Cognivise blog
Answers to the questions asked before committing to a software project or a hire. Written to answer the question rather than to promote the service.
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Search and AI visibility
Ecommerce SEO checklist for a UK online shop
Most shop SEO problems come from structure, not keywords. This checklist covers the decisions that cause the most trouble and how to make them well.
5 min read
Search and AI visibility
What is GEO? Generative engine optimisation explained
GEO is mostly good SEO with a few new questions attached. This guide separates what is established from what is guesswork, so you can decide what to do first.
4 min read
AI development
When does a business actually need AI development?
Most AI projects stall because nobody agreed what the AI was for. This guide helps you decide whether you have a real job for it before you spend anything.
4 min read
Building software
How to choose a software development company, and what to check first
Almost every supplier will show you a portfolio and a process diagram. Neither predicts how the engagement goes. These are the things that do, and most of them can be checked before you sign anything.
5 min read
Running software
Legacy system modernisation: repair, replace or leave alone
Every ageing system eventually prompts the same meeting. Someone proposes a rebuild, someone else points at the cost, and nothing happens for another year. There are four options, not two, and the decision is more answerable than it looks.
5 min read
Hiring and teams
Staff augmentation vs outsourcing, managed services and consulting
These four arrangements get quoted against each other as though they were competing prices for the same thing. They are not. They differ in who directs the work and who carries the risk, and those two questions decide which one fits.
5 min read
Hiring and teams
How to hire a dedicated development team
There are three ways to add engineering capacity, and they are not interchangeable. This is how to work out which one you actually need, and what to ask before you commit.
3 min read
Running software
What application support and maintenance actually cover
Support and maintenance get written into contracts as one line and then mean different things to each side. Here is what each actually covers, and what to settle before you need it.
2 min read
Topics we write about
2 articles
Building software
Deciding what to build, who should build it and what it will cost.
Custom software development →2 articles
Hiring and teams
Adding engineers: specialists, dedicated teams and permanent hires.
Dedicated development teams →2 articles
Running software
Support, maintenance and what to do with systems that have aged.
Ongoing support and ownership →2 articles
Search and AI visibility
SEO, GEO and how a business gets found in search and in AI answers.
SEO and GEO services →1 article
AI development
Software with a model inside it, doing a specific job in the business.
AI development services →Next step
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