to create local content which builds trust and drives sales

Content is an important part of any SEO strategy, but it can be difficult for local businesses to create.

A B2B SaaS company may have more time, money, and capacity than an HVAC company, hardware shop, or real estate agent to implement a comprehensive content marketing program to gain market share.

Many local businesses use blogging to create content.

The results are often disappointing: three people read a handful of 300-word articles.

Local content is more than just blog posts

Local content includes product or services pages as well as case studies, testimonials from clients, and other types of content.

• Increase the number of people who enter your sales funnel.
• Answer all objections they may have.
• Encourage them to make the next important step in their purchasing journey.

Local content does not even have to be written.

Local content, such as images and videos can be added to your website using iPhones, GoPros or podcasts.

You should create content that will help you establish authority and trust among your customers.

Learn how to leverage location-specific authority for SEO

Here are some of the types of content that a local business can invest in.

1. Content ‘About ‘

It is true what the old saying says: “People do their business with people and not with businesses.”

This is particularly true for local businesses.

Local products and services are often sought out by customers because they know the staff, owners, and management.

Priority should be given to presenting your local business in an authentic way and helping potential customers get to know, like and trust you.

Introduce yourself on your website:

• What you are.
• What you do
• Why you do it.

It is your company’s unique story that sets you apart from other companies. It should be the main focus of your website.

You can use the following types of content to tell your company’s tale:

‘About us’ page

• What is your company’s story?
• What makes you special?
• Why should someone choose you over a national brand or a competitor in your own city?

Company Beliefs

• What is the company’s mission statement?
• What are your company’s mission and core values? What are your core values and how do you live them in your job?

Company History

• Do you have a company with a fascinating history?
• You may be a family business in its fourth generation that has seen major changes to the industry.
• You may have shifted from a smaller operation to a regional presence.
• Showcase interesting aspects of your past that would interest the public.

Community Impact

• Would your local community be affected if your business closed tomorrow?
• Tell your story about how your business has affected your local community.
• You can include the charitable work you do, your team’s or individual’s efforts, sponsorship of events, scholarship funding, and partnerships with organizations.

Our team

• It is important for people to know who they are dealing.
• You can feature team members who are in the public eye on your website, whether you’re a retailer, a local manufacturer or an HVAC firm.
• You may highlight the leadership team or the sales team or the customer service team depending on the size and number of employees who are in contact with the public.
• Include a brief bio of each person, highlighting their experience, training, and skills. Also include contact information.

Careers Page

• Some of your visitors may be future employees. Some of your website visitors are potential employees.
• Create a page dedicated to telling your story to potential job seekers.
• Here, you can have your employees tell you about their culture and what makes you different from other employers.
• This page allows you to list your job openings or links directly to your hiring software.

2. Products and Services

Google is the first place that potential customers will go to when they are looking for a product or service. Your goal is to have your page appear in Google’s search results.

Local service providers make the mistake of listing all services on a single web page.

A company that specializes in exterior remodeling may only have a single page of services, with just a paragraph or worse, bulleted lists, which mentions the fact that they install windows, doors and decks, as well as roofing, siding.

You must at least have a page for each service that you provide.

It would be better to go deeper and have specific pages for the sub-services.

You don’t want just a page on roofing – you also want pages about roof repair, replacement of roofs, hail damage and even individual pages for different types of roofing materials.

You can also create additional content for your product or service.

Local Angle

• What services are offered only regionally?
• What limitations, insights or specifics about your service can you provide in your target market?
• As an example:
  • The most common pests that are found in a particular area should be the focus of any pest control company.
  • Local building codes can be referred to by builders and remodelers.
  • Winterizing pools is a trend that pool companies in colder climates are embracing.

Your expertise

• Your sales team, technical staff, or customer service representatives can provide you with insights into what your customers struggle with and why your solution is best.
• It is not possible to expect your service page to be unique if you only outsource it to a freelancer, an agency or ChatGPT.

Brands

• Do you prefer to use certain brands or manufacturers of materials in your store?
• Content around these brands will help you to rank locally in any brand-specific search:
  • Why do they perform better than others
  • How long have they been your employees?
  • Why do you like these people?

3. Proof

Websites can be used by any business to make claims.

” We’re the best …”

“We offer the best prices”

“We have the best responsive …”

What makes great local websites different is the way they present their claim and then back it up with social proof.

Social proof is an important psychological principle that helps people to take action by relying on others’ actions.

Social proof is a way to show that other people have bought from you with satisfaction.

You can use social proof in many ways on your website.

Testimonials

• Social proof comes from previous customers who are willing to share their experiences of purchasing your products.
• These testimonials can help to answer questions, eliminate doubts and build trust among potential customers.

Case studies

• You must have these proofs in order to show off your design and work.
• You may want to consider the following:
  • Case studies (B2B).
  • The featured projects are construction or remodeling.
  • Before and after (lawn maintenance)
  • Galleries: (custom furniture and roofer).

External Recognition

• Social proof is often overlooked, but adding trust symbols to your site can be a powerful (and effective) tool.
• You can stand out by obtaining industry awards, certifications from manufacturers, and local business awards.

4. Your difference

Why should someone choose you? What makes your business different in a world full of the sameness?

Your website should clearly state who you are, your services, and how you differ.

You can introduce a difference to your website by introducing the following:

Process

• You will need to educate your customers if you are selling something that is not a frequent purchase, such as a divorce or kitchen renovation.
• Your website should clearly outline the steps of your process from initial enquiry to completion.
• Answer as many questions as you can, including those that people may have.

Compare with competitors

• When people do research, they will find your competitors, whether it is the local business, a national brand, big box stores, or online ecommerce platforms.
• What can you tell us about your product or service, that no one else can?

Compare with other products and services

• Your competition may not be a business similar to the one down the road. Both of you may be in competition with other options.
  • Contractors are in competition with DIY and handyman options.
  • Retailers are in a constant battle with other retailers who sell products at different price points.

5. Pricing

Local content pricing is a sensitive issue, especially for businesses that provide services.

I get it. You have good reasons for not wanting to display pricing on your site.

Your potential customers will be looking for this information.

You or your competitor?

There are many ways to discuss pricing in general, even if you can’t give an exact price on your site.

It will set the right expectations and help pre-qualify your prospects. This can often lead to improved quality leads.

Here are some suggestions on how to create content about pricing your service:

Price range

• When people do online research before buying, they aren’t looking for exact prices; instead, they want ballpark figures.
• You can give potential clients a range of prices for a typical job. This is a great way to combine with featured projects.

Price breakdown

• There are just too many variables. Talk about the variables.
• What factors go into determining the price of a product or a service?
• What factors can influence the price – positively or negatively?

Additional Fees

• What are the hidden costs that people don’t know about and which get added to your purchase price?
• Included in this category are taxes, fees and permits.

Why Businesses Charge More or Less

• While researching, people may find that some companies charge much less and others charge much more.
• Explain the differences in price.
• Use the opportunity to demonstrate your value and why you charge more.

Local content: Presenting yourself to your customers

It is not necessary to create thousands of pages of spammy content to get to the top search results.

It’s not just thin, unreadable blog posts.

This guide will help you to create a local content strategy that is relevant to your business and helps you to best represent your company on Google and to your customers.

In 2023, local SEO will be even more powerful: Here are 5 ways to dominate local searches.

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