Practical advice on web design, SEO, WordPress, and growing your business online. Written by Kim and Chuck from real project experience, not recycled content.
Last reviewed: August 2026. Google changes its ranking systems thousands of times a year. Most of those changes are invisible. A handful, the confirmed core updates, are large enough to move rankings noticeably, and those are the ones worth understanding. This page is...
Iowa Businesses Cited in AI Search: What They Have in Common When we run GEO audits for Iowa businesses, we query ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews with the same questions their customers ask. Some Iowa businesses appear. Most do not. The ones that appear...
GEO vs SEO: What’s Actually Different, What’s Shared, and Why Iowa Businesses Need Both Every Iowa business owner I talk to asks some version of the same question: is GEO a replacement for SEO, or is it something extra? The short answer is neither. GEO is...
How to Test If Your Iowa Business Appears in AI Search (And What to Do If It Doesn’t) The fastest way to know whether your Iowa business has a GEO problem is to ask the same questions your customers ask in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google, and see what comes...
What Is RAG, and Why Does It Determine Who Gets Cited in AI Search? When someone asks ChatGPT “who does web design in Iowa City” or asks Google’s AI Overview “best local SEO company in Des Moines,” the answer they get is not made up. It...
I Got Burned by My Last Web Designer. Now What? If dealing with your web designer feels like being at a used car lot where everyone’s smiling but nobody’s giving you a straight answer, you’re not alone. Getting burned by a bad web designer is more...
A good-looking website that doesn’t generate leads is just an expensive business card. Here’s what Eastern Iowa small businesses actually need to fix it.
Running a home-based business in eastern Iowa? Your website is your storefront. Here’s what it needs to look credible, rank on Google, and turn visitors into customers.
It Started With Mosaic
Mosaic was introduced in 1993 and ushered in the age of the World Wide Web. Soon after Mosaic came Netscape’s Navigator. Then in 1995, Microsoft introduced their web browser called Internet Explorer and the war was on between Netscape and Microsoft. There was a big advantage for Microsoft because they bundled Internet Explorer with it’s popular Windows operating system.
You know the saying about the cobbler’s kids having no shoes? That was us. We have spent the last decade building websites for Iowa businesses and nonprofits, and our own site was running on a patchwork of old Divi layouts, a bloated plugin stack, and content that had been revised so many times it lost its focus.
So we burned it down and started fresh.
Not a redesign. Not a migration. A completely new build on a clean WordPress install with Divi 5, a custom child theme, and zero leftover baggage from the old site.
Is your website an expense or an investment? We break down how professional web design delivers a measurable ROI for your business. Learn how conversion-focused design, mobile optimization, and clear calls-to-action can turn your site into a 24/7 sales engine. Read the latest insights from Team 218 Web Services. #WebDesign #ROI #IowaBusiness #Team218
We write about this stuff because we do it every day for Iowa businesses. If your website isn't ranking, isn't converting, or just needs help — start with a free audit.
