SERIES: Social Media Stars

By Becca Anderson

In this series, I have explained guidelines for successful websites that meet the criteria for selection and recommendation by AI and search engines today. But what does such a website look like? And how labor intensive is it? Let’s look at one company that has put thought and effort into structuring its website to bring it to the top of local searches.

In review, a solid website includes:

• Structuring while remembering that machines are your first readers
• Clearly stating location and service territory
• Breaking services into different pages
• Including trust indicators like real photos and company history
• Making helpful content available to answer questions
• Having a site that gives off-hours customers a way forward
• Creating a readable site with structural excellence
• Responding to off-website references to the company
• Using a clear, authoritative voice with full sentences and conversational phrasing

Busy Bee Gold

You may be familiar with Busy Bee Gold of Vancouver, BC through our Best Plants competition in 2025. Owner Mohamud Rahim gave us some insights into how he views online presence and the value it brings to his company.

“A few years ago, we recognized that our digital presence is just as important as our physical store,” he said. “For many customers, their first interaction with Busy Bee Gold happens online, so we treat our website as a true extension of our brand. Our site is designed to feel polished, welcoming, and reflective of our in-store experience. It highlights our three main areas—dry cleaning, tailoring, and bridal preservation—while maintaining a modern, easy-to-navigate aesthetic.”

Take a look

The home screen is not overly busy, but it states clearly who the company thinks it is and what it is about: “Vancouver’s Highest Rated Dry Cleaner, Wedding Gown Specialists, and Master Tailors.”

Navigation is clear with links at the top of the page to Services, Pricing, Contact and Online Booking. Each of the services (dry cleaning, wedding gowns and tailoring) have their own page of information.

Ticking the trustworthiness box for AI and search engines, the site features “The Story of Busy Bee Gold” with photos and information. People like to know who they are dealing with, especially when it comes to wedding gowns. They need to know you’ll be there when they come back to pick it up.

Busy Bee acknowledges the reality of what it’s like finding a dry cleaner. “Sometimes visiting a dry cleaner is like playing the lottery—and that’s ridiculous. You should know that your cleaner is environmentally friendly, reliable and will go above and beyond your expectations,” the page says. And then there are several customer reviews—with real names (something AI loves). Then it bravely invites you to “Read More Real Stories By Our Clients On Google Reviews” and links there.

Why is that important? Because it not only indicates Busy Bee’s confidence in what its customers think about it, it shows that the company also checks on its own online “chatter” and reacts to it as necessary. That behavior improves ranking with most search algorithms.

Customers are not familiar with what happens behind the counter. They see their garments disappear, and then magically reappear days later looking immaculate. Telling what happens to garments when they are behind the scenes not only alleviates customer worries, it demonstrates Busy Bee’s competence and expertise in handling them. A simple 1, 2, 3… system lists the steps a garment goes through from start to finish.

Because dry cleaning and tailoring are very local services, it’s key that a good site remembers that the internet is a worldwide medium, and draws the reader down to where the company actually exists. Busy Bee does a good job of this, not only with its full address, phone and other contact information, but with a map of the Vancouver area, and a custom-made locator balloon with the company’s logo on it. The hours the store is open are displayed right with the map for easy comprehension.

Unlike some companies, Busy Bee puts its pricing right on the website so potential customers know what to expect. This not only reinforces the idea that this is an open, honest company, but shows the level of service that can be expected by the prices it charges.

Busy Bee’s Online Ecosystem

Busy Bee maintains more than one website. “Alongside Busy Bee Gold, we maintain two additional websites: Majestic Tailoring for our alterations and tailoring services, and Treasury Boxes, our
e-commerce brand for preservation boxes shipped across North America,” he explained. “Each operates independently to better serve its specific audience, and we are currently developing another brand project.”

In a very smart move, the Majestic Tailoring website maintains the same look and colours from the Busy Bee site, without calling attention to the fact that they are run by the same company. But if you already are comfortable with one, when you go to the other the trust level will remain.

The Treasury Boxes site, as a separate entity, doesn’t continue the colour palette, but includes the same straightforward language and is designed to answer customer questions so they can order with confidence. It’s clear the same hand was at work designing it, as it again utilizes the 1, 2, 3… system of conveying snippets of important information the customer will want to know about the boxes.

Digital Management and Maintenance

“All of our marketing and digital efforts are handled internally,” Mohamud said. “We have an in-house marketing director who oversees our websites, online advertising, content, and overall strategy to ensure consistency across all platforms.

“While we do not focus heavily on daily social posting, we actively utilize Meta platforms, Google, YouTube, and search optimization to reach customers where they are already searching. Our goal is steady, professional visibility rather than high volume.”

Is it important?

Mohamud is emphatic about the place websites and other online activities play in his success. “For us, an online presence is no longer optional. It is one of our most important channels for growth and customer trust, and it plays a major role in our overall marketing mix.”

By putting care into constructing websites that hit the major important check boxes in today’s website environment, Busy Bee has indeed hit Gold.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Watch for more website examples, and social media posts that hit the mark all this month.