A VibeCoding Experiment: Building a Local Living Site
I’ve been experimenting with new technology and local marketing for years, and one of my latest projects is something close to home, a local living site for Carleton Place. It’s designed to help small businesses, creators, and customers find each other in one place and make it easier for people to discover what’s happening locally. https://vibelift.ca a work in progress.
What the Project Is About
This project started as a simple experiment using our in-house development approach, VibeCoding. The goal was to build a lightweight, fast, and easy-to-use directory where local businesses can list themselves, share updates, and be found by nearby customers, without paying high monthly fees or relying on big ad platforms. It’s not just another directory.
We’re combining SEO optimization, smart content tagging, and AI-assisted search to make sure people can easily discover shops, cafes, services, and local makers in their area.
To get started, I built my own Python web scraper to collect and organize data about local businesses. That helped me build the first version of the directory automatically pulling together public information like names, categories, and websites so I could focus on the layout, SEO structure, and user experience instead of typing it all by hand.
Help local businesses show up in search results by doing more than just listing them. The site will also feature a blog section highlighting local businesses, events, and stories, all written and structured to improve their online ranking and visibility. Each post strengthens the site’s SEO while giving real people and small shops a place to be discovered.
What’s Next
This is just the start. I plan to keep improving the site by adding features like:
- Claim Your Business listings
- Local stories and features written to boost search performance
- Community highlights for local events and collaborations
If it works well in Carleton Place, I’d love to expand this idea to other towns, giving more small businesses a chance to lift their vibe and get found online.
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