seasonal special, a new cake or this week’s soup.
Your regulars (with their permission). People love seeing familiar faces.
Where it comes from. Your local suppliers, your coffee roaster, the farm shop eggs.
The space. The cosy corner, the sunny terrace, the dog-friendly spot.
Answer a question. “Yes, we do oat milk.” “Yes, dogs are welcome.” “Yes, you can book.”
A quick how-to. How you make your signature drink, in a 15-second video.
Events and occasions. Mother’s Day, Halloween, live music, the school holidays.
Reviews. A screenshot of a lovely Google review, with a thank you.
The everyday moments. The first customer of the day, the quiet before opening, the last slice.

How often should you post?

Consistency beats quantity. Two or three good posts a week, plus a few Stories, is plenty for most independent cafés. Posting every day and then disappearing for a month does more harm than steady, regular posting.

Make it manageable

Batch it. Take photos for the whole month in one quiet morning.
Use real photos, not stock images. Your customers want to see your actual food and your actual space.
Write like you talk. A friendly line or two is better than a paragraph of hashtags.
Always tell people what to do next: “book a table”, “pop in this weekend”, “order before 2pm”.
Reply to comments. Social media is a conversation, not a noticeboard.

Don’t forget Google

Most people looking for somewhere to eat check Google before Instagram. Add the same photos to your Google Business Profile, and keep your opening hours and menu up to date there too.

Want it done for you?

My Social Media Essentials package includes a monthly photo and video shoot at your café, eight posts a month and a simple report, from £350 a month. Book a free 20-minute call to find out more.