There’s a moment I’ve come to expect when I start working with a new client. It usually comes shortly after we talk about redesigning their website or improving SEO. I’ll ask, “What kind of content are you creating on a regular basis?” and the room goes quiet.
It’s not that business owners don’t care about content creation. Most of them understand that it’s important. But often they don’t know where to start, or they’ve been burned by vague advice like “blog more” or “post consistently.” No one’s saying what kind of content actually works—and more importantly, why it works.
Over time, I’ve seen what drives results across dozens of local service-based businesses: traffic, engagement, and actual business growth. The secret? Creating content that's both meaningful and meticulously crafted to match audience intent. Whether it's a one-page landing site or a 100-page blog archive, the rules of smart content creation remain the same.
So today we’re diving into how to create content—specifically, website and blog content—that actually drives traffic and engagement. Not fluff. Not keyword-stuffed filler. But real, empathic, SEO-friendly content that builds trust with humans and visibility with Google.
Too often we treat content like a means to an end—it needs to rank, convert, or check some imaginary "content calendar" box. But the real power of content is in how it communicates your business's lens to the world. Your perspective. Your style. Your customer understanding. It’s the part of the website that invites conversation instead of just broadcasting info.
For example, I worked with a therapist in Nashville who had a beautiful site layout but minimal helpful content. It was essentially a digital brochure with zero depth. We started producing blog posts about grief, identity, and therapy myths—each post not only boosted her SEO but also aligned deeply with her tone and values. After six months, her organic traffic went up by 187%, and more interestingly, the kinds of clients she most wanted to work with started reaching out consistently.
There's a myth that what's "good for Google" isn't good for people. But honestly, that’s outdated. Search engines are trying to think like your reader. They reward valuable, original, trustworthy content. Content that satisfies curiosity or solves real problems.
Moz defines SEO as the practice of increasing both the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search engine results. The "quality" part is often missed. One article on your website that truly explains something can pull more lifetime traffic and inbound leads than ten generic ones.
When I’m building a content strategy for local businesses, we typically focus on four foundational types first:
For example, a local Nashville landscaping company I worked with added a series of pages targeting specific services: “Hardscape Design in Brentwood,” “Seasonal Lawn Care for Franklin, TN,” etc. We wrote targeted copy for each with locally-optimized keywords and real examples. Within four months, they had 300% more local clicks from Google Maps and their GMB profile saw a spike in calls.
A user in “problem-aware” mode needs different content than someone who’s ready to buy. That’s why I categorize content by funnel stage:
A local gym I consulted with started writing workout guides for busy professionals ("ToFu"), followed by a comparison of their classes to other gyms in Franklin ("MoFu"), and wrapped it all up with a member transformation story and video testimonials ("BoFu"). The customer journey felt cohesive, intentional—and conversion rates reflected that.
One of the biggest black holes of effort I see is businesses creating content in a vacuum—writing about topics they’re personally interested in, without checking if there's real search volume or strategic alignment. Great content creation starts with research, not intuition.
Use tools like Ahrefs, AnswerThePublic, and even the autocomplete bar in Google to identify what your audience is searching for. Then filter that against your expertise, competitiveness, and what topics are overloaded vs. underserved.
I had a client in the home renovation space who wanted to write about “modern home design trends.” But that’s a massively competitive space online. So instead, we did keyword research and pivoted toward “budget kitchen remodel Franklin TN” which had lower competition and clear purchase intent. Their traffic grew slower but more effectively—leading directly to leads.
Humans are wired for stories. We remember them better, they engage us more deeply, and they humanize your brand. If you're a plumber, tell the story about the time you rescued a customer from a flooded basement at midnight. Don’t just say “we handle emergency plumbing.”
One of the most-read posts I ever ghostwrote was for a solar panel company describing a family’s journey to going off-grid in rural Tennessee. The article weaved in how they approached the layout, tech choices, and ROI—but framed through a narrative arc. It wasn’t just a guide; it was a client story with teachable moments. Analytics showed people stayed on that page 2-3x longer than standard service pages.
Even SEO-optimized articles can include stories. Try embedding short case snippets every 600–800 words. Use quotes from real clients when possible. Or narrate why a specific recommendation matters based on previous experience.
This approach helps strike the right balance between engaging storytelling and keyword relevance—human and algorithm-appealing.
Dense walls of text = instant bounce rate. Split content into digestible paragraphs. Use subheadings to guide the reader. Insert bullet points wherever skimmability improves comprehension.
In a recent WordPress build we did, just reformatting existing content (no rewrites) led to a 22% increase in average session time.
If your blog post is expert-level, prove it. Embed before/after images, explainer videos, and rich snippets if possible. Google favors multi-format media—plus, users engage more when there's visual reinforcement.
We integrated structured FAQs into a square footage calculator post for a contractor and saw that post show up in Google's "People Also Ask" box—a huge win for visibility.
Publishing content is the starting point, not the final move. If no one sees your post except a crawler, it’s a wasted opportunity. Promote every piece of content via:
One dentist I consulted with shared their newest blog posts through monthly newsletters to past clients. Traffic lifts weren’t massive—but engagement from returning patients doubled. These weren’t just readers, they were revenue-generating appointments.
Not every post needs to be seasonal or viral. Most of the highest-performing content I've seen was “evergreen”—meaning it solved a long-term problem. Think "Why Your Wix Website Isn’t Converting" or "Top 7 Mistakes on Local HVAC Web Pages." These pieces often don’t spike but compound traffic reliably over years, especially with minor quarterly updates.
Using a tool like Screaming Frog or even Google Search Console helps identify which older posts are ranking well and should be refreshed—improving SEO without starting from scratch.
Traffic is nice. But content needs to do more. I advise my clients to track:
These give deeper insight into how real users are using your content to make decisions. For one financial advisor, we overhauled five blog posts to be softer and more value-driven. Leads didn’t increase right away—but inquiries that came through those posts began converting at 3x the previous rate. The content helped pre-qualify prospective clients more effectively.
Sometimes less is more. Thin, outdated, or irrelevant posts can drag down your site’s SEO authority. Use audits to regularly update or remove underperformers that no longer serve user or algorithmic intent.
If you added posts in 2020 about “working from home tips,” maybe it’s time to revise or prune them for new context, relevance, and traffic value.
Content creation, when done thoughtfully, isn't about churning out posts for the sake of it. It's a mirror of your business’s intelligence, tone, and usefulness. And when you treat it like that, the outcomes go beyond clicks—they generate loyalty, clarity, leads, and resonance.
Creating content that drives traffic and engagement is about understanding not just SEO, but people. The pain points they carry, the questions they Google at 2 a.m., the transformations they’re actually hungry for. When you meet them right there—contextually, authentically, repeatedly—you move out of the noise and into their real consideration.
So whether you’re on Webflow, Wix, Wordpress, or a whiteboard planning your next strategy, the challenge remains the same: Can your content speak right to the person who matters, at the moment it matters?
Copyright © Zach Sean Web Design
