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Welcome to The Site Desk

Your website.
Understood.

Technology should make sense. Learn how your website works, understand the tools behind your business, and put your knowledge into action.

Start LearningExplore the Implementation Lab

20 lessons · 21 guided exercises · 12 worksheets · 5 lessons open to everyone, the rest free with an account

Education with results

Don’t just learn it. Put it to work.

Every lesson leads to something finished: a task completed, a plan saved, a problem solved.

Lesson 06 · How to submit website changes correctlyThe six details every change needs

Page · where on the page · what it says now · what it should say · photos · date

Implementation Lab · Update Request Planner
PageContact
Change toSaturday 8 AM – 2 PM
PriorityHas a date
Verify completion

✓ Every change names the page
✓ Exact replacement wording
✓ Photos ready as originals
○ Numbers double-checked

My learning · Improvement plan

High Turn on domain auto-renew
Medium Add a page for each service
Future Plan a monthly content update

Explore learning paths

Four paths. Start anywhere.

Twenty lessons in plain English, written for business owners, not developers.

Path 01 Understand your websiteOwnership, domains, hosting, access and upkeep: the parts of your website you should know by name, and who holds the keys. 5 lessonsabout 1.5 hours with exercises Explore → Path 02 Manage your websiteHow to ask for changes, what they cost, how long they take, what to do yourself and how often to update. 5 lessonsabout 1 hour with exercises Explore → Path 03 Grow your business onlineWhy you do or don’t show up on Google, SEO versus ads, realistic timelines, and turning visitors into customers. 5 lessonsabout 1.5 hours with exercises Explore → Path 04 Protect and improveHacks, speed, privacy and accessibility, AI and automation, and how to tell when a redesign is worth it. 5 lessonsabout 1.5 hours with exercises Explore →

Featured: the Implementation Lab

Knowledge is better when you use it.

Guided, six-step exercises that save as you go and finish with something you can use: an inventory, a checklist, a plan or a ready-to-send request.

Enter the Implementation Lab

The learning experience

Everything in one place, built to be used.

Lessons

Lesson 11Why isn’t my website showing up on Google?

Plain-English lessons with diagrams, real examples, templates and free tools.

Video learning

▶Captions · transcript · next lesson

Short video lessons are added as they’re recorded. Every lesson is complete in writing today.

Exercises

123456

Goal, gather, instructions, record, verify, next action. Saved as you go.

Progress tracking

35%Real progress from your own completed lessons and exercises

Pick up where you stopped, on any device.

Downloadable resources

Website Security Checklist☐ Padlock on every page☐ Two-step verification

Printable PDFs and editable worksheets.

Lesson of the month

Who really owns your website?

Your website is really three things: a domain, hosting and the site itself. Find out who controls each one before you ever need to know.

Lesson 013 min readBeginner

Read the lesson
Domainyour addressHostingwhere it livesWebsitepages, words, photosThree parts. Make sure you hold the keys to each.

Open to everyone

Five lessons to start with. No sign-up.

Lesson 01BeginnerOpen✓Who really owns your website?Your website is really three things: a domain, hosting and the site itself. Find out who controls each one before you ever need to know.3 min read · 20 min exercise · UnderstandLesson 06BeginnerOpen✓How to submit website changes correctlyClear requests get done faster, cost less and come back right the first time. Here’s exactly what to include.2 min read · 15 min exercise · ManageLesson 11BeginnerOpen✓Why isn’t my website showing up on Google?How Google finds, understands and ranks websites, why yours might be missing, and how to check for yourself with free tools.3 min read · 20 min exercise · GrowLesson 16BeginnerOpen✓What happens if your website gets hacked?How small-business sites usually get hacked, the signs to watch for, what to do in the first hour, and the basics that prevent most of it.2 min read · 15 min exercise · ProtectLesson 20AdvancedOpen✓Is it time to redesign your website?Sometimes a few updates are enough; sometimes patching an old site costs more than starting fresh. A clear way to decide, and to plan either way.2 min read · 10 min exercise · Protect

For TL Web Design clients

More value from your website investment.

Use the same email you use for Client Updates. Your lessons, saved exercises, improvement plan and update requests all live under one account, and any exercise can be handed to our team for an estimate, with nothing changed until you approve it.

Sign inExplore the resources

Learning is free. Website work from TL Web Design is separate, estimated first and billed per task.

  • One accountthe same sign-in as Client Updates
  • Saved workexercises and plans on every device
  • One-click handoffplanned changes carry into Client Updates
  • Ask The Site Desksend us an educational question

Glossary

Website words, explained.

43 terms in plain English, with why each one matters and where to learn more.

Open the glossary
  • ConversionWhen a visitor does what you hoped: calls, books, buys or fills in a form.
  • DNSDomain Name System: the internet’s address book that points your domain to your website and email.
  • DomainYour website’s address, like yourbusiness.com, rented from a registrar.
  • HostingThe always-on computer where your website’s files live.
  • IndexingWhen Google stores a page so it can appear in search results.
  • SEOSearch engine optimization: helping the right people find your website on Google.