In the last week, we’ve been out and about around Chorley, handing out flyers, and talking to small business owners about ChorleyPages. We’ve been asked a few questions along the way, so thought it would be a good idea to try and answer a few of them here.
Q. How can this be free?
A. We are offering free sign up to encourage as many businesses/people to get involved as possible. We believe that this is necessary to create something of value. Long-term, we hope to attract sponsorship and paid advertisers to support the project, however, we don’t think it is reasonable to ask anyone to pay to advertise on a new website with an unknown amount of visitors.
Initially, the website will show a few ‘pay per click’ ads to help raise funds to run the site. Once the website is established and attracts regular visitors (which it will only do if there is plenty of content available), only then will enhanced (paid) advertising options be offered – this will allow any business to further enhance their profile and visibility on the website for a small fee. This will include banner advertising on the homepage and in key areas around the website, and also ‘sponsor a page’ options, so, for example one business could opt to sponsor the ‘shopping’ section, another could sponsor the ‘food and drink’ section, and so on.
Q. What’s in it for me? (advertiser)
A. Lots! A chance to advertise online for FREE, forever. The website is designed to work well in search engines and appears high in Google and Bing search results for Chorley related searches.
In addition, we have created the website in such a way that the people of Chorley, visitors to the town (and potential visitors) can browse or search directly on the website, whether from a PC, tablet or phone, to find whatever they are looking for in Chorley.
Businesses that already have a website and are looking to increase their own search engine visibility/rankings (SEO), each ChorleyPages page can include links which can help boost rankings of their own site.
For businesses without a website, whether that’s because they feel they don’t need one, don’t want one, or can’t afford to invest in one, each ChorleyPage page has its own dedicated page address (URL) and can be used as a basic web presence. On this website, all are presented equally, regardless of size, scale, or marketing budget.
Q. What’s in it for you? (NRD Media)
A. Short-term, nothing but hard work. But we think it will be worth it!
Q. Why exactly are you doing this?
A. We are the Chorley area ourselves, we were born here and have lived in the area all of our lives. Like many, we have witnessed a perceived decline in the town’s prosperity in recent years, along with most towns in the UK. We believe that things are slowly getting better and want to help that process along, using the technical skills and marketing experience that we have accumulated, to create something new and different to promote the area. It’s a new approach, one based firmly in the 21st century, relying on modern technology and internet marketing techniques to enhance and promote all businesses equally, even those with traditional or old-fashioned roots. We believe it is a viable project that will attract funding and sponsorship in the long-term, and that is why we have invested our time in setting up the project.
Q. How can this help encourage people to “shop local” in the Chorley area?
A. By presenting as many of the town’s small businesses, which covers a huge variety of goods and services, all together, side by side, we hope to demonstrate just how much we have in the town. We believe that people will be encouraged to shop-local if they believe they can find everything they need/want right here in Chorley, without having to travel out to Preston, Bolton, Blackburn, Wigan or anywhere else.
ChorleyPages is intended to show a ‘virtual high street’ of shops, market stalls and other businesses, all presented together on an equal footing, in a way that has never been attempted before: promotional, fun, modern, browsable and searchable.
In addition, we hope to encourage good local business-to-business relationships.
This will work best if a wide range of businesses and people get involved, by signing up, spreading the word, and most of all by using the website to find services and goods in the area. It won’t happen overnight, but over time we hope to get as many as possible of Chorley’s businesses, groups and ventures featured, and really show off the best that the area has to offer, both in the town centre and surrounding areas and villages.
Ready to sign up? Visit the sign-up page to add your business, club, campaign or whatever you would like to advertise! It FREE, forever.
