The Catalyst Blog
Field notes from a small software studio in Dallas–Fort Worth: websites, apps, payments and AI, written for owners, not developers.
Cloudflare Web Analytics vs Google Analytics for a Small Business Website
Cookies and banners, script size, speed data, and when each one fits a small business site.
Bitcoin and Ethereum RPC Providers Compared: Pricing, Bitcoin Payments and Logging
Flat vs metered, paying in bitcoin, signup, address balances and request logs across six providers, October 2026.
Accepting Bitcoin in a Texas Business: Lightning, Custody, Fees and Taxes
Where to take it, Lightning vs on-chain, who holds the money, fees compared with cards, and sales tax.
Your Website Can Be Your App: One Build for Web, iPhone and Android
Installs from your site, works without signal, updates instantly. When that fits, and when you still need an app-store app.
Why Your Website Is Slow — the Four Usual Causes and Their Fixes
Framework JavaScript, oversized photos, outside services and distant servers — and how to check your own site.
What an AI Concierge Can Do for a Small Business
The four skills every concierge starts with, the ones you can add, and how it learns your business.
htmx vs React for a Small Business Website: Why We Build Without a Framework
htmx 4 ships 13 KB to React 19's 80 KB before any of your code, needs no build step, and hands Google finished pages. The honest comparison, and when React still earns its place.
How Dallas Small Businesses Can Use an AI Chatbot for Customer Service
Your DFW customers search on their phones and expect an answer now — not a callback tomorrow. How an AI concierge handles questions, books appointments, and captures after-hours leads without adding staff.
Why Fast Websites Rank Higher in Local Search
Site speed is a Google ranking factor — and it matters most for local 'near me' searches on phones. Here's how a fast website wins more local customers in DFW.
Custom-Coded vs. the Agency Template Trap
Template on WordPress with 20 plugins, or a hand-coded site on a global CDN? Here's the honest, line-by-line comparison — speed, security, cost, and timeline.
AI Agents vs. Old-School Chatbots: What's Actually Different
One answers questions. The other actually does the work — booking appointments, qualifying leads, pulling from your data. The real difference between a chatbot and a concierge, and which one your business needs.
Self-Hosted AI Chatbots: Keep Your Customer Data in the Building
Most AI chatbots ship every customer message to someone else's cloud. A self-hosted concierge runs on a private node you control — so the conversations never leave your business. How it works, what it costs, and when it beats a SaaS bot.
Every Cloud Goes Down. Here's How AWS, Azure, Google, and Cloudflare Actually Compare.
AWS was down for 15 hours. Azure for 10. Google Cloud crashed 70+ services. Cloudflare recovered in 25 minutes. Every provider fails — here's what actually matters and why we run your concierge on Cloudflare's edge.
Google's February 2026 Core Update Is Punishing Slow, Generic Websites
Google's latest algorithm change rewards fast, expert-driven websites. Here's what small businesses need to know.
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