Thoughts on web development

This is the first update to how I use AI for web and software development since the last update in January. Oh boy, things have changed a lot.

Skills give your AI assistant reusable capabilities. Instead of rewriting the same prompts over and over again, you install a skill and tell the agent to use it when needed.

I've been using AI coding agents for a few years and things have changed drastically over the 12 months. Here's how I go about orchestrating them to build solid features, get the best results and focus on the bigger picture.

Handicraft is a project management app designed to simplify home DIY projects. This case study explores the Laravel app's development, highlighting key features and challenges. Find out how I made a user-friendly web app that empowers homeowners to effectively plan, track, and execute their DIY projects from start to finish.

I've begun living the next stage of my life. Being a dad to my daughter!

What's a policy? What's a gate? It can be difficult understanding the difference between the two. Let's go over which does what and how to apply them to your Laravel app.

I recently converted my Inertia app from Laravel Mix to using Vite. In this post I'll talk about how it went, as well as some of the gotchas.

I recently converted one of my apps from Laravel Mix (Webpack) to Vite. Unfortunately there was a big stumbling block when it came to getting Ziggy working. In this post I discuss how I found a solution.

A step-by-step guide on creating a multi-image uploader using Laravel, JavaScript & Tailwind.

The official way of running the WordPress testsuite is horribly complicated and prone to user error. Touchstone fixes both of those issues by making the process of creating and running tests easy.

A quick look at what I'm currently using.

I recently released my first WordPress plugin. Here's what I've learned about building and releasing something for free.

Getting SEO right is about more than just some well-optimised title tags and publishing a blog post once a month. Climbing the search ladder takes time, effort and a lot of patience.

There are a few things that get in the way of successfully freelancing, but the biggest one is procrastination.

Over the years I've gone through many different ways of getting work done. The workflows I've used and overall processes I've put into place have all brought me to this point. Let's look at how I make websites...

Working from home can be a real pain and is incredibly difficult to do well. I've put together my top tips to be productive when working from home.

The thoughts of a freelance web designer on why charging an hourly rate only leads to more problems than it's worth.

You're hiring a freelancer for your project, but what should you ask them? After freelancing successfully for many years, let me help you out.

Whenever you ask someone who makes websites, "how much will a website cost", they always give you the same answer, "it depends". Let's actually look at why and what factors are involved.

Whether you're hiring a web designer to build you a new website, or your just getting your current one fixed up, there are some common and easily avoidable mistakes that can badly affect your business.

If you read my last post, <a href="http://sebkay.com/building-a-paid-service-on-wordpress/" title="Building a Paid Service on WordPress">Building a Paid Service on WordPress</a>, then you'll know I'm in the process of building out a membership site.

Over the last month, I've been building a learning and education service on top of WordPress. Can you even build a decent service on top of WordPress? That answer depends entirely on what your service does.

In the wonderful world of freelance, over-promising is a fantastic way of failing hard and fast. You and I both know you can't stick to the proposed deadline...

Most freelance web designers tend to look at client services as though they're working <em>for</em> someone, this couldn't be more wrong...

You've probably heard the term and think you have a fair idea of what causes it, but here's where you hopefully learn something new. Many people believe that burnout simply comes from working too much, however...

I bet you've got a pretty nice looking portfolio and some lovely past projects in it to match. However, you may be struggling to get people biting and asking to hire you...

I'm sure you've read many an article or list post promising to give you a golden toolbox that'll propel you into history as the greatest home worker ever born...

This post is aimed at anyone looking to hire a web designer or developer to work on a project for them. Hiring is tricky, as many business owners know, in this post I'm going to go over everything you should take into account when getting someone to make you a website.