ChatGPT vs Copilot vs Gemini: what business plans include in Australia
Compare business AI features, plan types and published prices. What Australian teams should check on currencies, GST, existing subscriptions and usage charges.
Practical guides
Evergreen how-tos for technology decisions in Australian life and work. For the latest changes, see Latest.
AI
All AI
How to write an AI use policy for a small team, with a template
What the government’s AI policy guide says a policy should cover, how to write a one-page version for your team in an afternoon, and a template to adapt.
Better AI results start with a better brief
When an AI draft misses the mark, the brief is often the problem. A five-part structure (purpose, context, output, boundaries, review) and a free template.
Start small with AI: choose a task you can check
A first AI experiment in a small business should be narrow, repeatable and easy to review. How to pick the task, test it safely and decide who owns it.
Technology
All Technology
Got an iPhone Duo? What Apple’s new guides say about the hinge and screens
Apple has published iPhone Duo support guides. How to clean the inner screen, fit the case, restart a black screen and check what’s wrong with the hinge.
Seven iPhone settings to change before you use it for work
A new iPhone holds your email, client calls and saved passwords. Seven settings that protect it and cut scam calls, with Apple’s own steps for each.
Business phones on the NBN: what VoIP costs depend on, and what to check before you rely on it
NBN phone lines are VoIP, and most stop in a blackout. What to check on power, Triple Zero, number porting, alarms and EFTPOS, and how to compare plan costs.
Is your payroll software ready for Payday Super? What to check
Payday Super depends on your payroll software reporting qualifying earnings and paying super through SuperStream. The settings and questions to check now.
Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks for a sole trader? Published Australian prices compared
Xero Ignite, MYOB Solo and Lite, and QuickBooks Simple Start compared on published Australian prices, invoice limits, BAS lodgement and payroll costs.
Booking software for Australian clinics and salons compared
Fresha, Timely, Square Appointments, Nookal and Halaxy compared on published Australian prices, card fees, SMS costs, deposits and Medicare claiming.
How to set up a shared business inbox without sharing a password
Microsoft 365 shared mailboxes and Google Workspace shared inboxes let a team answer info@ or accounts@ from their own logins. Here is how to set each up.
How to back up Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace data
Recycle bins and admin restores in Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace run out in weeks or a few months. What each keeps, and how to add a real backup.
Squarespace vs Wix vs WordPress: which suits an Australian service business?
Published plan prices, what the cheapest plans leave out, and who looks after the site: Squarespace, Wix and WordPress compared for Australian service businesses.
Microsoft 365 Business Basic vs Standard vs Premium: which plan does a small business need?
Australian prices and inclusions for Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard and Premium, compared from Microsoft’s own pages, and how to choose the right plan.
Who controls your website and domain? How to get logins back from a former web designer
How to check who holds your .au domain, find your registrar, get the transfer code and contact details fixed, and what to do if a web designer won’t hand over.
How much does website hosting cost in Australia?
Published hosting prices from Australian and global providers, the gap between intro and renewal rates, and the extras that add to a small business’s bill.
How to move your website to a new host without losing Google rankings
Google’s site-move advice in plain English: hosting-only moves, URL changes, 301 redirects and Change of Address, plus how to keep email running.
Square vs Stripe: what card payments cost a small business now
Published Australian card fees, hardware, monthly costs and payouts for Square and Stripe, what changes on 1 October, and what we couldn’t check for Tyro.
Before you rebuild your website, find out what’s actually broken
A quiet inbox doesn’t always mean the website has failed. Four checks separate a visibility, clarity, usability or follow-up problem before you pay to rebuild.
How to write a website brief in six questions
A one-page website brief gives a designer enough to recommend an approach and quote, without a 20-page specification. Six questions and a free template.
Now, next, later: a one-page plan for a busy business
When every digital project feels urgent, a now, next, later plan sets the order without pretending to predict the year ahead. A one-page method and worksheet.
Where good enquiries get lost, and how to stop it
Lost enquiries often come down to an unclear handover, not a lack of effort. Trace one enquiry from first message to next step, then close the gaps.
Business
All Business
Black Friday: how to tell if a tech discount is real
A big ‘was’ price, a ticking timer and an ‘up to’ banner don’t prove a bargain. Here’s what the ACCC says a genuine discount looks like, and the checks to run before you pay.
Does your website need a privacy policy, and what goes in it?
Which small businesses must have a privacy policy under the Privacy Act, what it must cover, where to publish it, and the penalties for getting it wrong.
Security
All Security
Seven Gmail and Google Account settings that help stop phishing
A fake invoice or login page only needs one click. Seven Gmail and Google Account settings that cut the risk, with Google’s own steps for each.
How to check a supplier invoice before you pay it
Warning signs of payment redirection scams, a five-step check before paying, a bank-details policy to copy, and what to do straight away if you’ve paid.
How to set up two-factor authentication across your business accounts
A step-by-step guide to turning on two-factor authentication in Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Xero, MYOB and Meta, and what to do when a phone is lost.
Your business email has been hacked: what to do in the first hour
Business email hacked? The first-hour steps for Australian small businesses: lock the attacker out, check rules, warn your bank and customers, report.
Marketing
All Marketing
Meta ads vs Google Ads for a local service business
How Meta and Google ads differ for an Australian local service business: targeting, budgets, GST, call and lead formats, and tracking, from each company’s own pages.
Five Google Analytics reports worth checking once a month
A monthly Google Analytics 4 routine for a small business: where visitors came from, where they landed, what they read, what they did and what they searched.
Google Ads for tradies: set a budget and count the jobs it brings in
Set a Google Ads budget, check what counts as a conversion and connect enquiries with booked jobs. A practical guide with clearly labelled dollar examples.
How to protect your Google Business Profile from hijacking and suspension
Who should own your Google listing, how to lock it down, the rules that trigger suspensions, Google’s new rule on contact details in posts, and how to appeal.
How to get more Google reviews without breaking the rules
What the ACCC and Google each ban when you ask for reviews, what Google allows, and a simple asking routine for Australian service businesses.
Does your landing page keep the promise your ad makes?
An ad starts a conversation and the landing page has to continue it. A message-match checklist that runs from the search someone makes to the enquiry they send.
The five-question weekly marketing review
A weekly marketing review should end in a decision, not a wall of dashboards. Five questions that link activity to real enquiries, plus a free template.