A Website Content Plan for Local Businesses

A website is only as useful as what is on its pages. Most local business sites stall at the same point: the design is chosen, the structure is agreed, and then nobody has written the text or taken the photos. The launch slips, or the site goes out with filler.

This guide is the plan we use to avoid that. It goes page by page through what a local business site needs, what each page should say, which photos and video belong on it, and how to tell the difference between original content and illustrations. You can use it with us, with another provider or on your own.

Plan content before layout

A common mistake is to pick a layout and then try to fit content into it. Reverse that. Decide what each page must say and show, then let the layout serve that. When content is planned first, pages are shorter on filler, the photography matches the design and the site is easier for customers and search engines to understand.

For each page, answer four questions in a sentence: who is it for, what do they want to know, what should they do next, and what proof supports it? Our website design and local SEO page describes how we put this planning into a project, and the questions work for any site.

The home page

The home page has to do three jobs quickly: say what you do, say where you do it and show that real people are behind it.

Content to prepare:

• A one-sentence description of the business in plain words
• The main services, each linked to its own page
• The area you serve, named clearly
• One strong trust signal, such as a genuine customer quote you have permission to use
• A visible phone number and a primary call to action

Photo and video: a hero image or short looped clip of real work or real people. Add a poster image and keep text readable on top of it, so the page works even before the video loads. Avoid sound that plays automatically.

The about page

An about page helps customers understand who they would be working with.

Content to prepare:

• Why the business exists and how long it has operated, only if you can state it accurately
• What you care about in your work, in specific terms
• How you work with customers, step by step
• Your story told by the people involved

Photo and video: a portrait of the owner or founder, and photos of the team at work. A short on-camera introduction can help a nervous customer decide to call. Our corporate video production page describes introductions and brand films, and many local businesses use a single short piece on the about page.

Service pages

Each main service deserves its own page. One page per service lets customers and search engines find the right answer, and it gives you room to explain without crowding the home page.

For each service, prepare:

• What the service is, in a paragraph a customer would understand
• Who it is for and who it is not for
• How it works, in a few steps
• What affects scope or timing, without quoting prices you cannot honor
• The areas where you offer it
• Answers to three to five questions customers ask
• A clear next step

Photo and video: one or two photos of the service being done or of a finished result. Real work beats staged images. If you cannot show a job for privacy reasons, show tools, spaces or the team preparing.

Our local SEO services page explains how each service page is matched to the way local customers search, which is why one clear purpose per page matters.

The team page

A team page shows people, roles and what they are like to work with.

Content to prepare:

• Name and role for each person
• A sentence or two about what they do and why customers ask for them
• Credentials and licenses only where they are real and current

Photo and video: matching headshots. Consistency matters more than perfection; a team page where everyone is photographed against the same background looks like one company. Our corporate headshots page explains how a team session runs, and our branding photography page covers workspace and process images.

Before moving on, check that every page has a distinct job. If two pages answer the same question for the same person, merge them. If one page tries to answer five questions, split it. A short, honest page that answers one question well is more useful to a customer than a long page that circles. Also decide who owns each task: who writes, who approves, who gathers photos, who confirms facts such as hours, licenses and service areas. Content plans fail most often because nobody was named, not because the writing was hard.

Proof: testimonials, projects and reviews

Proof is where a site moves from claiming to showing. Use only what is real and what you have permission to publish.

Options:

• Customer testimonials with the customer's agreement
• Photos of completed projects, with permission where a home or business is identifiable
• Short customer video clips
• Quotes from reviews, attributed correctly
• Examples of your process

Do not invent reviews, ratings or statistics, and do not copy another business's results. If you have limited proof today, a small amount of genuine proof is better than a large amount of vague praise, and you can add more over time.

The contact page

The contact page should make the next step trivial.

Content to prepare:

• Phone number, email and, if relevant, address or service area
• A short form with only the fields you need
• What happens after the visitor writes: when to expect a reply and what you will ask
• Hours, and how to reach you in an emergency if that applies

Photo and video: a friendly image of the person who will answer. Keep the page light.

Photo and video shot list

Once the pages are planned, turn them into a shot list so that one visit, or one set of photographs from your own team, covers everything.

• Hero: one wide image or short clip of real work or people
• Owner or founder: a portrait and a candid
• Team: matching headshots and one group photo
• Service pages: one or two work photos for each service
• Workspace: exterior, interior and tools
• Process: hands at work, close-ups, before and after where appropriate
• Customers: only with permission
• Contact page: a welcoming portrait

Note orientation. Wide images suit page headers, and vertical images suit phones and social channels. Ask for both when it is possible.

Our website photo and video content page describes how we plan this around specific pages. If you are outside Connecticut, we plan the photo and video part separately, since it depends on where you are. You can supply existing assets, we can travel for a shoot or production can be arranged locally, depending on the scope we agree.

Original media versus illustrations

Not every image on a site has to be a photograph of your own business, but you should know which is which. Original photos and video show your real team and work. Illustrations, stock images and diagrams can support a page, but they should be identified as such when they could be mistaken for the real thing, and they should never stand in for proof.

Our own guides use illustrations, and we label each one as an illustration rather than a client project. The same honesty matters on your site: do not show a stock photo of a team as if it were your team, and do not present an illustrated example as a finished job.

Write for people, check for search

Write each page for the person who will read it. Use the words customers use, name the services and the areas plainly, and avoid stuffing a phrase into every sentence. After drafting, check that each page has its own title and description, one main heading, descriptive link text and a clear relationship to the pages around it.

Pages that exist only to name another town are rarely worth writing. A clear statement of the areas you serve on the relevant pages, and a Business Profile that matches, usually does more. For more on how addresses, redirects and structure fit together, see our small business website redesign checklist.

Keep the plan alive

Treat the first launch as version one. Choose a small number of pages you can finish well, publish them with real photos and clear text, and add the rest as material becomes available. A smaller site with honest, complete pages serves customers better than a larger one full of placeholders, and it is easier to keep accurate.

A content plan is not a one-time document. Once the site is live, add a short list of recurring tasks: new photos after each notable project, a fresh testimonial when a customer offers one, updated hours, new services and seasonal changes. Many businesses find that a small update every month or two does more than a large rewrite every few years.

If you are weighing the effort, our guide to what affects small business website cost explains how content, media and ongoing work show up in a proposal.