Have you heard that your website needs more local content but need a basic definition of what that means in order to get started? Here’s our definition:

Definition of Local Content, n. (lō’kəl kŏn’tĕnt’)

Any type of material, including written text, imagery, video, charts, graphs, lists or other data that has been created for a specific geographic audience. Typically connotes geographically-oriented material published on websites.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin locālis, from Latin locus, place; Middle English, from Medieval Latin contentum, neuter past participle of Latin continēre, to contain]

Now that you understand the definition of local content, the next step is to comprehend why and how it should be implemented into your website and what the potential benefits of this strategy are. I find that clients who hire me to help them with the creation of their local content learn most effectively when I offer illustrative scenarios. To that end, let’s imagine three different business owners who serve their local communities with goods or services in three different parts of the United States.

Example 1. A Cafe Owner In Vail, Colorado
The obvious and basic content a business like this would have on its website would include complete name, address and phone number, a menu, a map, driving directions, hours of operation and some copy describing the atmosphere, offerings and history of the cafe.

Once these basics are in place, the owner has the opportunity to expand the size and usefulness of his website by writing on topics such as these that will be relevant to his industry + geography:

- Suggestions for a high-energy breakfast, lunch or dinner served at your cafe for skiers, snowboarders and others
- Medical information about how many calories are needed and burned by snow play, dictating how much visitors should eat
- A list and descriptions of local ski resorts
- An ongoing, updated report on snow conditions
- Promotion of specials deals, such as early bird breakfasts
- Videos of great athletes who eat at and endorse your cafe. Show them on the slopes. Accompany with text descriptions of video content. If you can get Shaun White or Aksel Lund Svindal, great, but even local athletes would make a great video subject

Example 2. A Home Remodeling Contractor In Oakland, California
Basic content on a site like this would include a portfolio of past work, a set of pages devoted to the company’s complete menu of remodeling services, contact information, credentials and testimonials.

Beyond this, materials of local and industry significance might include:

- A history of classic SF Bay Area architectural styles, including great photos of classic homes from different eras
- A layperson-friendly guide to local building codes that dictate what can and can’t be done in a remodel
- Announcements of upcoming Bay Area home expos, green home building events or trade shows at which interior design concepts are showcased
- Summary coverage of such events after they have taken place
- Education about weather and climate-specific considerations for home owners in the area (rain, fog, light, dampness) that can be addressed in a home remodeling project
- A list of trusted local furniture dealers, home improvement stores, interior decorators and other related businesses
- Before and after photos and videos, accompanied by text descriptions

Example 3. An Auto Body Shop in In Madison, Wisconsin
In common with the above two businesses, this website will provide contact information, driving directions, a map, hours of operation and a complete menu of pages of the services offered by the shop.

Additionally, the business could publish local materials about:

- Upcoming car shows and vintage car show events
- A list of local car dealers
- A list of local towing services
- A car maintenance schedule (oil changing, checkups, part replacements, etc.)
- Opinions on best car makes and models for the local terrain
- Specific advice on auto care for the local weather and climate (snow, rain, etc.)
- Video tutorials on installing snow chains on tires
- Safety cautions about local roads, night driving, wildlife on roads in certain areas

Where Should Local Content Be Published?
The obvious answer is on your business’ website, but you have choices to make about whether some of your local content will be published as static pages that are always front-and-center on the site, or if some of it is more suited to blog posts that will be appearing in order of their freshness. For example, a list of local towing services might make a good static page for the auto body shop, but coverage of a car show that the owner attended and that is now past might be better as a blog post because it has an aspect of timeliness. Blog posts don’t ever ‘disappear’ unless you delete them, but most blogs show newest content up top with older posts being pushed down or onto older pages of the blog.

Additionally, you can publish content with of local and industry interest on your Social Media profiles such as Twitter and Facebook.

If you can discern a visual aspect to your business (scrumptious-looking meals, beautiful home remodels or cool hot rod cars) you can utilize a photo sharing site like Flickr.com to bring increased visibility to your local photographic content. *Remember, though, search engines are not very good at understanding images, so every photo you publish should be accompanied by an optimized text description.

Local video content can greatly enhance your presence on the web. You can publish it to video sharing sites like YouTube as well as embedding it within the pages of your website or blog. *Like photographic content, any video you publish should be accompanied by an optimized text description.

There may also be organizations specific to your geographic locale that would be interested in contributions from you that they would publish on their own sites. For example, a local Chamber of Commerce site might be interested in your layperson-friendly explanation of building codes and would be willing to cite and link to you as the author.

How Often Should Local Content Be Published?
Pace yourself realistically. The amount of fresh local content you publish to your website and your blog needs to be based on three factors:

1) A realistic assessment of the time you have available to write or create other types of content
2) A realistic assessment of your budget to pay a local content writer to write copy for you
3) A clear understanding of the competitiveness of your industry in your geographic locale

Factor 3 is an important one to consider. There is a huge difference between being the owner of a bakery in rural town in the Midwest and being an attorney in a metropolitan city on the East Coast. The less populous your community and less competitive your industry, the less effort will typically be required to attain high visibility on the web. The more populous and competitive the niche in which you are doing business, the greater your efforts to compete for visibility will have to be.

Once you’ve assessed these competitive specifics, you can decide if you have the time and skills to write well for your business. Commit to a publication goal, be that twice a month, once a week or daily. If you don’t have the time or don’t enjoy writing, consider hiring a copywriter who specializes in local-focused content creation and create a contract with him or her for delivery of content at a set rate and on a set schedule.

What Are The Potential Benefits Of Publishing Local Content?
In my work with local business owners, one of the most common mistakes I find being made on their websites is that they are devoting too few pages to too many topics. For example, a fence building contractor might be cramming every type of fence he builds onto a single page of his site.

The problem with this approach is that you can typically only optimize any given page for a maximum of 1-4 keyword phrases. If you’ve got wood fences, iron fences, chain link fences, industrial fences, electric fences, ornamental fences, agricultural fences, lattice fences, chicken wire fences and deer fences all one one page, the chances of search engines being able to understand the key focus of the page are very slim.

Instead, the approach that has to be taken is that any service, product or subject that you offer or choose to write about deserves its own dedicated page, optimized for just a couple of phrases so that it is a strong and focused treatment of the subject at hand.

Every new page or post you publish on your website represent a new chance to rank well for a new little set of keyword phrases. Ongoing publication of new local content increases your chances to appear in the search engine results for an ever-widening array of terms.

One of the most exciting benefits of publishing local content that moves beyond the basic informational pages of your website is the opportunity it creates of exposing a new audience to your brand.

For example, suppose I am looking for information about straw bale housing. In searching the Internet for this subject, I come across an article you have written about an amendment to local building codes that now allows this type of construction. As I am reading your article, I am being exposed to your existence – your brand – and if your home remodeling firm offers straw bale construction, your name is now linked in my mind with this subject as a resource. If your article convinces me of your knowledge and authority, there is a good chance I will come to your firm for consultation. Thus, publication of interesting content with a local focus can lead to business transactions.

Another important aspect of local content publication is its ability to win backlinks to your website. There are so many industries in which basic descriptions of products and services are unlikely to inspire readers to link to what they find on your site. Because the number and quality of links pointing to your website from outside sources typically has such a huge effect on your search engine rankings, winning links is extremely important. So, while an explanation of when to get your oil changed might not be interesting enough to win backlinks, a tutorial on how to save money with tips that improve gas mileage just might.

People link to content that educates them, inspires them, scares them and makes them laugh. Take this into consideration when creating materials of local significance: is this outstanding enough in some way that people would want to share it with friends and readers? Not all of your local content may be groundbreaking or hilarious, but even a few link-worthy articles can be a big help to your website’s rankings.

Most of all, keep in mind that the definition of local content is that it is something that should be of use and interest to your local community. The fact that you live and work in your town is your greatest asset. Becoming aware of the needs, wishes, hopes and concerns of your neighbors will guide you towards the types of content that will be of most value to them. A winning combination includes community involvement + communication with your current customers + keyword research. With this approach, you can expand your website and web presence into a meaningful and highly visible local resource that drives new business your way and keeps current customers interested and loyal.

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Photo Credits: Gord McKenna,
Stephen Coles
and Alltrain43

Categories: Local Content

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