A recent Hub that I read by Pamela Grundy about making money writing online got me thinking about another wonderful way to make money writing online while also helping build a buy local focus that bolsters the growth of sustainable online business communities.

If you look around where you live chances are there is a downtown business district, business park or commercial area. Why do businesses build next to one and other? Why does Lowes build across the street from the Home Depot? Much of it has to do with the enhanced sustainability that comes with dense retail development. The idea is that shops and restaurants clustered in a mall or downtown area will attract a larger mass of people than some diner on a desolate stretch of Route 66.

I have found the concept of developing dense retail areas to attract more customers also works on the Internet. I have proven this true by bringing local businesses right here where I live near Madison, Wisconsin together in one area online through what I call HubPage Story Sites. At its base a Story Site is a Hub story written about a local business. The first few that I published online were initially published in my local newspaper. I decided, with the permission of the editor, to begin publishing the stories on HubPages. Very quickly I began seeing an unexpected boost in Web traffic coming to these sites. Positive feedback from the businesses themselves was also a surprise. The owners remarked to me about the jump in business. I knew at that time I had something here. I started marketing the Story Sites to other area businesses as ionline advertising at a reasonable price and things quickly took off as I started publishing more and more Story Sites.

What makes the Story Site idea so successful is that it mirrors the idea of grouping many businesses in one area, similar to the mall concept. So local folks and others visiting online may find a Story Site for the local business they are interested in, but once they arrive they also find an entire online mall of local businesses that they can patronize. I call it building sustainable online communities and it has helped create a nice online network interlinking many of the local businesses in my area.

There are networking sites out there that attempt to link business communities but they can't compete with the level of accuracy, detail and personal touch you or I can bring as local writers in our respective communities. You are local to the area so you know the business community and can bring that local touch and feel that will connect with your neighbors. I'll be honest with you, it's a lot of work developing these Story Sites but once you get the word out and businesses in your area begin seeing the benefits of your online network they will be happy to pay you to write for them. And compared to the hundreds and even thousands of dollars they are likely paying for newspaper, radio and television advertising, chances are you will get a fair price for your work here. I only charge a small fraction of what they would pay for comparable newspaper advertising and I I certainly can't complain with what I'm making. By following the ideas I am about to lay out, you can create your own online business network and make some decent money in the process.

Pick a target community

The first thing you need to do is designate a business area where you can begin focusing your efforts. A small city with a defined downtown business district with at least 20 businesses is a good choice. If you live in an urban area choose a particular business district or block to focus on. And if possible stay in familiar territory. The closer to where you live the better because you will likely be doing onsite interviews and photos for your stories. And if you can do it in an area where you are already familiar with the people and businesses the better off you will be as well. Just try following that whole concept about writing on what you know and you should be okay. The more you know your area more success you will have getting your online business community up and running.

You might write for free at first

You will likely need to start by giving a discount to the first five or so businesses you write about. You might even consider writing them for free to get the ball rolling. Try to be diverse in the businesses you choose at first so businesses that you approach later on have a variety of examples to look at when considering whether to buy your pitch.

Write with timelessness in mind

When writing your stories you want to choose topics that will remain pertinent for readers during every season and for years to come. Talking about a store's grand opening is great for the local newspaper but it means nothing for an online story that will be on the Internet when that same store is entering its fifth year in business. Now there are instances where the business owner may insist that you mention that grand opening and in those cases you should keep the customer happy by writing what they wish but be sure to explain to them why you discourage it.

Research your subject

Before doing your interviews do your research on the business. Ask them for copies of marketing materials they use or any stories written in the past. Study their Web site, if they have one. Walk through the business and see what is unique about it. I did a story on a Native American artist who displayed an American flag in the front of his gallery. After seeing the flag on my first visit to the gallery, I remembered it during our interview later on and asked him about it. He told me a story about how he was given the flag by an Army unit stationed in Iraq as a thank you after he designed bear claw necklaces for every one of the soldiers in the unit. It was an observation I made while walking through his shop that became a great lead to a interesting Story Site story that would eventually help drive traffic to his site and customers to his gallery.

Photos make the story

Photos are the second most important element beyond the story itself. And in some cases, with the right photographer shooting, a photo can stand alone and tell the story without words. Catchy headlines and good writing can only do so much to capture a Web visitor's attention. Photos will grab a curious person's eye, pulling them into the story to read and learn about the business. So take plenty of photos. Try to have people in them whenever possible and write a caption below each photo sharing with your readers what is in the photo. The more information you give the better it will work to attract and keep the attention of your visitors. And the longer they stay at your Story Site the better chances they will find interest with the business and find out where it is located and the hours it is open - all information that should be included in the story.

Getting visitors from online to onsite

The story itself is a nice way to convey useful information to prospective customers, but the main objective of the story is to lure those people from behind their computers and into the business. So be sure to prominently display 1) the store's complete physical address, 2) any phone numbers and 3) the hours they are open. If the business has Web site and e-mail links include them as imbedded link with the rest of the contact information. Be sure to include exact directions to where the business is located with a MapQuest or other online mapping link. So if the business is at 100 E. Main Street in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin make sure there is a link in the contact information leading straight to that location on a MapQuest page. The bottom line is - short of driving them there yourself - make it as easy as possible, using direct links and accurate information, for the visitor to find everything they need to get to that business.

Write it and they will come

There is also the issues of keywords and SEO that are often an important part of most online promotional writing. I'm not disagreeing with its importance but with what we are doing here I don't see that it requires as much attention as your typical online ad and marketing writing. I don't spend a lot of time on SEO since HubPages already does such a fantastic job at it and as long as you are thinking like a Web surfer while writing and including the core keywords in your Tag list chances are you will be fine. So in my experience on this and similar projects I say place your attention on creating quality Story Sites that people will want to visit and they will come.

Building sustainable communities

Once you have the story and links established for your first couple of Story Sites you can begin building your online business community. The primary way to build this connectedness is by establishing links between all the Story Sites. Just like a shopper coming to the mall looking for a pair of shoes will likely visit stores other than the shoe store a visitor searching for one local business on the Internet will likely be attracted to other local businesses if they are presented directly to him on a Web Story Site.

So for example, Sue from Madison is planning to meet a friend of hers who lives in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin for dinner. After agreeing to meet half way in Cottage Grove, Sue tries to recall the name of the restaurant where they are planning to meet. She does a Google® search for Cottage Grove Wisconsin restaurants and sees 1855 Saloon & Grill come up near the top of the Page 1 results. Happy she has found what she is looking for Sue reads about the great food and atmosphere found at 1855. She clicks on a link at the site to get MapQuest directions to 1855. While checking out the site she also sees advertisements for a number of other Madison area businesses and links leading to their Story Sites. So when Sue-who's been meaning to buy a new kayak-sees the Rutabaga Paddlesport link she clicks on it to get all the information she needs about the Monona, Wisconsin paddlesport shop. Now Sue, excited about the purchase of her new two pound Kevlar kayak, is itching to book an exciting whitewater trip. While considering where to find out more about such a trip she spots a link on Rutabaga's Story Site page for Capitol Travel Services in Monona. She goes to the travel agency's Story Site page and finds out that Capitol Travel can take care of all travel needs for her maiden voyage down the mighty News River in West Virginia. Knowing that she will be driving many miles to reach her destination, Sue decides that she needs a tune-up on her car. Seeing the link on Capitol Travel's Story Site for Viney's Parts & Service in Cottage Grove, Sue quickly clicks on the site link and reads up on the auto shop's years of experience and cutting-edge technology. Now confident in their ability she spots Viney's phone number and gives them a call to schedule an appointment.

Sorry for getting a bit carried away there with the example but what can I say, I'm a writer. You get the point though. The links tie together every Story Site and allow your visitors to easily navigate the many shops, restaurants and bars found in your locale.

The HubPage Advantage

And the traffic that is created from the interlinking of your local businesses Story Sites is accentuated by their presence on HubPages. Through HubPages you have access to one of the most visited sites on the Internet with more than 800 million unique views each month, according to Web analyst Quancast Corporation. Our local Story Sites working through HubPages create an outstanding resource for local businesses looking to expand their online customer base, area residents trying to find local goods and services, or even people in town on business or just visiting who are looking for good local places to eat and shop.

Your local touch means a lot

The amount of detail you as a local writer are able to put into a project like this will far exceed in quality and care any generic networking Web sites that often have outdated and inaccurate information about the businesses they attempt to represent. This is an opportunity to build a sustainable community where every business in your area can come together, help one and other and in turn help your community thrive and grow.

I hope this information is helpful to you and I would love your feedback, suggestions and to answer any question that you might have. Let's continue to build a stronger, more sustainable world by growing our buy local business network online.