Francis Burnet
Francis Burnet is a Philadelphia-based SEO expert, WordPress developer, and founder of BENT Enterprise—a digital marketing agency known for building 100-page SEO websites that boost local rankings and grow small businesses online. With over 20 years of experience in web design, local SEO, and Google Business Profile optimization, Francis specializes in helping companies gain visibility in competitive markets. At BENT Enterprise, Francis leads all strategy and development, with a focus on ADA-compliant websites, mobile performance, and high-conversion architecture. His work combines automation, AI integrations, and hands-on consulting to help clients dominate the first page of Google. 📍 Based in Philadelphia, PA 📞 (484) 438-2368 ✉️ cs@bententerprise.com 🌐 https://bententerprise.com Looking for a local SEO consultant or WordPress expert in Philadelphia? Francis Burnet can help your business rank higher and grow faster. Contact BENT Enterprise today.
You've got leads coming in through your website. That's the good news. The bad news? Half of them are incomplete. Phone numbers are missing. Email addresses have typos. And someone literally wrote "asdfgh" in the company name field because they were just testing the form. Your team spends hours each week cleaning up this mess, playing phone tag to fill in the blanks, and manually entering data into your CRM. By the time you actually reach out to a qualified lead, they've already hired someone else. Sound familiar? This is exactly the problem AI-powered intake forms solve in 2026. And if you're a Philadelphia small business still using basic contact forms, you're leaving money on the table. What Makes an Intake Form "AI-Powered"? Let's be clear: we're not talking about slapping a chatbot on your website and calling it a day. Real AI-powered intake forms do three critical things: Validate data in real-time so you never get garbage submissions Adapt questions dynamically based on what the lead tells you Route and process information automatically so it lands in the right place, ready to use Think of it like having a really smart receptionist who knows exactly what questions to...
Your website isn't just a digital business card anymore: it's your operations hub, your sales engine, and often your first impression with customers. But here's the thing: the technology powering that website matters more than most Philadelphia business owners realize. In 2026, the gap between a smart tech stack and a messy one isn't just about aesthetics. It's about speed, security, integration capability, and whether your website can actually grow with your business or becomes a bottleneck that needs rebuilding every two years. Let's cut through the noise and talk about what actually works for Philadelphia businesses right now: and what you should skip entirely. Why Your Stack Matters More Than Ever Think of your website stack as the foundation and framework of a house. You can have beautiful furniture (great design) and nice paint (good branding), but if the foundation is cracked or the wiring is outdated, you're going to have problems. The right stack in 2026 needs to do three things well: Perform fast on mobile and desktop without constant tweaking Integrate easily with your CRM, payment systems, and automation tools Scale gracefully when you add pages, traffic, or functionality The wrong stack? It'll slow you down,...
Most business websites are glorified digital brochures. They look nice, show your services, maybe have a contact form: and that's about it. Your team still does everything manually: fielding calls, sending follow-up emails, updating spreadsheets, chasing down leads who never responded. Here's the truth: your website can do so much more than sit there looking pretty. It can be the central nervous system of your business: capturing leads, routing inquiries, syncing with your CRM, triggering follow-ups, and feeding your team the exact information they need, exactly when they need it. For Philadelphia small businesses competing in 2026, that's not a luxury. It's table stakes. The Brochure Website Problem A brochure website displays information. That's it. Visitors read about what you do, maybe admire your portfolio, and then… what? They have to pick up the phone, send an email, or fill out a basic form that drops into someone's inbox where it sits until someone notices it. Meanwhile, you have no idea: Where that lead came from What pages they visited Whether they're ready to buy or just browsing If anyone followed up Whether they booked a call or ghosted That's not a website. That's a missed opportunity factory. What...
Let's talk about your website stack: the collection of tools, platforms, and tech that powers your online presence. If you're a Philly business owner trying to figure out what to use in 2026, you're probably drowning in options. WordPress or custom? Wix or Webflow? Should you even care about the backend stuff? Here's the truth: your stack matters, but not in the way most tech blogs tell you. It's not about using the "coolest" tools. It's about picking what actually works for your business, your team, and your customers: without creating a maintenance nightmare six months down the road. Let's break down what Philadelphia businesses should lean into this year, and what you're better off avoiding. The Core Foundation: CMS Platforms That Make Sense Your Content Management System is the engine of your website. It's where you update content, add pages, and manage the day-to-day stuff. In 2026, the right CMS depends entirely on what you're trying to do. WordPress is still the workhorse for most businesses, and for good reason. It's flexible, SEO-friendly, and has a massive ecosystem of plugins and developers. If you need a blog, service pages, and some basic automation, WordPress paired with a solid...
Most business websites are glorified pamphlets. They tell people what you do, maybe show some nice photos, and then… that's it. Visitors leave. Maybe they bookmark you. Probably they don't. But what if your website could actually run parts of your business? What if it could qualify leads, schedule appointments, collect payments, update your CRM, and send follow-ups, all without you lifting a finger? That's the difference between a digital brochure and an operations engine. And in 2026, if you're still treating your website like the former, you're leaving serious money on the table. The Digital Brochure Problem Here's what a typical small business website does: Displays your services Shows your contact info Maybe has a basic contact form Sits there looking pretty And here's what it doesn't do: Capture structured data you can actually use Connect to your existing tools Automate repetitive tasks Help you close deals faster Reduce the manual work your team does daily If someone fills out your contact form right now, what happens? Does it land in a spreadsheet? Get forwarded to three different people? Sit in an inbox until someone remembers to follow up? That's not a system. That's chaos with a nice-looking...
Let's be honest: most Philadelphia business owners know their website could be better. You've been meaning to update it. You know automation would save you time. You've heard about AI tools but haven't pulled the trigger. Here's the thing: you don't need six months and a massive budget to make real progress. You need a focused 30-day plan that tackles the stuff that actually moves the needle. This isn't about perfection. It's about building a website and operational system that works harder than you do. Let's break it down week by week. Week 1: Audit What You Have (And What's Holding You Back) Before you build anything new, you need to know what's broken. Days 1-3: Performance Check Run your site through PageSpeed Insights and check mobile responsiveness on actual devices: iPhones, tablets, whatever your customers use. Philadelphia residents search on mobile constantly, especially for local services. If your site loads slowly or looks weird on a phone, you're losing people before they even read your first sentence. Document what's slow. Note what breaks. Take screenshots of anything that looks off. Days 4-5: Content & SEO Inventory Walk through every page on your site. Is the messaging clear? Do...
Let's talk about something that confuses the hell out of most business owners: your website tech stack. If you've ever sat through a meeting where a developer rattled off frameworks, databases, and acronyms you've never heard of, only to leave more confused than when you walked in, this one's for you. Here's the truth: most Philadelphia businesses don't need a complicated tech stack. What you need is a smart one that actually supports your business goals without requiring a computer science degree to maintain. Let's break down what's worth using in 2026, what you should avoid, and how to make decisions that won't haunt you a year from now. The Stack Isn't About Being Fancy, It's About Function Your website stack is basically the combination of tools, platforms, and technologies that make your site work. Think of it like building a house: you need a solid foundation, good framing, reliable systems, and finishes that don't fall apart after six months. But here's where businesses go wrong: they either over-build (using enterprise-level tools for a five-page site) or under-build (choosing the cheapest option and wondering why nothing works together). The goal isn't to have the most impressive tech. It's to...
Your website shouldn't just sit there looking pretty. In 2026, it needs to work, and work hard. Too many Philadelphia businesses treat their website like a digital brochure. It shows what you do, maybe collects a few emails, and that's about it. But here's the thing: your competitors are already turning their websites into full-blown operations engines. They're capturing leads, syncing data, triggering workflows, and closing deals while you're still manually copying form submissions into spreadsheets. Let's fix that. What Does an "Operations Engine" Actually Mean? Think of your website as the central hub where everything connects. When someone fills out a contact form, that data doesn't just sit in your inbox, it flows into your CRM, triggers a follow-up sequence, updates your sales dashboard, and maybe even schedules a discovery call automatically. When a customer books a service, your calendar updates, your invoicing system generates a bill, your team gets notified, and the client receives a confirmation, all without you lifting a finger. That's an operations engine. It's not about adding more tools. It's about making the tools you already use talk to each other so your website becomes the nerve center of your business. Why Philadelphia Businesses...
Your website isn't competing with other businesses in your industry anymore. It's competing with Amazon, Netflix, and every other slick digital experience your visitors use daily. And here's the thing: they're not being unreasonable about it. They've just been trained to expect certain things, and if your site doesn't deliver, they're gone before you can say "bounce rate." Let's talk about what visitors actually expect in 2026: and more importantly, how Philadelphia businesses can deliver without breaking the bank or hiring a team of developers. Speed Isn't Negotiable Anymore Your website has about 2-3 seconds to load before visitors mentally check out. Not 5 seconds. Not "it loads eventually." Two to three seconds, tops. Why? Because speed communicates professionalism. A slow site tells visitors you either don't care about their time or you don't know what you're doing. Neither message is great for business. The good news? Modern website development practices can get you there without requiring a computer science degree. We're talking optimized images, clean code, proper hosting infrastructure, and strategic use of caching. These aren't fancy extras: they're the foundation. Mobile users are especially unforgiving. Over 70% of your traffic is probably coming from phones, and mobile...
Let's be honest: most small business websites are glorified digital pamphlets. They tell visitors what you do, where you're located, and maybe showcase a few photos. Then they just… sit there. Waiting. Hoping someone fills out a contact form or picks up the phone. But here's the thing, your website can do so much more than that. In 2026, the gap between businesses that treat their websites like brochures and businesses that use them as operational engines is massive. And it shows up where it counts: in your lead quality, your team's efficiency, and your bottom line. If you're a Philadelphia-based business owner still thinking of your website as "something you have to have," this post is your wake-up call. Let's talk about what it means to turn your site into a working part of your business, not just a digital billboard. What Does an "Operations Engine" Actually Mean? An operations engine doesn't just inform visitors, it does things. It collects data, triggers actions, feeds your CRM, books appointments, follows up with leads, and adapts based on who's visiting and what they need. Think of it like this: a brochure website is a vending machine. It displays options, and...
