Guides
Guides for running a small business online in Ireland
Straight answers to the questions business owners ask us: what a website should cost, whether Instagram is enough, how to get on Google Maps, how to take bookings and deposits, and what AI search changes. Each guide gives the short answer first.
Domains and email
- .ie vs .com for an Irish business For a business serving Irish customers, .ie wins on trust and on telling Google where you trade. Own the .com too if it is free and point it at the .ie.
- How to get business email on your own domain Why an address on your own domain beats Gmail, the three ways to get one in Ireland, what the four DNS records do, and how to move without losing a message.
- How to register a .ie domain What you need to register a .ie domain: proof of a connection to Ireland, an accredited registrar, the yearly cost, and why the domain must be in your own name.
Bookings and payments
- Best booking systems for Irish salons and barbers Fresha, Booksy, Phorest, Timely, Square Appointments and Vagaro compared for a salon or barber in Ireland, with a straight word on fees and who each one suits.
- How to take deposits online in Ireland How to ask for and collect a deposit online in Ireland: a sensible amount, the tools that work here, the consumer law points, and the VAT timing to get right.
- How to take online bookings What a booking system does, which kind fits your business, how to connect it to your site and Google, and how to handle deposits, reminders and customer data.
Costs and choices
- Do I need a website if I have Instagram? Instagram shows your work to people who already follow you. A website gets you found on Google, states your hours and prices, and takes bookings. Here is when you need both.
- How much does a website cost in Ireland? Real price ranges for a small business website in Ireland, from DIY builders to agencies, and what the monthly costs add up to.
- Signs your website is costing you customers Fourteen things to check on your own website from your phone in ten minutes, why each one sends customers elsewhere, and what fixes it.
- Website builder vs web designer Who should build their own site, who should hire a web designer, the third option that includes the running, and the questions to ask any Irish designer first.
- What should a small business website include? A checklist for a small business website in Ireland, with the reason behind every item, the technical bits behind the scenes, and the things better left off.
- Wix vs Squarespace vs hiring someone An honest comparison of Wix, Squarespace, a freelance designer and a run-for-you plan on cost, your time, who fixes things, ownership, Google, bookings, payments and .ie domains.
Legal and admin
- GDPR and cookies for small business websites in Ireland What GDPR means for a shop or trade website in Ireland: the privacy notice, when a cookie banner is needed and when it is not, and what to do with booking data.
- How to move your website to a new provider How to move a site and domain to a new designer or host without losing your email, your Google listing or your old links, and the traps that catch Irish businesses.
Google and local search
- How to get more Google reviews The routine that brings in honest Google reviews: a direct link, a QR code at the till, a short text after each visit, asking in person, and the rules on incentives and fakes.
- How to get your business on Google Maps Your Google Maps listing comes from your Business Profile. How to create it, why a business does not show, and how to fix the pin, Eircode, service area and duplicates.
- How to reply to bad Google reviews A five-part structure for replying to a bad Google review without arguing, fresh example replies, when a review can be flagged for removal, and what never to write.
- How to set up a Google Business Profile in Ireland Claim or create your Google Business Profile, get the name, category, address and bank holiday hours right, pass verification, and keep it alive with photos, posts and review replies.
- What is local SEO? Local SEO is the work that gets a business shown when someone nearby searches for what it does. Here is what Google looks at, what is worth doing, and what is not.
AI search
- How to show up in ChatGPT answers What ChatGPT reads before it recommends a business, the crawlers to allow, why Bing's index matters, and the honest limits of all of it.
- What is AI search and why it matters for a local business AI search tools answer questions by reading websites, Business Profiles and reviews instead of listing links. What that means for a local business and what your site needs.
- What is llms.txt? llms.txt is a proposed markdown file at the root of a website that summarises it for AI tools. What it is for, what goes in it, and a skeleton you can adapt.