Taylor-Smith Design - Get Seen Online

08/22/2026

One of the most common questions I get from business owners is:

"What is the best way to market my business?"

The honest answer?
It depends.

What works brilliantly for one business might fall completely flat for another.

I've seen businesses get incredible results from Google searches while others get most of their leads through referrals. Some thrive on Facebook. Others barely get any engagement there but do well on LinkedIn. Some blog posts take off immediately. Others trickle in traffic for years.

That's why testing is so important.

The businesses that see the best results online are rarely the ones that guessed correctly from the start. They're the ones that tried something, paid attention to the results, and adjusted along the way.

Maybe that means testing a different headline on your website.

Maybe it's posting at a different time on social media.

Maybe it's asking customers how they found you instead of assuming you already know.

The goal isn't to be perfect.
The goal is to learn.

Every test gives you information. Even when something doesn't work, you've learned one more thing about your customers and what they respond to.

So if you've been waiting until you know exactly what will work before taking action, consider this your permission to experiment a little.

Try something.
Measure the results.
Keep what works.
Improve what doesn't.

That's how visibility grows.

08/19/2026

**Have I introduced you to Ruby yet?**

Ruby is my AI receptionist, and she’s still learning the ropes because I’m still teaching her. 😂

But she’s already given me something I desperately needed: **uninterrupted time.**

Ruby answers my business calls, handles basic questions, can help people book an appointment, takes messages and gathers information for me. That means when I return a call, I already have a better idea of what the person needs.

And she deals with the robocalls so I don’t have to. That alone makes me happy.

I use a service called Beside. I was even able to port my phone number into it so I did not have to change my business line.

Has everything gone perfectly? Nope. Some of our glitches have involved the person programming Ruby. That would be me. 😂 So, we are learning together.

I work with technology every day, and sometimes technology still looks at my instructions and apparently says, “Sure, Krystyne. Whatever you say.”

But I’m enjoying Beside enough that I’m comfortable recommending it.

If you run a small business and could use a separate business number, help answering calls, appointment booking, basic customer questions or simply fewer interruptions during your day, it may be worth a look.

**I’ll put my link in the comments if you’d like to check it out.**

Full disclosure: it’s an affiliate link, so I may receive a benefit if you sign up through it. I’m recommending it because I use it in my own business and Ruby has become a pretty handy member of the team.

In the meanwhile, if you call and she answers, be nice to the new girl. She’s still in training. 😉

08/18/2026

Darcy Richardson, CPA, CA Broker Revel Realty Inc., Brokerage is sponsoring Squash’s adoption if you are looking for a new addition to your family.

08/16/2026

Every great story starts with someone deciding to write the first sentence.

The Blank Spaces Fiction Anthology Contest is still open, and I'm honoured that Get Seen Online gets to support it as one of this year's sponsors.

I've always believed that helping people get seen isn't limited to business. Sometimes it's about helping artists, creators, and writers find their audience too.

If you've been meaning to enter... this is your reminder.

If you know someone who writes... tag them.

If your business has been thinking about sponsoring... there's still time.

Let's help more Canadian voices be heard.

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

08/15/2026

I’ve been a little quieter around here this week.

There’s a good reason. I recently had surgery, and this week I’m completely off work.

No reduced hours yet. No sneaking in a couple of hours at my desk. This week is for recovery.

Which is a slightly strange experience when you own a small business.

It’s also been a pretty good reminder of something I talk to clients about all the time.

Your business needs to be able to exist online when you aren’t there to push it along.

My website can still answer questions.

People can still find Get Seen Online through Google.

Content I’ve already created can still be found.

Ruby can still answer the phone and take a message.

Someone who hears my name this week can still look me up, figure out what I do and decide whether they want to talk to me.

Meanwhile, I can concentrate on recovering under the extremely watchful eyes of my feline supervisors, who take their responsibilities very seriously. Their current duties appear to include making sure I stay put, inspecting all blankets and determining whether anything I’m eating should also belong to them.

Mid-next week I’ll start easing back into work with reduced hours (if I get approval from my surgeon). For now, Get Seen Online is getting a pretty good real-world test of something I tell clients all the time:

Build your visibility while you have the time and energy to do it.

Because eventually there will be a week when you don’t.

My reason happens to involve surgery, compression garments, kitten supervisors and a doctor’s insistence that I behave myself. 😂

08/15/2026

Have you ever kicked yourself over a missed opportunity?

Maybe it was a customer who chose a competitor.

A networking event you couldn't attend.

A referral that didn't work out.

A project you didn't win.

It happens to every business owner.

The problem is that when we spend too much time looking in the rearview mirror, we stop paying attention to what's coming down the road.

One of the things I love about working with small businesses is seeing how opportunities often come from unexpected places. A customer leaves a review and someone new finds you. A blog post starts ranking in Google months after it was published. A person you met at a networking event remembers you six months later and sends a referral your way.

The businesses that thrive aren't necessarily the ones that never miss an opportunity.

They're the ones that don't let a missed opportunity stop them from pursuing the next one.

So if something didn't go your way recently, don't let it take up permanent residence in your head.

Learn from it if there's a lesson to be learned.

Then move on.

Because while you're worrying about the opportunity that got away, another one may already be pulling up to the curb.

And if you've been consistently working on your visibility, your website, your reputation, and your relationships, you'll be in a much better position to catch it when it arrives.

08/12/2026

📣 What the heck does “engagement” actually mean?

Or “reach?”
Or “watch time?”
Or “algorithm?”

And why does everybody suddenly want me making Reels?

I finally put together a practical glossary explaining common social media terms in normal human language for business owners.

📱 Social Media Glossary

No social media guru nonsense.
Just useful explanations that actually make sense.

Common Social Media Terms Explained in Plain English Social media marketing has its own language. Reach. Reels. CTR. Engagement. UGC. Algorithms. Hooks. And if you're a business owner, sometimes it can feel like everyone else got handed a dictionary you missed. This glossary breaks down common socia...

08/08/2026

"The path to success is to take massive, determined action."
— Tony Robbins

Whenever I see this quote, I think it needs a little translation for small business owners.

Because "massive action" doesn't necessarily mean working 18-hour days, posting on every social media platform, rebuilding your website, launching a newsletter, starting a podcast, and networking seven nights a week.

That sounds more like a recipe for burnout than success.

What it does mean is making a decision and then following through consistently.

I can't tell you how many times I've spoken with business owners who know exactly what needs to be done. They know their website needs updating. They know they should be collecting reviews. They know their Google Business Profile hasn't been touched in months.

The challenge isn't usually knowing what to do.

It's actually doing it.

Success online rarely comes from one giant breakthrough. More often, it's the result of dozens of small actions that compound over time.

A blog post published this month.
A review requested next week.
A service page updated the week after that.
A few photos added to your Google Business Profile.

Individually, those things don't seem particularly exciting.

Together, they can completely change how easily customers find your business.

So if you're feeling overwhelmed by everything on your to-do list, don't worry about doing everything.

Pick the thing that will make the biggest difference and take action on it.

Then do the next thing.

And the next.

Momentum has a funny way of building once you get moving.

08/06/2026

One of the biggest mistakes I see with online visibility?

People waiting until they have time to “do marketing properly.”

Meanwhile, consistent little improvements often outperform giant bursts of effort.

That’s the whole idea behind Get Seen Weekly:
Small, manageable visibility tips that help your business get found online a little more every week.

You can sign up here:

Free weekly visibility tips for small business owners. Improve your SEO, social media, website, and online presence in 15 minutes or less each week.

08/05/2026

I hope everyone affected by the flooding in St. Catharines the past few weeks has managed to get the water cleaned up and that the damage wasn’t too extensive.

For local plumbers, waterproofing companies, restoration professionals and other businesses that help during situations like this: Were people able to find you when they needed you?

If the calls didn’t come in, it may not be because the work wasn’t out there. Your business might not be as visible online as you think it is—especially when people are searching quickly and calling the first trustworthy local company they can find.

I’m offering a free online visibility check for local businesses connected to flood prevention, cleanup and repairs. I’ll take a look at how easily your business can be found and point out anything that may be getting in the way.

No obligation and no hard sell—just useful information about how your business is showing up when local customers need you most.

Click the link to get started

Wondering why your business website is not pulling the weight it should be? Let us take a look. Visibility is just a click away.