I'm Neil Webley. I help businesses work out where technology can make things easier, then build practical improvements. I am based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, and work with clients locally, throughout the UK and internationally through remote collaboration.
Tell me what you would like to improve ↗I've spent more than 30 years in professional software and technology work, solving technical and commercial problems. Senior development, QA and team management have all shaped how I approach the work today.
That practical approach began in the 1990s as a CAD technician, digitising structural and engineering drawings in AutoCAD for buildings and chemical works, with layers for electrical wiring, HVAC and other infrastructure. Software was not my main role, but I helped develop the company's website and automated business processes, including database-driven telephone answering and outbound sales calling using modems. Even then, I looked for ways code could make the surrounding business work better.
Over roughly two years at an ISP, I progressed from technical support into network and solutions engineering, followed by about a year consulting at Unisys. Troubleshooting individual problems grew into understanding infrastructure, designing solutions and helping businesses choose how to move forward.
During roughly three years in telecommunications, I developed internal software used by thousands of employees. The main application was a CRM-style system supporting upselling and cross-selling. It also gathered information to inform decisions about products, pricing, uptake, customer behaviour and commercial opportunities: software serving both everyday operations and better business decisions.
Later work in broadcast systems, commercial experimentation and development leadership built on that foundation. The common thread has stayed the same: understand the technical and business problem, then build a practical solution.
Understand the problem first. Then use the simplest technology that solves it.
Work with real systems, data and delivery teams is the foundation of my practical approach today.
Senior Developer. I worked on professional conversion rate optimisation and experimentation. This work grounded my approach in the practical demands of developing experiments for commercial websites.
That experience informs the CRO and A/B testing work I offer today.
I subsequently joined WeTeachCRO as a Senior Developer and became Development and QA Manager. My responsibilities grew to include development management, QA, reliable experiment delivery, technical leadership, support, mentoring and improvements to team processes.
WeTeachCRO was acquired by Velstar in 2024. Its former website now leads to Velstar's CRO service.
Earlier in my career, I developed a major electronic programme guide (EPG) system at EBS New Media. EBS used it for many years to support multinational, multilingual television listings and programme-information workflows.
I also managed a farm of 24/7 off-air broadcast recorders, helping a broadcaster record, retain and retrieve transmitted material on demand when a licence breach was alleged. This supported its licence obligations and was operationally critical compliance infrastructure, where reliability and availability mattered.
EBS was acquired by PA Group, now PA Media Group, in 2018 and later integrated into its PA TV Metadata operation. This background in software, databases and dependable data flows informs my bespoke development work.
I am the founder and developer of FreeCROTool, a lightweight A/B testing and website experimentation platform aimed particularly at small and growing businesses. I created it after years of commercial CRO work, bringing together software development, experiment delivery and measurement.
Today I work independently across business process improvement, software development, automation, CRO and analytics, alongside developing FreeCROTool. That breadth helps me choose an approach around what the business needs.
A customer-facing problem may start in a database. An administration problem may be solved by a better website feature. My work in analytics and measurement helps connect what a system does with whether it is helping the business. Experience across these areas lets me follow the problem through to its cause.
I enjoy applying that experience to smaller businesses, where the right improvement can make everyday work easier. You can come to me with a frustration or an inefficient process; you do not need to know whether the answer is software, automation or a change to something you already have.
We begin with how the business works today and what you would like to improve. I ask about the constraints, look for a sensible first step and explain the technical options in terms of their usefulness. Building is part of the work; checking whether the change helped is another.
Remote collaboration can include walking through a process on a call and reviewing examples together. The important thing is access to the people who know the task and a clear picture of what a useful outcome would look like.
A brief description of the problem is enough to begin.
Start a conversation ↗