Knowledge
Every article, the newest first. Sorted by topic, they are under Topics.
Articles
The newest first.
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Alt text
Which image needs a description, which an empty alt, and why the logo is the most common mistake.
Read the article on alt text -
Backups that work
Present, complete, tested — and a copy off site.
Read the article on backups -
Accessible forms
Labels, field types and error messages — so every enquiry gets through.
Read the article on accessible forms -
PDFs on your website
Almost every business website hands out PDFs.
Read the article “PDFs on your website” -
Images
Images are the only area of a website where accessibility, loading time and search engine optimisation hang on the same adjusting screws.
Read the article “Images” -
Images: weight and format
The largest item in page weight and the easiest one to shrink.
Read the article on image weight and format -
What happens before someone clicks “Accept”
The interesting moment on a website is the one between opening the page and clicking the cookie notice.
Read the article “What happens before someone clicks “Accept”” -
Broken links and the page that does not exist
Links are the connective tissue of a website.
Read the article “Broken links and the page that does not exist” -
The content freeze nobody agrees on
Of all the things that go wrong in a relaunch, this is the least spectacular.
Read the article “The content freeze nobody agrees on” -
Switch-over day — and the four weeks after it
The moment the new website goes live is the only one in the whole project that cannot be repeated.
Read the article “Switch-over day — and the four weeks after it” -
The redirect plan
Every old address gets a target — otherwise the relaunch starts from zero.
Read the article on the redirect plan -
The list without which a relaunch is blind
There is one question that has to be answered before every rebuild of an existing website, and it sounds more harmless than it is:
Read the article “The list without which a relaunch is blind” -
The redirect that works and is still wrong
There is one kind of error that is harder to find than all the others: the kind where nothing looks broken.
Read the article “The redirect that works and is still wrong” -
Domain and email
Under every website lies a domain, and on that domain hang records that have nothing to do with the website — but a great deal to do with whether your emails…
Read the article “Domain and email” -
Colour contrast
Thresholds, colour as a signal and the outdoor test — readable for everyone.
Read the article on colour contrast -
Third-party code on your site
On an average website a whole lot of code runs that does not come from there.
Read the article “Third-party code on your site” -
Indexing and canonical
Which settings decide whether Google takes your page in, and where they contradict each other.
Read the article on indexability -
Thin pages, duplicate pages, competing pages
Three findings that do not show on a single page at all and only become visible when you lay the whole website side by side:
Read the article “Thin pages, duplicate pages, competing pages” -
Internal linking
People talk a lot about external links — who links to me, how do I get more of them.
Read the article “Internal linking” -
Does your site's JavaScript actually work?
A WordPress site quickly runs a dozen JavaScript libraries: one for the slider, one for the lightbox, one for the scroll animations, one for the form.
Read the article “Does your site's JavaScript actually work?” -
AI visibility
Why AI answers name other sources than Google and what your site needs for it.
Read the article on AI visibility -
Link text
There is a test that shows the quality of your link texts in ten seconds.
Read the article “Link text” -
hreflang
As soon as a page exists in more than one language, a problem arises that cannot be solved without a technical declaration: how is a search engine supposed to…
Read the article “hreflang” -
Mandatory pages
Four pages that German law requires or expects of most business websites: the imprint (Impressum), the privacy policy, the accessibility statement and …
Read the article “Mandatory pages” -
robots.txt and sitemap
What robots.txt may block, what belongs in the sitemap and where the two contradict each other.
Read the article on robots.txt and sitemaps -
Typeface, size, line spacing
In every website project the typeface gets discussed.
Read the article “Typeface, size, line spacing” -
Try a screen reader yourself
You can read a lot about accessibility and still not understand what it is about.
Read the article “Try a screen reader yourself” -
Reading Search Console
Google Search Console is the only tool that shows you how Google actually sees your website.
Read the article “Reading Search Console” -
Security headers and HTTPS
Which headers protect your visitors and in which order to set them safely.
Read the article on security headers -
Page structure
A website has two versions.
Read the article “Page structure” -
Page title and description
The two lines in the search result that decide the click — and how to write them.
Read the article on titles and descriptions -
Local visibility
For a business that serves customers from the area — a trade, a restaurant, a practice, a law firm, a workshop, a shop — there is one channel that often…
Read the article “Local visibility” -
Structured data
What the data block for machines still does today and which mistakes make it worthless.
Read the article on structured data -
Keyboard access
The ten-minute test without a mouse and the failures it almost always finds.
Read the article on keyboard access -
Keyboard use
Some of your visitors do not use a mouse.
Read the article “Keyboard use” -
Heading structure
Why heading levels are an outline and how to check them in a few minutes.
Read the article on heading structure -
Updates and staging
Why updates cannot wait and how to roll them out safely through a staging site.
Read the article on updates and staging -
Writing clearly
Contrast can be measured.
Read the article “Writing clearly” -
Video, sound and motion
A video on the home page counts as a modern appearance.
Read the article “Video, sound and motion” -
Why the message from your contact form never arrives
The form says “Thank you, your message has been sent.” There is nothing in the inbox.
Read the article “Why the message from your contact form never arrives” -
Why forms are harder than they look
Almost every website has one.
Read the article “Why forms are harder than they look” -
Why mail lands in spam
Which three records on your domain decide whether your mail gets delivered.
Read the article on email delivery -
What gets lost in a migration without anyone noticing
The site has moved.
Read the article “What gets lost in a migration without anyone noticing” -
What happens to the pages you no longer want
Every website that has grown carries content nobody needs any more.
Read the article “What happens to the pages you no longer want” -
What to switch off before going live
The new site is finished.
Read the article “What to switch off before going live” -
Before a relaunch
The inventory that cannot be made up after the rebuild.
Read the article on preparing a relaunch -
What WordPress loads without you needing it
You have cleared out your plugins.
Read the article “What WordPress loads without you needing it” -
Web fonts
Why fonts belong on your own server and how they load fast and stay visible.
Read the article on web fonts -
When colour is the only information
Red means taken, green means free.
Read the article “When colour is the only information” -
When a website contradicts itself
Most checks measure a website against a norm — against the WCAG, against a law, against a recommendation from Google.
Read the article “When a website contradicts itself” -
How visitors actually read — and what that means for your site
There is one number that changes work on website texts as soon as you have heard it once: on an average visit, about 25 percent of the words are read.
Read the article “How visitors actually read — and what that means for your site” -
How structured data gets onto your site
A lot is written about structured data: what it is, which types exist, what it does in the search results.
Read the article “How structured data gets onto your site” -
WordPress
A freshly installed WordPress website provides a range of addresses anyone can open without logging in.
Read the article “WordPress” -
Too many plugins
Why every unneeded plugin costs loading time, security and maintenance, and how to clear out the list.
Read the article on too many plugins -
Page speed and Core Web Vitals
What LCP, CLS and INP measure, why lab and real life differ and what improves page speed the most.
Read the article on page speed and Core Web Vitals