

HTML All The Things - Web Development, Web Design, Small Business
Matt Lawrence and Mike Karan
The adventures of Matt Lawrence and Mike Karan through the world of web development, web design, and small business management. As web development agency owners for the better part of a decade, they’ve worked with all sorts of technologies, through the rise of responsive web design, the revolution of serverless computing, and the popularity gain of many no-code tools for small business owners. They commonly discuss foundational web development technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript - including popular frameworks and tools such as Tailwind CSS, Svelte, WordPress, Vue, and more.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 22, 2025 • 55min
Taking On Too Much Responsibility as a Web Developer
As web developers, we often wear a lot of hats — designer, developer, project manager, client liaison, support desk, and more. But where’s the line between taking initiative and taking on too much?
In this episode, Matt and Mike dig into the slippery slope of overcommitting in web development — whether it’s a single project that’s way too big or an avalanche of client work that becomes unmanageable. They explore how this can affect your health, your business, and your ability to actually get things done.
Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/taking-on-too-much-responsibility-as-a-web-developer
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Use our Scrimba affiliate link (https://scrimba.com/?via=htmlallthethings) for a 20% discount!! Full details in show notes.

Jul 16, 2025 • 18min
Web News: Is It Ever Okay to Fire a Client?
We all know what it’s like to be fired—but what about firing a client? In this week’s Web News, Matt and Mike explore what happens when a freelance relationship goes sour. Is it ever okay to walk away from a paying client? What if they’re disruptive, draining your time, or you’ve simply lost interest in their project? They break down when it’s appropriate to cut ties and how to do it professionally.
Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/is-it-ever-okay-to-fire-a-client
Use our Scrimba affiliate link (https://scrimba.com/?via=htmlallthethings) for a 20% discount!! Full details in show notes.

Jul 15, 2025 • 1h 4min
We Should Care More About Web App Security
In this episode, Matt and Mike dive deep into web app security by walking through a simple SaaS note-taking app and breaking down vulnerabilities at each layer—from frontend and backend to auth and hosting. With 16 billion credentials recently leaked and AI increasing attack complexity, even indie devs need to lock things down. They cover common security pitfalls like XSS, CSRF, IDOR, insecure cookies, and more—along with practical mitigations using tools like tRPC, Prisma, and Next.js. Whether you’re building solo or part of a team, this episode will help you build safer apps from the ground up.
Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/we-should-care-more-about-web-app-security
Powered by CodeRabbit - AI Code Reviews: https://coderabbit.link/htmlallthethings
Use our Scrimba affiliate link (https://scrimba.com/?via=htmlallthethings) for a 20% discount!! Full details in show notes.

Jul 9, 2025 • 18min
Web News: Trying New Things on Customer Sites
Sometimes a customer asks you to do something that you’ve never done before - when it’s mission critical this can be nerve wracking. We’ve all Googled and researched our way to learning new skills before, however, putting them to use and into production straight away seems daunting.
- What’s your policy when it comes to implementing a critical feature for a client, when you’re brand new to the tech at hand?
- Do you disclose that you’re new at it?
Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/trying-new-things-on-customer-sites

Jul 8, 2025 • 1h 9min
Write Less, Rank More: My Fill-in-the-Blank SEO Method
In this episode, Matt shares his “Write for Google” process — a strategic, keyword-first approach to planning SEO-friendly content. He walks through how he researches keywords, analyzes top-ranking articles, and builds heading structures that make writing feel like filling in the blanks. Matt also explains how he uses AI as a helpful second set of eyes to validate ideas and fine-tune outlines before writing begins.
Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/write-less-rank-more-my-fill-in-the-blank-seo-method
Use our affiliate link (https://scrimba.com/?via=htmlallthethings) for a 20% discount!! Full details in show notes.

Jul 1, 2025 • 57min
Why Developer Experience Matters
In this episode, Matt and Mike dive into developer experience (DX) — what it is, why it matters, and how improving it can make you a better developer. They share personal stories of frustrating build processes, game-changing tools, and scripting away pain points. Whether it's speeding up deployments, eliminating unnecessary rebuilds, or embracing platforms like Vercel and PlanetScale, there's never been a better time to take your DX into your own hands.
Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/why-developer-experience-matters
Use our affiliate link (https://scrimba.com/?via=htmlallthethings) for a 20% discount!! Full details in show notes.

Jun 24, 2025 • 46min
Leveling Up Your Dev Skills When You’re Not a Beginner (But Feel Like One)
Most coding guides are built for beginners—but what if you're already a working developer? In this episode, Matt shares his personal struggle with upgrading his coding skills after years of using no-code and low-code tools to deliver client sites. From outdated certifications to modern dev stacks, we explore how "situational developers" can navigate learning gaps, avoid repetitive beginner content, and figure out what skills actually matter next.
Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/leveling-up-your-dev-skills-when-youre-not-a-beginner-but-feel-like-one
Use our affiliate link (https://scrimba.com/?via=htmlallthethings) for a 20% discount!! Full details in show notes.

9 snips
Jun 17, 2025 • 57min
What Happens When a Real Developer Starts Vibe Coding?
What happens when a real developer uses AI to build something in a language and toolset they’ve never touched before? In this episode, Matt shares the story of how he created a free, custom-coded Google News sitemap generator using Node.js, GitHub Actions, and the Webflow API—with help from AI. The catch? He had no prior experience with any of those tools.
Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/what-happens-when-a-real-developer-starts-vibe-coding
Use our affiliate link (https://scrimba.com/?via=htmlallthethings) for a 20% discount!! Full details in show notes.

Jun 10, 2025 • 58min
Week in the Life of a Developer at a Tech Startup
Ever wonder what a developer really does at a tech startup? In this episode, we break down a full week—from scattered meetings and deep work to deployments, sprint planning, and handling the chaos of outages and DDoS attacks. Get a behind-the-scenes look at balancing coding, team support, and product planning in a fast-moving environment.
Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/week-in-the-life-of-a-developer-at-a-tech-startup
Use our affiliate link (https://scrimba.com/?via=htmlallthethings) for a 20% discount!! Full details in show notes.

Jun 5, 2025 • 40min
Turborepo Changed How I Use Monorepos | w/ Anthony Shew
In this episode, Mike sits down with Anthony Shew from Turborepo to talk all things monorepos. They explore the pros and cons of monorepos versus traditional multi-repo setups, and how Turborepo compares to other tools like pnpm workspaces and Nx. Anthony shares tips on getting the most out of your monorepo, common pitfalls to avoid, and where monorepos might not be the right fit. They also dive into how AI tools like Cursor and Windsurf benefit from having full codebase context—and whether that context can become a downside. To wrap things up, Anthony gives a look at what’s next for Turborepo.
Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcasts/turborepo-changed-how-i-use-monorepos-w-anthony-shew
Use our affiliate link (https://scrimba.com/?via=htmlallthethings) for a 20% discount!! Full details in show notes.