Marketing to Tourists and Locals

Ducks paddling near the rocky shoreline of Big Bear Lake. — Ducks on Big Bear Lake by the rocky shore.

Lodging, rentals, ski services, and visitor shops often depend on tourists. Everyday services often depend on residents and property owners. Being open all year does not, by itself, mean the business runs on residents. Mark asks who the customers are before he plans the pages.

Businesses that lean on visitors

Lodging, vacation rentals, ski and snowboard services, equipment rentals, tour operators, and visitor-focused shops can depend heavily on tourists. Restaurants and businesses that offer activities may also rely on visitor spending. The balance between tourists and local customers differs from one business to another.

Someone may use Google Maps for directions, type a detailed search, or ask an AI tool such as Grok for help finding something specific. Voice searches can include a full explanation of what the person wants. He wants the business information to address those needs and make the next step easy.

Big Bear feels more like a tourism hub to him. In the Village, he notices shops and restaurants that seem built around the visitor experience. Lake Arrowhead feels more connected to residential life and second-home ownership, alongside visitor activity. Those observations are a starting point. He would check website traffic and customer information before treating either impression as a fact for a particular business.

Lodging websites are on hotels, lodges, and resorts.

Businesses that lean on residents and property owners

Businesses that provide everyday services often depend on year-round residents and property owners. That can include plumbers, electricians, heating and cooling companies, auto repair shops, grocery stores, healthcare providers, accountants, cleaning companies, and other home and professional services.

The balance is different for each business. He asks the owner who the customers are, and which services support the business throughout the year.

A visitor planning a vacation may need activities, dining, and things to do. A resident or second-home owner may be looking for a dependable local service they can use regularly. Some businesses serve both, and the website should make those services easy to find.

Trades and home services have their own page at websites for mountain trades and home services.

Open all year doesn't mean resident-driven

Being open year-round does not necessarily mean a company depends mainly on residents. Some businesses serve tourists throughout the year. Others work with a mixture of residents, visitors, and second-home owners.

He also distinguishes a business that operates only in season from one that stays open all year but earns much of its income during busy periods. Those are different situations. A company serving residents year-round needs a different content plan from one that depends heavily on visitors booking rooms or taking part in a seasonal activity.

He wants to understand that customer mix before deciding which pages to create or where to focus the marketing.

Service pages for resident-serving businesses

For a business serving residents, he puts a strong focus on its service pages. Each page should explain what the company offers, which areas it serves, what problems it handles, and how someone can request help. The content should answer the questions a potential customer would ask before calling.

Depending on the company, that could eventually mean 15 or 20 useful service pages. That is an example, not a required number. A business with fewer services may need fewer pages. Each page should cover a distinct customer need rather than repeat the same information under a different title.

Those pages need attention as the business changes. That might include updating published pricing, explaining a change in the service, adding recent project photos, or answering questions customers have started asking. He wants each update to improve the information. He does not change a page simply to make it look active.

General statements about quality and good service do not give customers much to evaluate. He wants to explain what the business actually does, what the customer should expect, and what the owner has learned from similar jobs. Older cabins, difficult property access, or maintenance connected to mountain weather belong on the page only when that is the owner's actual experience.

When you need two groups of pages

A company that serves both residents and tourists may need separate groups of pages for those audiences. Its main service pages can explain the year-round offerings. Visitor-focused content can address needs connected to a trip or a seasonal activity.

Second-home owners may need information about arranging services while they are away from the property. The right structure depends on how the company operates.

Usually the same strong service or location page can help someone planning from home and someone already in town. A separate page makes sense only when the need is genuinely different.

How owners down the hill search is in marketing to second-home owners.

Treat each business as its own case

He identifies the customers and priorities first, researches what those people are looking for, and then plans the pages around those needs. He does not give every mountain business the same website strategy simply because they share a location.

He treats each company as its own case. The goal is to understand how it earns business, explain its services clearly, and keep that information useful over time.

What's the bottom line. That gives the website, SEO, AEO, and GEO work a practical purpose: helping the right residents, homeowners, or visitors find the business and take the next step. Rankings are not promised.

Questions

Which mountain businesses depend more on tourists?

Lodging, vacation rentals, ski and snowboard services, equipment rentals, tour operators, and visitor-focused shops often do. Restaurants and activity businesses may also rely on visitor spending. The balance is different at each business, so Mark asks the owner before he plans the pages.

Which businesses depend more on year-round residents?

Everyday services often do: plumbers, electricians, heating and cooling, auto repair, grocery stores, healthcare, accountants, cleaning, and other home and professional services. He still asks who the customers are, and which services support the business all year.

If we are open all year, are our customers mostly residents?

Not necessarily. Some businesses serve tourists throughout the year. Others serve a mix of residents, visitors, and second-home owners. Staying open all year is different from earning most of the income in a short busy season.

How many service pages does a resident-serving business need?

Enough to cover distinct customer needs: what you offer, where you work, what problems you handle, and how to request help. Fifteen or twenty pages is an example, not a required number. Fewer services can mean fewer pages.

Do tourists and residents need separate pages?

Sometimes. Year-round service pages and visitor-focused pages can sit side by side when the needs are genuinely different. Often one strong page can help someone planning from home and someone already in town.

Will this guarantee more visitors or more local jobs?

No. The commitment is to understand the customer mix, write useful pages, and keep them current. A ranking and a specific number of customers are not promised.

Talk with Mark Call (909) 443-2260

Want the pages matched to your customers?

Tell Mark whether the business leans on visitors, residents, or both. He can plan the pages around that mix. Call (909) 443-2260.

Contact Kendrick Mountain Consulting

Marketing to tourists vs year-round residents