Business tips

The llms.txt file offers AI models a clean summary of your site. What it really does, what it does not do, and whether you should bother with it now.

Being listed in the right directories is still one of the simplest ways for a Quebec small business to be found. Where to list, in what order, and why consistency matters more than volume.

Setting up a Facebook business page properly from the start, then replacing the endless address with a short link in your own name.

Adding an agency or an employee to your Google listing without handing over your password: the steps, the difference between owner, admin and manager, and the mistake to avoid.

Google's Ads Transparency Center shows, for free, every ad an advertiser is running. Enough to see what your competitors do before spending a dollar.

The short version of installing WordPress through Softaculous, for someone who has never touched hosting: what to have in hand, and the order of the steps.

Wappalyzer shows in one click what runs any website: CMS, tracking tools, host, payment solution. Useful before a redesign, or to size up a competitor.

A Chrome extension that shows your site as it appears on dozens of phones and tablets, without owning the devices.

Free tools cover the essentials of search visibility for a small business. Which ones, in what order to use them, and when paying starts to make sense.

On-page SEO rarely fails for lack of technique: it fails because the page answers no question. Here is the order to work in.

Canva's connector lines stay attached to shapes when you move them. Enough to build a clean org chart or process diagram without a drawing program.

Local search rests on three pillars: a flawless Google listing, identical contact details everywhere, and structured data Google can read.

Five local-search moves within reach of a neighbourhood business: a current Google listing, pages per city, reviews, consistent contact details and recent photos.

The filetype operator limits a Google search to one file type: PDF, Excel, PowerPoint. Useful for finding reports, price lists and documents nobody publishes as a web page.

The intitle operator limits results to pages whose title contains your word. A blunt filter for finding precise content — and for seeing who competes with you on a topic.

Creating an email address on your own domain in cPanel: the steps, the settings that keep your messages out of the spam folder, and the limits to know about.

When the reset email never arrives, you take back control directly in the database. The steps, and the precautions before touching anything.

200, 301, 404, 500: what each status code means, which ones matter for search, and what to do when your site returns the wrong one.

A free browser extension that shows any page's SEO structure in one click: titles, tags, links, structured data.

Installing WordPress with Softaculous from cPanel in a few minutes, and the settings to fix right afterwards so you do not end up with a vulnerable site.

Managing several WordPress sites from a single dashboard: bulk updates, backups, cloning one site to another host.

Making a WordPress site bilingual without breaking its layout: how visual translation works, what it costs, and what to know before translating a Quebec site.

Five concrete fixes for a site that gets visits but no enquiries: a short form, a visible call to action, social proof, mobile speed, and a contact page that reassures.

Connecting your site's RSS feed to Pinterest so every new article is pinned automatically, with no WordPress plugin and no daily work.

Five mistakes that explain most wasted small-business marketing budgets: no measurable goal, too many channels, no measurement, a message for everyone, and quitting too soon.

Google reviews decide one call in two in local search. How to get them regularly, how to reply — especially to bad ones — and what never to do.