Field notes
The blog
Written by the people who do the work. What we are building, breaking and learning while running AI in production for real businesses.
26 August 2026 · Matt Pearce
Does page speed affect Google rankings? What we measured when we left WordPress
Yes, but not the way it is usually sold. Page speed is a real ranking signal, but a lightweight one; its bigger effects on your visibility are indirect. This week we replaced our WordPress site with a static build and measured both versions under identical conditions. Same server, same pages, same test, the new site is twice as fast. Here are the numbers.
Read it26 August 2026 · Matt Pearce
Why AI assistants forget - and how we taught ours what to remember
AI assistants forget because their working memory is finite: when it fills up, older detail gets compressed into a summary, and a generic summary keeps the wrong things. We wrote our own compaction policy - keep the data and the reasoning, discard the journey - and it changed how reliable our AI operations work is.
Read it9 July 2026 · Matt Pearce
We've launched AI4SMB - and we're letting an AI build it in public
AI4SMB is our new brand for practical AI in small business, starting with an Australian-sounding AI receptionist that wires into the phone system you already run - and we are building it in public.
Read it25 June 2026 · Matt Pearce
Essential Eight Is Being Retired - What Australian Small Businesses Should Do Next
The Australian Signals Directorate is retiring the Essential Eight within two years, replaced by a new Essentials series. For small businesses, the practical move is SMB1001 - a certification designed for your size, not scaled down from enterprise.
Read it22 June 2026 · Matt Pearce
Passkeys Explained: Why Your Business Should Start Moving Away From Passwords
Passkeys replace passwords with cryptographic keys that cannot be phished, reused or leaked in a breach - and they are already supported by the platforms most Melbourne businesses use every day. Here is how they work and how to start.
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