Week of 9/30/26

Recently, we saw a website where AI-generated code had been added to make some changes. It worked, until the owner asked a simple question: “What if I want to change a price or a word?” The answer was that the person who added the code would probably need to do it.

That does not mean the code was wrong. It just changed who could easily manage that part of the site. AI can make it much easier to build something new, but it still helps to understand how the change fits into the platform and what it means for future updates.

The goal is not to avoid AI. It is to use it without giving up control of the basics. ●

Week of 9/23/26

AI has made it incredibly easy to add custom code to a website. Describe what you want, paste in the code, and suddenly you have a new section or feature.

The problem can come later. We’re starting to see small business websites where AI-generated changes work in the moment but make the site harder to maintain. Content gets hard-coded, theme settings stop controlling things, and simple updates become more complicated for the next person who has to work on the site.

We use AI all the time, and it can be incredibly useful. But it still helps to understand the fundamentals of the platform you’re working in. Before adding custom code, it’s worth checking whether the platform already has a simpler way to do what you need. ●

Week of 7/22/26

Owning your website and digital accounts does not mean doing all the work yourself. Vendors, agencies, and employees may need broad access to manage the website, run advertising, or review analytics. The business should still remain the permanent point of control.

It is worth reviewing that access periodically. Remove people who no longer need it, confirm that recovery information belongs to the business, and make sure more than one trusted person knows where the accounts are located.

Ownership stays with the business. Access changes as the work changes. ●

Week of 5/13/26

We ran into another passwords and access situation recently. A client needed website changes made, but didn’t have access to their own website, hosting account, or domain login information. Everything had been set up through a third party years earlier, and turns out they never had the credentials in their possession.

Fortunately, we were able to recover everything and get the accounts back under the client’s control. But situations like this can become catastrophic if the wrong person controls your core digital assets and suddenly becomes unreachable.

Your website, domain, hosting, analytics, and business profiles should ultimately belong to you. We’ve talked about this before, but want to really emphasize the point that vendors and employees can be given access, but ownership and primary control should stay with the business. ●