Frontend Horizon
FH Field Notes

Writing from inside the engagements.

SEO methodology, PPC tactics, SMB web design, competitor analysis, vertical case studies. No thought leadershipif we wrote it down, it’s because a client question forced the answer first.

Web Design·2 min

Why Your Website’s Bounce Rate Is Lying to You

Bounce rate is the most misunderstood metric in SMB analytics. It’s also one of the easiest to game without improving anything.

By FH Lead Front-End Engineer · Lead Front-End Engineer
Competitor Analysis·2 min

The Competitor Analysis Every SMB Should Run Before Spending Another Dollar on Marketing

Most SMBs guess at what their competitors are doing. The real picture is sitting in plain sight, and it changes how you spend.

By FH Senior SEO Strategist · Senior SEO Strategist
PPC·1 min

PPC Budget Allocation for Multi-Service SMBs

Multi-service businesses lose money on Google Ads by either spreading too thin or concentrating in the wrong place. Here’s the math.

By FH PPC Lead · PPC Lead
Web Design·2 min

Why Slow Websites Are Killing Your SEO (and How to Fix Yours This Quarter)

Three seconds is the hard ceiling. Most SMB sites load in seven. The math on what that costs you is brutal.

By FH Lead Front-End Engineer · Lead Front-End Engineer
Social Media·1 min

Social Media for SMBs: What Actually Works in 2026

You can’t be on every platform. You shouldn’t try. Here’s how to pick the two or three that will actually move the needle.

By FH Brand Designer · Brand Designer
Social Media·1 min

When Social Media Is the Wrong Channel for Your Business

Not every business should be on social. Some should put the budget into search, email, or direct mail and stop apologizing.

By FH Brand Designer · Brand Designer
Case Study·2 min

How a Construction Firm Generated 1,233% More Organic Clicks in 12 Months

1,233% organic click increase. 5.5% CTR. 987% impression increase. Here’s how it actually happened.

By John Cravey · Founder
SEO·3 min

How Much Does SEO Optimization Cost: A Practical Pricing Guide for SMBs

“Starting at $299/month” SEO is almost always a content mill. Here’s what real SEO costs and why.

By John Cravey · Founder
SEO·1 min

The Real Reason Your SEO Stopped Working

Three reasons your organic traffic dropped that have nothing to do with you doing anything wrong.

By FH Senior SEO Strategist · Senior SEO Strategist
Case Study·1 min

Best Barns: Rebranding a Product Brand for the Search Era

Customers are seeking Best Barns at retail partners like never before. Here’s the work behind it.

By John Cravey · Founder
Healthcare·1 min

Healthcare Marketing: The Compliance Lines You Cannot Cross

Most healthcare practices either over-share (and risk a HIPAA citation) or under-share (and lose patients to bolder competitors). Here’s the line.

By John Cravey · Founder
Web Design·1 min

Why ‘Just Build Us a Website’ Is the Wrong First Question

Most SMB website projects start with the wrong question. Here are the right ones.

By FH Lead Front-End Engineer · Lead Front-End Engineer
SEO·1 min

Local SEO for Multi-Location Brands

Multi-location SEO is a different sport than single-location SEO. Most brands run it like the same sport and lose accordingly.

By FH Senior SEO Strategist · Senior SEO Strategist
SEO·1 min

How We Run a 90-Day SEO Engagement

Transparency on the work and the timeline. No mystery, no ‘trust the process.’

By FH Senior SEO Strategist · Senior SEO Strategist
Web Design·1 min

Conversion Rate Optimization for Service Businesses

Most service-business sites convert at 1–2%. The brands that get to 4–6% do five specific things differently.

By FH Lead Front-End Engineer · Lead Front-End Engineer
PPC·1 min

When PPC Beats SEO (and When It Doesn’t)

Both work. Neither is the right starting point for every business. Here’s how to pick.

By FH PPC Lead · PPC Lead
SEO·1 min

Content That Actually Ranks for Professional Services Firms

Most professional-services content sounds the same because every firm pays the same content mill. Here’s how to sound like you.

By John Cravey · Founder
Pricing·1 min

What to Look for When Hiring a Digital Marketing Agency

Most agency-vetting goes wrong because the buyer asks the wrong questions. Here are the right ones.

By John Cravey · Founder
SEO·3 min

Local SEO Strategies Construction Firms Should Use in 2025

Construction local SEO is dominated by aggregators. The firms that learn to outflank them win the work that matters.

By John Cravey · Founder