Notes for cannabis brands and the trades.
I write these while building for shops, dispensaries, and service businesses — the ones where the phone still matters and the ad accounts get banned. If you want the offer behind the notes, start at /business.
Which posts are in this archive?
AI Visibility Cannabis visibility when the ad accounts are banned
Google and Meta will not take the usual spend. The models still answer dispensary, cultivator, and brand questions — if the site can be read and the cart can clear a 21+ order.
Websites The shop site that answers the phone
A Midwest shop does not lose the job to a prettier hero. It loses the job to whoever looks real and picks up. Here is what the site has to do on a Saturday.
AI Agents Budtender FAQ that will not invent a strain benefit
A floor FAQ agent answers hours, pickup rules, and SKUs from approved copy — then hard-stops before inventing a medical claim or a COA.
Websites Spec buyers will not order what they cannot see
A forge or architectural-metal site is a spec packet: commissions, process, materials. It is not a tap-to-call HVAC homepage. AllCity is the phone. Matt Coffey is the work.
Automation Paperwork that is not the plant
Invoice and PO matching, intake, and support triage in n8n with Metrc fences — the paperwork operators hate, not a menu widget.
Websites A cultivation site is not a wellness brand
Cultivation sites sell lots, COAs you actually have, and wholesale inquiry — not a leaf on black with invented medical copy.
Websites 21+ checkout that can clear
A THC cart has to survive age verification, processor risk, delivery rules, and adult signature. Visibility without a checkout that can clear is a brochure.
AI Visibility When ChatGPT names the franchise, not your shop
Run the best-HVAC-near-me prompt panel. If the model names a national franchise, fix corroboration and entity facts — not another blog calendar.
Websites Three counties, not fifty city pages
State the counties you actually cover on one honest page and route quotes by zip. Spun city doorways teach the wrong map and get ignored.
Automation Saturday still books — the missed-call rail for trades
A missed-call text-back that routes zip and books a slot beats voicemail and Saturday desk coverage you cannot keep staffed. If a kid is cheaper, say so.
Websites Redesign vs refresh vs rebuild — which do I need
Refresh when the site looks old. Redesign when conversion dropped on a stack that still works. Rebuild when the CMS or platform lock is the real problem.
AI Visibility What E-E-A-T signals actually move AI citations
AI citations follow extractable proof: named authors, matching entity facts, original numbers, and third-party mentions — not a hidden E-E-A-T API score.
AI Visibility What pages matter most if I can only fix five for AI visibility
Fix the homepage, one service or product URL, About, a FAQ or proof page, and location or contact first. Those five are the pages models actually quote.
Automation How do I automate invoicing and admin tasks with AI
AI extracts invoice and admin fields into a schema. A human approves the candidate. Then you send with idempotency keys — the model never owns Stripe.
Automation How do I use AI automation to scale a service business without hiring
Automate intake, scheduling, follow-up, and invoicing in n8n — not the craft. Hours return to the people you already have. Some work still needs humans.
Websites How many fields should a contact form have
Default to 3–5 fields that change the reply: name, email, intent, and one qualifier. Extra questions belong on a second step after they start — not first.
Websites The Trades and SMB Website Playbook: Speed, Trust, and the Phone Call
HVAC and trades sites convert on speed, fold-level proof, and a tap-to-call path that works on a job-site phone — not brand cinema or chat widget walls.
Websites When should a small business redesign their website
Redesign when conversion collapses, mobile fails, the CMS locks, the offer changed, or trust went stale — not because the site turned three years old.
Websites Google Business Profile vs website — where should I invest first
Fix Google Business Profile first when NAP or reviews are broken. Brand, artist, and multi-location shops usually fund the owned website first. Both later.
Websites Google Business Profile Gets the Call — Your Website Closes the Ones Who Need Proof
On a limited budget, fix Google Business Profile first for map calls — then add an owned site for proof, services, and a fallback if Google suspends you.
AI Visibility Local Business AEO: Getting Cited When Someone Asks AI for a Pro Near Them
Local AEO gets service businesses named in AI answers for near-me and city prompts by locking NAP, Maps, and service pages — Maps rank alone is not enough.
Websites Most Small Business Sites Need Fewer Pages — and Clearer Jobs
Inventory website pages by the job a visitor must finish — not a magic number. Most small-business sites stay short once each URL earns its keep cleanly.