The internet changes faster every year. And 2025 said, “hold my beer.”

How people find you, whether they trust you, and if they even visit your website - all of it changed. Again. And if you’re not paying attention, you could be losing customers without even knowing why.

The internet in 2026 isn’t the internet we built websites for five, ten, or fifteen years ago. Traffic is down. Tracking is harder. And a huge chunk of your “visitors” aren’t even human.

We wade through these mazes daily while building websites and like to share - first, because we enjoy geeking out, and second, so you don’t have to go in blind.

The short version:

Bots are everywhere.
AI ate a big chunk of your traffic.
And your Google Business listing is probably more important than your social media now.

Fun times.

We also break down what’s happening with cookies, privacy laws, and why your PHP version matters way more than you think.

Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at: mayecreate.com/blog/state-of-the-internet-2026/

You wake up to 47 emails about cryptocurrency, someone wants to sell you SEO services (the irony), and three bots are VERY concerned about your website's performance.

You know the drill. You delete five, ten more appear. You silently cuss technology and consider just shutting down your contact form entirely and making people send carrier pigeons instead.

You, my friend, are NOT alone. AND you don't have to live like this.

In this week’s episode our resident bot bouncer Rebecca joined me to share how she protects over 300 websites from spam armies. Everything from the basics you can set up in 10 minutes to advanced bot warfare (yes, that's a real thing and yes, it's as satisfying as it sounds).

Rebecca explains:

• How to shut down comment spam (spoiler: just turn them off)
• The two essential tools that stop form spam before it hits your inbox automatically
• How reCAPTCHA actually works (it's not just about clicking a box)
• When to bring out the big guns: manual logic tests, IP blocking, and CDNs
• Why Cloudflare protects websites using lava lamps (we're not making this up)

If you don’t have spam YET and haven’t done anything to your knowledge to block it don't wait until your inbox is a disaster zone. Most of these fixes take minutes to implement and will save you hours of sorting through garbage in the future.

Prefer to read? We turned the whole episode into a blog post for you to reference whenever you need it. Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/tricks-to-fix-and-stop-website-spam/

Ever stare at your computer thinking "there HAS to be a better way to do this"? Like that task at work that takes 3x longer than it should. The one everyone complains about but nobody fixes.You know it needs to change. You might even know HOW to fix it. But telling your boss? That feels risky. What if they think you're just complaining? What if you come across as difficult? What if they say no and then it's just...awkward?In my early 20s I was the silently suffering employee. Now I'm the boss wishing people would just TELL me when something's broken before we waste months (or years) doing it the hard way. So I pulled Stacy in for this one to get her take on both sides of this conversation.

In this episode, we cover:

• How to decide if it's actually worth bringing up (or if you just need a Coke and a walk)
• The 9 questions to ask yourself before approaching your boss
• How to approach different types of bosses strategically
• What to say (and what NOT to say) to look entrepreneurial instead of difficult
• When to just quit instead—because sometimes that IS the answer

Fair warning: This is a long one. But if you're thinking "I can't do another day of THIS"—it might be exactly what you need. Want more? Check out the full blog post with all the details at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/how-to-tell-your-boss-that-part-of-your-job-sucks/

Quick question: If someone landed on your home page right now, would they know what you do in nano seconds? Or would they have to scroll, squint, and guess?

Most home pages fall into one of two traps: they're either cluttered and confusing, or they're an image desert with no actual words explaining what you do. Either way, visitors can't figure out what you offer—so they just leave.

Your home page isn't a novel. And it's not a photo gallery. It's a receptionist. It should greet people, tell them what you do, and point them where they need to go. That's it.

In this episode, we break down exactly what your home page needs to do (and what it definitely doesn't need to do):

• The billboard test—can someone understand what you do at 70mph?
• Why your header area matters more than you think
• How to prove you're awesome without just saying "we're awesome" over and over
• Plus, using AI as a tool (not a crutch) to evaluate and improve your page

If your home page hasn't been updated in a while—or you're not totally sure it's doing its job—this one's for you.

Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/home-page-design-tips/

Your year-end campaign emails are probably amazing. Your social posts? On point. Your stories? Compelling.

But if your website doesn’t back it up during December, none of that matters.

We've seen it happen too many times. Nonprofits pour everything into their year-end campaigns only to have the donation process fall apart at the very last step.

So Stacy and Monica made you a checklist.✨

This podcast/blog post combo has 15 tasks organized into three categories:

• 5 critical must-dos (your donation form HAS to work)
• 4 quick fact-checks (trust-builders that take minutes)
• 6 conversion boosters (tackle now or add to next year's list)

Don’t let 15 tasks scare you off, it’s okay if you can’t do everything on this list before your campaign kicks off. Start with the critical stuff (testing that donation form), then tackle what you can.

A working donation form on a slightly outdated site always beats a broken form on a beautiful one every single time.

Your donors are ready to give. Make sure your site is ready to receive.

And even if you don’t look at the blog or listen to the podcast - GO TEST YOUR DONATION FORM ON A PHONE.

Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/nonprofit-year-end-giving-website-checklist/

Since the DOJ rolled out new ADA website compliance rules in March of last year, we’re busy updating sites—and answering a lot of questions about what it all means.

The one big sticking point in client conversations is linked documents.

PDFs, Word files, slide decks—anything you link to is now considered part of your website. That means those documents must meet ADA accessibility standards too.

Everyone’s asking the same thing: “How do we make those files compliant?”
So the Account Service staff tasked Monica with putting together an overview podcast + written instructions + step-by-step video tutorials. (They’re nothing if not thorough!!)

These resources, starting with this overview podcast episode explain how to:

1. Create your documents with accessibility in mind.
2. Export them as PDFs so they stay accessible.
3. Check documents to be sure they’re good to go.

The two additional tutorials walk you through the two most common setups—step by step, button by button:

• Microsoft Word users: Complete guide →
  
  
• Google Docs users: Google Docs + Grackle workflow →
  
  

Our best advice: start with your next PDF, not your entire library.
Future you will thank present you. ❤️

Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/how-to-make-an-ada-complaint-pdf-and-why/

If your website is turtling - and not in the good ninja turtle way, but in the slow-crossing-the-highway way - everyone's noticing and cringing.

Here's the deal: while you're sitting there wondering why your site is loading at turtle speed, your competitors' sites are loading in milliseconds and stealing your sales. That sucks.

But figuring out what’s wrong can feel like rocket science.

Tyler, Rebecca and Monica just did a deep dive into the 8 most common things that slow down WordPress sites - plus how we fix them.

As you’d expect, we did get a little nerdy, but we translate the tech speak and label everything by skill level - Beginner, Intermediate, or 'Call a Professional’…and we color-coded everything in the blog post, so you're gonna be fine!

What we cover:

• Why Monica’s week-long optimization marathon failed (spoiler: it wasn't the website)
• How too many plugins are secretly slowing your site down
• Why your cheap hosting might be the real culprit
• How CloudFlare uses lava lamps for security (yes, really)
• Identifying the "digital freeloaders" slowing down your site
• Tyler's love/hate relationship with caching (it's complicated)

And friend, if you hit the halfway point and realize you'd rather be doing literally anything else with your time - even helping actual three-legged turtles cross actual highways - that's what we're here for.

Read the fully formatted (and color coded) blog post to accompany this episode at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/why-is-my-wordpress-site-so-slow-and-tricks-to-fix-it

We're celebrating MayeCreate’s 20th birthday with something special - the whole team sharing their biggest lessons learned along the way. From "don't polish a turd" to "imposter syndrome is loud, but good design is louder," these hard-won insights aren't just about building websites - they're about building a life and career you actually love.

Hear why getting uncomfortable is your secret weapon, how trusting your team changes everything, and why Monica had to write "I trust my team" 10 times before every management class (spoiler: she was a control freak). Plus stories about nose rings at interviews, Halloween costume cold calls, and why Tyler doesn't use a mouse.

These aren't your typical business lessons - they're real talk from people who've been figuring it out together for two decades.

Read the fully formatted blog post to accompany this episode at: https://mayecreate.com/blog/lessons-learned-from-20-years-in-business/