Crafting an Engaging Local Niche: How AI Boosts Traffic to My Handyman Website

The old adage says you have to spend money to make money, but I’m here to tell you I’m finding a better way. I’m leveraging a smart AI tool to bring a massive increase in organic traffic and local engagement to my handyman site, ComeFixItNow.com. How? By not talking about plumbing or drywall, but about local music events in Blanco, Texas. It sounds crazy, I know. It’s a complete pivot from a “fix-it” service to local entertainment, but the results speak for themselves. This effort is all about capturing the local community’s attention and establishing my site as an indispensable resource, which ultimately drives serious leads back to my core handyman services.

The Problem: Being Just Another Service Website

Look, my handyman website, like a lot of contractor sites, faced a common issue: people only visit when they have a broken toilet or a wobbly shelf. The engagement is transactional, and the bounce rate is sky-high because once they find the number, they’re gone. I need a way to keep my neighbors coming back, week after week, whether their faucet drips or not. I’m essentially changing the site from a brochure into a local hub. The goal is simple: I want people to bookmark ComeFixItNow.com not because of a project, but because they’re trying to figure out what to do Friday night.

This Is Where AI Boosts Traffic and Saves My Sanity

In the past, manually compiling a list of local events—like karaoke nights, live bands, and special events—would be a true “all-weekend project.” I’d have three frustrated guys (in this case, three versions of myself) taking turns running down to various restaurant and bar websites, trying to cross-reference dates and times. It would be an endless, soul-crushing chore. Forget that.

I’m now using a Gemini Gem, which is essentially a bespoke AI tool, to handle the heavy lifting. I give the Gem a list of my favorite local spots—the places I know feature great music and events—and it goes to work.

My AI Automation Workflow

Once the “Gem” is built, I just ask it for “the next 30 days” or “the month of November” and Gemini does the rest (well, I do need to import the file, but you catch my drift)

The process is surprisingly clean, which is what I love about smart automation.

1. The Scrape: My Gemini Gem scrapes the event information directly from the local restaurant and bar websites. It’s looking for keywords like “Karaoke,” “Live Music,” and “Dancing.” The Gem is smart enough to handle different website structures and pull the relevant data points: date, time, venue, and event description.
2. The Output: The Gem compiles all that raw data into a clean, structured CSV file.
3. The Integration: I take that CSV and import it right into my WordPress plugin, The Events Calendar. This step is a total breeze, especially compared to manual data entry.
4. The Result: The events instantly populate the Blanco Entertainment Calendar page on my site, which is located here. The whole process, once set up, takes me maybe a total of fifteen focused minutes each month.

The Payoff: Serious Website Engagement

The moment I rolled out this feature, the results were dramatic. I’m not exaggerating when I say the Blanco Entertainment Calendar page shot up to the #2 most viewed page on my entire website. Think about that for a second. More people are looking for a Saturday night band than they are for my full list of handyman services!

Remember, this website has a very narrow focus– just folks located in the Blanco, South Austin, North San Antonio areas…

This is key: it has an incredibly low bounce rate. People aren’t landing on the page and immediately leaving; they are scrolling, clicking, and spending time planning their weekend. They are engaging with my brand on a positive, frequent basis. I’m establishing deep local authority and, simultaneously, training my local audience to see my website as a trusted resource—the place to go for anything local. When they eventually need someone to mount their new flatscreen or fix their deck, guess what site they already have bookmarked and trust?

This project proves you don’t always have to reinvent the wheel—you just have to give your audience something they actually want and make it easy for them to get it. Using AI boosts traffic in a way that feels organic and community-focused, not sales-driven. It’s a win-win, turning my site into a true local staple.