Security update: Your website is being protected

On 21 October, critical security vulnerabilities affecting PHP, the technology behind WordPress and many other websites, required urgent action across the hosting industry.

Castlegate IT worked closely with our hosting providers to prepare for the necessary security updates. Importantly, our hosting partners and Cloudflare implemented additional firewall protections before the security patches were released, helping to protect websites against attempts to exploit these vulnerabilities.

The necessary patches have now been applied across our main managed hosting environments. A small number of legacy environments remain protected by additional firewall measures while their updates are completed.

No action is required from our clients. We continue to monitor the situation and manage the necessary security measures on their behalf.

Category: Client Resources

rankings to recommendations featured image

From rankings to recommendations: Why SEO needs to evolve for the age of AI search

At a glance AI is changing search from rankings to recommendations. People increasingly ask AI systems for answers rather than choosing from a list of links. Traditional SEO still matters, but ranking highly may no longer be enough on its …

by Jim Semlyen 11 Aug 2026
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Castlegate’s technical insights hub

Practical case studies from our work managing complex websites. Every website presents its own technical challenges, and solving them well requires more than theory. This section shares the real problems we encounter, the investigations we carry out, and the solutions …

by Jim Semlyen 10 Aug 2026
A lock to illustrate the concept of cybersecurity

10 practical cybersecurity improvements small organisations can make this week

At a glance Use MFA wherever possible, especially for email, administrator accounts and sensitive systems. Avoid shared accounts and give people only the access they need. Protect your email domain with correctly configured SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Encrypt devices and …

by Jim Semlyen 1 Aug 2026
GEO, AEO, LLMO search blog article

GEO, AEO, LLMO: Making sense of AI search’s alphabet soup

At a glance AI search has created a new collection of acronyms, including GEO, AEO and LLMO. They describe broadly similar ideas: making content easier for AI systems to find, understand and use in answers. AEO focuses on answers, GEO …

by Jim Semlyen 30 Jul 2026
Is your organisation ready for Ai

Your staff are probably already using AI. Is your organisation ready?

At a glance Your staff are probably already using AI, whether or not your organisation has formally adopted it. AI can improve productivity, but it also creates risks around confidential information, accuracy, copyright and accountability. Blanket bans are rarely the …

by Jim Semlyen 29 Jul 2026
The age of AI search

Preparing websites for AI search: a practical guide for modern organisations

At a glance AI search is changing how websites are discovered, with AI systems increasingly finding, interpreting and recommending information. Strong SEO foundations still matter, but content also needs to work well for AI systems. Clear structure helps AI understand …

by Jim Semlyen 10 Jul 2026
Is your website ready for AI search

Is your website ready for AI search?

At a glance AI is changing how people find information, with tools such as ChatGPT and Google’s AI features increasingly answering questions directly. SEO still matters, but it’s no longer the whole picture. Websites also need to be understandable to …

by Jim Semlyen 9 Jul 2026

Cookie compliance and consent management

At a glance A cookie banner alone does not make a website compliant. The technologies behind it must respect the visitor’s choices. Non-essential cookies and similar tracking technologies generally require consent before they operate, particularly analytics, advertising and conversion tracking. …

by Jim Semlyen 8 Jun 2026
Paper planes to represent contact forms

Is your contact form losing you enquiries?

Most business websites have a contact form. Far fewer have a good one. It is easy to treat the contact form as a small detail to deal with shortly before a website goes live. In reality, it is often one …

by Sunny Simmons 1 May 2026
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Multi-language websites

In the UK, making your website available in more than one language can make a real difference. For public bodies and local authorities, it can be a legal or moral responsibility to serve diverse communities. For charities and businesses, it’s …

by Sunny Simmons 17 Oct 2025