Taylor-Smith Design - Get Seen Online

09/11/2026

Having had my own run-ins with cancer twice, I’m especially grateful for the research, treatments and advances that exist because people chose to donate and support cancer research.

Those donations matter. They fund the work that gives people more options, more answers and more time with the people they love.

So thank you to everyone who has donated, supported a fundraiser, shared a link or helped in whatever way they could. ❤️

If you’re able to make a donation to this fundraiser, I would be very grateful. Help Marianne and everyone at Dr. Hopkins & Associates Optometry honour someone very dear to them that they lost last November. Every contribution helps.

🎗️ Donate here: https://ofnhs.akaraisin.com/ui/bmcr2026/

And thank you. ❤️

Support My Journey I am participating in the Big Move Cancer Ride to raise money for the Walker Family Cancer Centre. My team is riding in honour of our late co

09/11/2026

I have some mildly inconvenient news for anyone who likes asking:

“What position am I on Google?”

Even Google says that question is getting harder to answer.

Google’s John Mueller explained this week that the old idea of positions 1 through 10 is becoming difficult to map in a useful way.

Look at a Google results page now.

You might see an AI answer, a map, videos, People Also Ask questions, images and regular website results.

So when an SEO report says your average position is 6.2, there’s a lot more happening around that number than there used to be.

I still watch rankings.

I also want to know whether you’re getting seen more often, which searches you’re appearing for, whether people are finding you in Maps and whether all of that visibility is bringing useful people to your business.

Because being able to proudly announce that you’re NUMBER FOUR ON GOOGLE sounds lovely.

I’d rather know whether number four is paying the bills. 😂

09/10/2026

**Keeping your WordPress website updated should not feel like this. 😵‍💫**

When most people think about website maintenance, they think about software updates.

But that's only part of it.

There's also:

• Updating service descriptions
• Adding new photos
• Replacing outdated images
• Posting blogs and articles
• Updating pricing
• Adding new products or services
• Changing staff information
• Updating business hours
• Fixing broken links
• Swapping out seasonal promotions
• Updating testimonials
• Checking contact forms
• Making sure everything still looks good on mobile devices
• Keeping plugins, themes, and WordPress itself updated
• Running backups
• Monitoring security

And let's be honest...

Sometimes just finding where to make the change takes longer than making the change.

Many business owners tell me they have a list of website updates they want to make, but every time they log in they end up thinking:

*"I'll deal with that later."*

A few months later, the pricing is wrong, the photos are outdated, a staff member who left two years ago is still on the website, and the homepage is promoting an event from last summer.

Sound familiar? 😅

The good news is that your website doesn't have to become another source of stress.

Whether you need someone to show you how to manage it yourself, occasional help when changes are needed, or ongoing maintenance so you never have to think about it, there's a solution.

Your website should be working for your business, not sitting on your to-do list making you feel guilty every time you see it.

If your website updates keep getting pushed to "someday," let's chat.

09/09/2026

Why an AI-Generated Website May Not Be the Deal You Think It Is

AI website builders make an appealing promise. Answer a few questions, choose a colour and watch an entire website appear within minutes. You may receive a homepage, service descriptions, stock images and a contact form before you have finished your coffee.

https://getseenonline.ca/ai-generated-website-good-deal-or-no-deal/

09/09/2026

Ever Googled your business, found yourself in a lovely position, then asked someone else to search and they see something completely different?

Google has just published new documentation explaining more about how its Search results can vary by region.

Some of the newest changes are specific to Europe, but there's a good lesson in there for Canadian businesses too.

**Where someone searches from matters.**

That's especially true for local businesses.

So when your cousin in Florida tells you that you're #2 on Google, enjoy the compliment. 😂

Just don't build your SEO strategy around it.

When I look at search visibility, I'm much more interested in what people in the areas you serve are seeing, along with your Search Console data, website traffic and the leads coming into the business.

One Google search from one phone gives us a snapshot.

Useful SEO data tells us what's happening over time.

And yes, you may continue Googling yourself occasionally.

I know you're going to anyway.

09/08/2026

Your Instagram posts and YouTube videos can show up in Google Search.

Now Google is giving us a better way to see when that happens.
Search Console can track certain social and video accounts and show which posts appeared in Google, how many impressions they received and even what people searched for before finding them.

That makes social media analytics a little more interesting.

A video doesn't need 50,000 views to be useful.

If you make a helpful little video answering a question your customers ask, and that video keeps appearing when people Google that question, I'd call that a pretty good day's work.

It also gives us clues about what people want to know.

Those clues can become website FAQs, blog posts and future videos.

So your social media and your SEO may have been talking behind your back.

Google has simply given us a better way to listen in. 😂

09/08/2026

⏰ Last call!
The deadline for the Blank Spaces 2026 Fiction Anthology Contest is almost here.

SEPTEMBER 30th!

If you've been thinking...
"I'll finish it this weekend."
"I'll edit it one more time."
"I'll submit tomorrow."
This is your gentle nudge.

As a sponsor, it's been such a privilege watching this year's contest unfold. Writing and supporting projects like this means a great deal to me—not only because I'm passionate about helping people get seen, but because I genuinely believe stories matter.

If you've written something...
Hit submit.

If you know someone who should...
Tag them.

And if you can't enter this year, sharing this post could be the encouragement someone else needs.

Let's help another Canadian writer take the next step.

Canadian short fiction contest with the theme Where You're Planted. Open until September 30, 2026. Cash prize and publication!

09/08/2026

Google Business Profile calls are dropping for some businesses.

Before we all run screaming into the SEO wilderness, there’s an interesting bit of data behind it.

A recent study found that U.S. Google Business Profiles saw calls drop about 12% year over year in the second quarter.

Website clicks dropped too.

Meanwhile, requests for directions went UP 21%.

People may be doing more of their decision-making right inside Google Maps.

They find you.

Read your reviews.

Look at your photos.

Check your hours.

Then hit Directions and show up at your door.

Which means a drop in website clicks doesn’t automatically tell us that fewer people found your business.

For local businesses, I’m going to be paying more attention to what people do after they find you, including those direction requests.

Because apparently even our boring little Google reports have plot twists now. 😂

09/07/2026

Google reviews can disappear when a Google Business Profile gets suspended and then reinstated.

And yes, Google knows this can happen.

Imagine finally getting your Business Profile back online and discovering that your lovely collection of customer reviews apparently went on vacation without you.

Fun. 😂

Google says businesses that lose reviews after reinstatement can contact support for help recovering eligible reviews.

Here’s a tiny bit of housekeeping I’d suggest for business owners:

Every once in a while, take a screenshot of your Google Business Profile showing your review count and rating.

Hopefully you’ll never need it.

If something goes sideways with your profile, you’ll have a dated record of what was there.

Google Business Profiles are incredibly valuable for local businesses.

They are also rented real estate.

Keeping a few records of your own is a pretty sensible idea.

09/05/2026

Running a business can feel a bit like juggling while riding a bicycle.

There's always something that needs your attention.

Customers to serve.
Invoices to send.
Projects to finish.
Marketing to do.

And somehow, you're supposed to keep planning for the future at the same time.

When business owners talk to me about online visibility, many of them feel overwhelmed because they look at everything that could be improved.

The website needs updates.
The Google Business Profile needs attention.
Social media has been neglected.
Reviews need to be collected.
SEO feels like a giant mountain to climb.

Looking at the whole list can make it tempting to do nothing at all.

Instead, focus on what you can do right now.
Not next month.
Not when business slows down.
Not when you have more time.
What can you do today?

Maybe it's updating a service page.
Maybe it's responding to a review.
Maybe it's posting a helpful tip on social media.
Maybe it's finally fixing that broken link on your website.

Small improvements have a way of building on each other. One task completed today often makes the next task easier tomorrow.

You don't have to solve every problem this week.

Just do the best thing you can with the time and resources you have available right now.

Future you will be grateful that you started.