Although content plays a crucial role in an SEO strategy, it can be daunting for local businesses to produce consistently. Unlike B2B SaaS startups that may have the resources and capabilities for an extensive content marketing program, local businesses like HVAC companies, hardware stores, or real estate agents often face limitations in time, budget, and capacity.
To adhere to the recommendation of creating content, many local businesses resort to blogging. However, the outcomes are typically disappointing, with only a few 300-word articles that attract a minimal readership of three people.
Local content goes beyond mere blog posts
Local content encompasses a variety of content pieces, such as product or service pages, case studies, and client testimonials.
These elements serve multiple purposes:
- Guide potential customers down the sales funnel, encouraging them to progress in their buying journey.
- Address any objections they might have, helping to overcome hesitations or doubts.
- Persuade them to take meaningful actions that move them closer to making a purchase decision.
The beauty of local content lies in its versatility. It doesn’t have to be limited to written content alone. With the prevalence of smartphones, GoPros, and user-friendly editing tools, local content can now include diverse formats like images, videos, podcasts, or engaging stories on your website.
The central objective remains consistent – creating content that establishes authority and fosters trust with your potential customers. Below, we outline the various types of content a local business should consider investing in to achieve these goals.
Content for your ‘About’ page
As the old saying goes, “People prefer to do business with individuals, not just businesses.” This holds particularly true for local businesses. Local customers often gravitate towards products or services offered by local establishments because they have the opportunity to connect with the sales staff, management, and owners.
For any local business website, a crucial priority should be presenting the business in an authentic manner, allowing potential customers to get to know, like, and trust the company.
Utilize your website to introduce the following key aspects:
- Who you are: Provide information about the people behind the business and the faces that make it all happen.
- What you do: Clearly explain the products or services your business offers, ensuring visitors understand your offerings.
- Why you do it: Share your business’s mission and the passion driving your work, which can resonate with potential customers on a deeper level.
Your company’s unique story plays a significant role in setting you apart from the competition. Ensure it takes a prominent position on your website, capturing the attention of visitors right from the start.
To effectively introduce your company’s story, consider creating the following types of content:
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the About Us page
What narrative underpins your company? What sets you apart, making you stand out? Why should potential customers place their trust in you instead of opting for big national brands or local competitors?
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Company Values and Beliefs
What principles does your company hold dear?
Share your core values and mission statement, and illustrate how they translate into action in your daily work.
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Company Background
Does your company boast a compelling history? Perhaps you are a fourth-generation, family-owned business that has braved significant industry changes. Or, maybe you have grown from a small enterprise into a prominent regional presence. Highlight the intriguing aspects of your history that would captivate the general public.
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Community Involvement
If your company were to close its doors tomorrow, would your community feel the impact?
Tell the tale of how your company has positively influenced your local community. This may encompass charitable endeavours by your team or individuals, events you sponsor, scholarships you provide, or partnerships with charitable organizations.
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Our team
People appreciate getting to know the faces behind the business. Whether you run a retail store, a local manufacturing company, or an HVAC service, your website provides an opportunity to showcase your public-facing team members.
Depending on your company’s size and the number of customer-facing employees, you may choose to highlight the executive/leadership team, sales or customer support representatives, or individual technicians. For each team member, consider including a bio that emphasizes their skills, experiences, and training, along with their contact information.
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Careers Page
Remember, not all website visitors are potential customers; some may be prospective employees.
Devote a dedicated page on your website to share your story with job seekers.
Here, your employees can convey your company culture and what sets you apart as an employer.
You can list current job openings directly on this page or provide a link to your third-party hiring software.
Write About Your Products and Services
To ensure your product or service reaches potential customers when they search on Google, it’s crucial to have your product or service pages appear in their search results.
One of the common mistakes observed in local service businesses is having a single page that lists all their services. For instance, an exterior remodelling company may have just one service page with a brief paragraph or a bulleted list mentioning all their offerings, such as roofing, siding, windows, doors, and decks.
To improve your online presence, it is essential to create dedicated pages for each service you offer. Furthermore, going deeper and having specific pages for sub-services will enhance your visibility even further. For instance, instead of having a generic roofing page, consider having pages dedicated to roof repair, roof replacement, hail damage, and different types of roofing materials.
Additionally, you can create various types of content to augment your product or service pages:
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Local Angle
Highlight services that are unique to your region. Provide insights, specific details, or restrictions related to your services in your target market.
For example:
– Pest control companies can focus on the most common pests in their region.
– Builders and remodelers can mention local building codes that apply to their projects.
– Pool companies in colder climates can emphasize pool winterization services.
By optimizing your product or service pages with relevant and localized content, you can improve your chances of attracting potential customers and establishing a stronger online presence.
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Showcasing Your Expertise
To gain valuable insights into the needs and preferences of your customers and demonstrate why your solution is superior, tap into the knowledge of your sales team, technicians, or customer service representatives. Their experience can help identify common challenges customers face and highlight how your offerings provide the best solutions.
Avoid relying solely on an agency, freelancer, or ChatGPT to create your service page, as it might lack the personalized touch and in-depth understanding of your business that is necessary to stand out.
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Leveraging Brands
If your store carries specific brands or prefers particular manufacturers for your materials, creating content centered around these brands can boost your local search ranking for brand-specific queries. Discuss why these brands outshine others, elaborate on the duration of your association with them, and express why you prefer them. This will not only enhance your credibility but also establish a stronger connection with potential customers who value these brands.
Show Proof
On the websites, any business can make bold claims like “We are the best,” “We are the most affordable,” or “We are the most responsive.” However, what distinguishes exceptional local websites is their ability to substantiate these claims with social proof.
Social proof is a psychological principle that leverages the actions of others to encourage people to take action. It demonstrates that previous customers have made purchases and are satisfied with the results.
To incorporate social proof effectively, consider implementing the following strategies on your website:
- Testimonials: Encourage previous customers to share their experiences of buying from you. Showcasing these testimonials will address potential customers’ questions, alleviate doubts, and establish trust.
- Case studies: Showcase your work and design aesthetics through compelling case studies. Depending on your industry, you can include different types of case studies, such as B2B case studies, featured projects for construction or remodelling, “before and after” transformations for lawn care services, or galleries for custom furniture or roofing projects.
- External recognition: Boost your credibility by adding trust symbols to your website. Display industry awards and recognition, manufacturer certifications, and local business awards to stand out from your local competitors.
By incorporating these various forms of social proof, your website will not only make bold claims but also demonstrate to potential customers that your business is trustworthy, reliable, and capable of delivering on its promises.
Explain what sets your business apart from others
What sets your business apart, and why should customers choose you over others in a world where similarities abound? Your website should provide clarity on your identity, offerings, target audience, and what makes you stand out from the crowd.
To effectively showcase these differences, consider incorporating the following elements into your website’s content:
- Process: For products or services that involve infrequent purchases, such as cars, divorce services, or kitchen remodels, customer education is essential. Clearly outline the steps involved in your process, from initial inquiry to completion. Provide detailed information to address common questions that people may have along the way.
- Comparison against Competitors: As customers research, they will come across your competitors, whether they are local businesses, national brands, big box stores, or online e-commerce platforms. Highlight what makes your company, product, or service unique and different from all of these options. Emphasize your strengths and attributes that set you apart.
- Comparison against Other Products or Services: Sometimes, your competition isn’t a similar business nearby, but rather other choices that customers may consider. For example, as a contractor, you may be competing against DIY or handyman options, while as a retailer, your products may compete against items at higher or lower price points. Address these comparisons directly and explain how your offerings outshine the alternatives.
By presenting these points clearly on your website, you can effectively communicate your unique value proposition and persuade potential customers to choose your business over others in the competitive market.
The Pricing
Pricing is undoubtedly one of the trickiest aspects to address in local content, especially for service businesses. While there are valid reasons for not displaying exact pricing on your website, it’s essential to acknowledge that potential customers are actively seeking this information.
Controlling the pricing discussion is crucial – wouldn’t you prefer to help your potential customers justify their budget rather than leaving it to your crosstown competitor?
Even though providing exact pricing may not be feasible, there are numerous ways to discuss pricing in a more generalized manner. This approach sets proper expectations and can effectively pre-qualify prospects, leading to higher-quality leads.
Here are some content ideas to effectively handle pricing for your services:
- Give a Price Range: Instead of providing exact figures, offer potential customers a price range for typical projects. This combination can work well when accompanied by featured projects.
- Price Breakdown: Address the various variables that influence pricing for your product or service. Discuss what factors go into pricing and how certain elements can affect costs positively or negatively.
- Additional Fees: Be transparent about additional costs that customers may not be aware of, such as taxes, fees, permits, delivery charges, or installation costs.
- Explaining Price Disparities: Address the discrepancy in pricing among different companies. If some businesses charge significantly less, use the opportunity to demonstrate your value, explain why you may charge more, and emphasize why it matters.
By adopting these strategies, you can provide valuable insights into your pricing approach, which will foster trust and guide potential customers in making informed decisions while considering your services.
The significance of crafting impressive local content cannot be overstated
Local content creation should not revolve around generating numerous spammy content pages in an attempt to manipulate search results. Neither should it involve producing thin, uninteresting blog posts that go unnoticed.
Instead, this guide focuses on providing a wealth of content ideas to support your local content strategy and effectively showcase your company to both Google and your potential customers.
Would you like to read more about how to create local content that drives more customer-related articles? If so, we invite you to take a look at our other tech topics before you leave!
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