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<rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><title>DerekSol blog</title><link>https://dereksol.com/blog/</link><atom:link href="https://dereksol.com/blog/rss.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><description>Practical guides on planning, designing and growing websites, brands and software.</description><language>en</language><item><title>The best website builders for a small business site, compared on what they cost</title><link>https://dereksol.com/blog/best-website-builders-for-a-small-business-site/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://dereksol.com/blog/best-website-builders-for-a-small-business-site/</guid><description>Five website builders, checked against their own pricing pages on 25 October 2026. What each one is best at, what it costs, and when a builder stops being enough.</description><category>Guides</category><pubDate>Sun, 25 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Core Web Vitals explained in plain language</title><link>https://dereksol.com/blog/core-web-vitals-explained/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://dereksol.com/blog/core-web-vitals-explained/</guid><description>What the three Core Web Vitals measure, the numbers Google says to aim for, how to check your own site, and the fixes that usually matter most.</description><category>Explainers</category><pubDate>Sun, 25 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>How to brief a website project on one page</title><link>https://dereksol.com/blog/how-to-brief-a-website-project/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://dereksol.com/blog/how-to-brief-a-website-project/</guid><description>Five questions to answer before you contact a designer or developer, and why a one-page brief leads to a clearer proposal and a more accurate price.</description><category>Planning</category><pubDate>Sun, 25 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>How to choose a web designer: six checks before you sign</title><link>https://dereksol.com/blog/how-to-choose-a-web-designer/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://dereksol.com/blog/how-to-choose-a-web-designer/</guid><description>What to ask for and what proof to look at when choosing a web designer or agency, including the technical questions that separate pretty from working.</description><category>Guides</category><pubDate>Sun, 25 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Shopify vs WooCommerce: what each one costs and who it suits</title><link>https://dereksol.com/blog/shopify-vs-woocommerce/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://dereksol.com/blog/shopify-vs-woocommerce/</guid><description>A side-by-side comparison of Shopify and WooCommerce using each company's published prices, plus 2024 Web Almanac data on how many stores use each.</description><category>Comparisons</category><pubDate>Sun, 25 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title>Half the mobile web still misses Core Web Vitals, and loading is the reason</title><link>https://dereksol.com/blog/state-of-site-speed-2025/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">https://dereksol.com/blog/state-of-site-speed-2025/</guid><description>What the 2025 Web Almanac shows: 48% of mobile sites pass Core Web Vitals, loading is the weakest measure, and image choices matter.</description><category>Data</category><pubDate>Sun, 25 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate></item></channel></rss>