5 Ideas for Local Focused Articles (By the Numbers)

Producing and publishing content is hard work so you want to make sure that whatever content you do create is going to pay dividends in the form of more traffic for your site but coming up with ideas can be challenging.  

So we've dug into the numbers from the Locable Publisher Network to see what has resonated most with readers so far this month. Here is what we came up with (complete with examples and the traffic each article generated):

Business Openings and Closings

Simple business openings and closings like the one posted on mansfieldmagazine.com (South Arlington Sprouts Gears Up for September 10th Grand Opening to Include Customer Giveaways) can generate quite a buzz especially if it's a local favorite, big chain or past local staple. This one article generated 3,261pageviews and while these results may not be typical, it clearly says that people care about this type of information.

Accolades

If your town was listed as top city for [fill in the blank] like this one at digmb.com (Manhattan Beach Named Top City to Raise a Family) it is definitely something you want to highlight. This article generated 2,152 pageviews for digmb.com. Personal and team accolades are also popular. If your town has a passion such as 

southlakestyle.com (Carroll Senior High Named One of America’s Smartest Public High Schools) has been shared over 8,400 times to Facebook alone! If your town has a passion such as football in Texas - (2016 Dragon Football Schedule Announced) had over 8,600 views - or volleyball in California or if a professional athlete hailed from your area then it's a good idea to highlight that as well.

Announcements

Announcements are possibly one of the easiest thing you can do to drive traffic on your site because people love to see themselves or people they care about in the "news". For example, this obituary from YourTewksburyToday (Obituary - Christoper J. Lavita 28) had 2,118 pageviews. It doesn't always have to be so grim though. Wedding, retirement and new job (especially for public figures) announcements are all quite popular as well.

Event Roundups

Event roundups are another easy article to create but they usually have a shorter shelf life (because they are time sensitive). If done thoughtfully though they can be something that your readers will look forward to every week. mansfieldmagazine.com did a good job highlighting a fun event (Mansfield's St. Paddy's Pickle Parade: Run, Dance, Eat & More!) which generated 786 pageviews and regularly posts Editor's Picks Events.

People Profiles

Whether it's a human interest piece like the one at stylefedh.com (The Importance of Taking Risks for Happiness: Lucy Righini's Story) which generated over 200 pageviews and still appears on the first page of Google when searching for "Lucy Righini" 9 months later or more profile based like the ones referenced above (public figures, athletes, celebrities, etc.) you can never really go wrong by focusing on local people.

What does all this mean? When you're feeling stuck from a new topic focus on local news, local people (and teams) and events (especially fundraisers) to get the most bang for your buck (or time in this case)!

Are you a local publisher who is looking for help charting your digital future? Talk with us today for a free consultation