This was a Talking Web newsletter on 1 September 2026 - join the newsletter here.

Hi,

Hope you had a lovely long (rainy) August Bank Holiday weekend if you’re in the UK?! We did DIY, obviously, as it was a rainy bank holiday, and I can confirm B&Q was very busy.

This week’s email is purposely delayed until 11am because now the embargo is lifted and I can officially tell you something exciting…

We’ve been announced as one of the Nation’s Favourite Businesses! You can see a bad, unprofessional photo of Tom and I on that link, from a friend’s wedding last year… maybe we should get some better headshots done…

I was thrilled and totally surprised to get the email a few weeks ago that we’d been selected – it was something I applied for months ago and, to be honest, forgot about for some reason. I think because it seemed such a long way off. (And they’re the best ones – the watched pots are exhausting.)

So in the run up to Small Business Saturday in December, expect even more help and support from us via guides and talks.

You can read more about it, including why we won it, and what it means to us here.

Meanwhile…

What can you do to get your name out there more? How can you get a press-worthy story? What award can you nominate yourself for?

Link backs from the press or other websites have always been important for SEO, but for AI, it doesn’t need to be a link – it needs to be a mention, or a “citation”.

What one thing can you progress this week, or research, to move towards getting your brand (or yourself) more visibility?

AI could be your friend on this if you don’t know where to start – ask Chatty (ChatGPT) or Claude what opportunities or awards there are that are relevant to you or your company.

Tip: Why not sign up to the Small Business Saturday newsletter (scroll to the bottom of the page) so you hear about when the Nation’s Favourite Business applications open next year?

(On that note – I’ll be telling you about one soon – so watch this space for something you’ll be able to enter…)

Speak soon,

Lisa

Lisa Freeman

​18a web development – Nation’s Favourite Businesses 2026 – woop 🥳

​https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisafreemanweb