Thread: Creating a Local Website (answer quickly please?)

So I want to start a local blog on my town. Its a small town, but it has a lot of unique .....stuff, and there is A LOT that goes unmentioned online. My goal would be to attract local people and regional folks to visit my site and learn more. Eventually I want to attract the attention of local businesses and get them to advertise on my site.

The thing is, there is hardly any competition at all, and I'm sure I could out-rank even the major websites for my town quickly. (like the chamber of commerce, lol)

What I am asking is, does this sound like a good idea?

Originally Posted by gavenecko

What I am asking is, does this sound like a good idea?

I think you have already answered that yourself - yes.

Originally Posted by Nathan

I think you have already answered that yourself - yes.

Haha, well thank you! It never hurts to get advice from the wiser members though. Sometimes I'm unsure.

OH, another question! Does adsense go over well on travel/local blogs?

Sounds like a great idea. I like local websites and the possibilities they have.

I'm often referring to this guy who is developing a couple local sites and bloging about it.

You've got the geo domain too?

Thanks for the responses! Next question is:

What would local small businesses likely pay for advertising on a local blog/website? Again, I live in a small town but there are A LOT of local businesses that could use some advertising.

My whole idea with a local site is that it has endless possibilities. As the town itself grows, so does my site.

For something like this would depend on the volume of people you reach in your town. I live in smaller town inside San Diego Co. but I dont use any of the local sites I get a weekly local paper delivered which has all the weeks events and sales etc.

Providing you actually reached a large audience then you could look at what they pay to list in the yellow pages and then give 30-40% cheaper rate.

Originally Posted by Mr.Bill

For something like this would depend on the volume of people you reach in your town. I live in smaller town inside San Diego Co. but I dont use any of the local sites I get a weekly local paper delivered which has all the weeks events and sales etc.

Providing you actually reached a large audience then you could look at what they pay to list in the yellow pages and then give 30-40% cheaper rate.

Thats a good idea. Thanks! I think I will reach a large audience eventually. Not immediately, but each month theres a few thousand search queries for my town and related keywords. Lots of people pass through here while traveling, and there are some major events that take place here yearly.

What would local small businesses likely pay for advertising on a local blog/website?

I've been asking myself this question too. In our town we have:

• local newspapers
• once a month local business paper
• local businesses mentioned in yellow pages
• local business that are hard to find on the internet

I think it sounds reasonable to determine pricing based on a reasonable amount compared to the cost of these offline advertising methods while keeping in mind that an ad on a website is more flexible in duration.

Originally Posted by Loko

I've been asking myself this question too. In our town we have:

• local newspapers
• once a month local business paper
• local businesses mentioned in yellow pages
• local business that are hard to find on the internet

I think it sounds reasonable to determine pricing based on a reasonable amount compared to the cost of these offline advertising methods while keeping in mind that an ad on a website is more flexible in duration.

We have those too, with the addition of an entertainment "magazine newspaper" that comes out once per week. Its targeted towards my town, the big city over, and other surrounding areas within 100 miles.