Do you feel the same annoyance as I do when you see local businesses blow their marketing budgets on the dumbest shit? They’ll pay thousands to rank for “dentist near me” or whatever, then wonder why nobody calls. Traffic’s pouring in, but their phone’s quieter than a funeral home on Christmas.
Here’s the thing nobody tells you: ranking means jack if your landing page copy sucks. You could be number one for every keyword in town, but if your page reads like it was written by a robot having a stroke, people will bounce faster than a rubber check at a casino.
Most local businesses write landing pages like they’re filling out a DMV form. Just the facts. Name, services, hours. Boring as hell. Meanwhile, their potential customers are sitting there with a real problem, credit card in hand, ready to throw money at whoever can fix their shit RIGHT NOW. And these businesses are out here writing “Welcome to Bob’s Plumbing, serving the community since 1987.” Nobody cares, Bob. My bathroom’s flooding.
I’ve spent the last decade figuring out what makes people pick up the phone versus clicking back to Google. Turns out, it’s not rocket science. You just have to stop writing like a corporate zombie and start writing like someone who gives a damn about solving problems.
Why Most Local Landing Pages Fail (And It’s Not What You Think)
Last month I looked at this dental practice’s landing page. They were ranking second for “emergency dentist” in their city. Getting tons of traffic. Know how many calls they got? Maybe three or four a month. Their headline? “Comprehensive Dental Care for the Whole Family.”
Comprehensive dental care. For someone with a tooth that feels like it’s being attacked by tiny demons at 2 AM, that’s about as useful as a chocolate teapot. They want to know: Can you see me NOW? Will you make the pain stop? Do you take my insurance? How much if you don’t?
But no, we get “comprehensive dental care” and a stock photo of some lady who’s way too happy to be at the dentist.
This happens everywhere. HVAC companies talking about their “commitment to excellence” while someone’s sweating their ass off in a broken AC. Plumbers listing their certifications while water’s destroying someone’s hardwood floors. It’s like showing up to a house fire with a business card.
The Foundation: Know Your Customer’s Crisis Moment
People don’t Google local services when they’re bored. They search when shit’s gone wrong and they need it fixed yesterday.
I started keeping notes on what real customers say when they’re desperate. Not the polite stuff they put in reviews later. The raw, panicked stuff they post on neighborhood Facebook groups. “Does anyone know a plumber who answers their damn phone?” or “AC died and I have family coming tomorrow, HELP.”
That’s your copy right there. Those exact words. Because when someone’s in that same situation and they land on your page, they need to know immediately that you get it. You’ve seen this before. You can fix it. Today.
I worked with this electrician who was technically good but couldn’t figure out why nobody called. His landing page started with some nonsense about “providing quality electrical services to homes and businesses.” We changed it to “Lights Out? Circuit Breaker Tripping? We’ll Fix It Today.” Calls tripled in a month. Same guy, same service, different words.
Crafting Headlines That Stop the Scroll
Your headline needs to reach through the screen and grab people by the collar. Make them think “holy shit, this is exactly what I need.”
Here’s what makes me want to punch my computer:
- “Quality HVAC Services Since 1987”
- “Your Trusted Local Electrician”
- “Professional Plumbing Solutions”
Professional plumbing solutions? What the hell does that even mean? Are there amateur plumbing solutions? Unprofessional ones? It’s word salad that says nothing.
Here’s what works:
- “AC Repair Today. No Waiting. No BS Pricing.”
- “Electrical Emergency? We Answer Our Phone 24/7”
- “Toilet Overflowing? We’ll Be There in 30 Minutes”
See the difference? The second set tells you exactly what you get and when you get it. No corporate speak. No fluff. Just “here’s your problem, here’s how fast we fix it.”
The Power of Benefit-Driven Language
Every time I see a local business brag about their “state-of-the-art equipment,” I die a little inside. Your customer doesn’t care about your fancy tools. They care about results.
Wrong: “We use the latest diagnostic technology”
Right: “We find the problem fast so you’re not paying for guesswork”
Wrong: “Certified and licensed technicians”
Right: “Done right the first time, guaranteed, or we fix it free”
Wrong: “Family-owned for three generations”
Right: “We live here too. Your neighbors trust us because we don’t disappear after the job”
After I write anything, I imagine my most cynical friend reading it and saying “so what?” If I can’t immediately explain why they should care, I delete it and start over.
Social Proof That Builds Trust
Star ratings are nice. Stories are better.
Generic review: “Great service! Would recommend!”
Better review: “Furnace died during that freeze last February. These guys showed up at 9 PM, worked until midnight to get heat back on. Didn’t charge extra for the late call. My kids didn’t have to sleep in the cold.”
That second one tells a story. Shows you work late, handle emergencies, care about families. It’s proof you deliver when it matters.
Here’s something weird that works: include a negative review you handled well. I told this restaurant owner to put up the one-star review where someone complained about wait times, along with his response about hiring more staff and fixing the problem. Builds more trust than a wall of five stars because it shows you’re real and you fix problems.
Location-Specific Content That Connects
If your landing page could work for any city in America, you’re doing it wrong. Local means LOCAL.
Phoenix HVAC companies should talk about monsoon season and how dust storms mess with AC units. Chicago plumbers need to mention frozen pipes and which neighborhoods have the oldest plumbing. Miami roofers should explain why that specific hurricane did that specific damage to that specific type of roof common in that specific neighborhood.
Get specific about local problems. That construction on Main Street that’s been screwing up water pressure. The old apartments on the east side with the aluminum wiring that keeps tripping breakers. The reason every house near the creek gets ants in spring.
When people read stuff that specific to their exact situation, they think “these guys know what they’re talking about.” Generic copy makes you invisible.
Calls to Action That Remove Friction
“Contact us for more information” is where conversions go to die.
Your CTA should tell people exactly what happens next:
Weak: “Get a quote”
Strong: “Get your price in 10 minutes. No surprises.”
Weak: “Call now”
Strong: “Call now, talk to a real person who can help”
Weak: “Schedule service”
Strong: “Pick your time. We show up when we say we will.”
Put your phone number everywhere. Top of the page for the ready-to-call people. Middle of the page for the readers. Bottom for the thorough researchers. Make it huge. Make it clickable. Hell, make it pulse if you have to.
Some people hate forms. Some hate calling. Give them options. But make every option crystal clear about what happens when they click.
The Mobile-First Reality
Most people find you while standing in their flooded basement or sweating in their broken-car. They’re on their phone, stressed out, and need help now.
If they have to pinch and zoom to read your shit, you’ve already lost. Short paragraphs. Big buttons. Phone number they can thumb-dial without thinking.
I write everything assuming someone’s reading it one-handed while dealing with a crisis. Because they probably are.
Testing and Optimization
The first version of your landing page will suck. That’s fine. The magic happens when you test and fix.
Change one thing at a time. Test “Free Estimate” vs “Free Estimate Today” vs “Free Estimate in 1 Hour.” Test putting your phone number in red vs blue. Test “Call Now” vs “Text or Call Now.”
Tiny changes, huge differences. Adding “No Payment Due Today” to a CTA button doubled calls for an HVAC company. Changing “Free Consultation” to “Free 15-Minute Phone Consultation” tripled form fills for a lawyer.
Your landing page is never done. It’s always evolving based on what works.
The Localseo.net Advantage
This is the stuff we obsess over at Localseo.net. Not just getting you ranked, but making sure those rankings turn into real money in your bank account.
We dig into your actual customer conversations, your real reviews, your specific local market. Then we write landing pages that sound like they were written by someone who lives in your town and deals with your exact customers every day. Because great local copy doesn’t sound like copy at all. It sounds like help arriving exactly when someone needs it.
Want to know where your current landing pages are failing? We’ll tear them apart for free and show you exactly where you’re losing customers. No vague advice. Specific problems with specific solutions.
Because at the end of the day, rankings don’t pay your bills. Customers do. And customers only call when your words convince them you’re the solution to their problem.
Ready to fix your landing pages? Hit us up at Localseo.net and we’ll show you exactly where your copy is costing you customers.