Content Roundup

Local SEO Secrets: How to Rank Your Business in Your City

June 13, 2025

If you're a small business owner hoping to get more local customers to find you, keep reading! Local SEO should be at the top of your digital marketing checklist. Unlike general SEO, which focuses on improving your website's visibility on a national or global scale, Local SEO helps your small business find it in the heat of the moment when people are looking for products or services around your business.

This blog will share all the local SEO strategies that help your business rank higher in your city, drive foot traffic, and bring in more leads. Whether you're a brick-and-mortar store, a service provider, or a multi-location business, these tips will set you on the path to local search dominance.

Why Local SEO Matters More Than Ever

Since more than 46% of all Google searches are local, you are missing a huge segment of customers if your business does not rank well for local search. People searching for terms like "Best Italian restaurant near me" or "Plumber in [Your City]" are often ready to act immediately, and being visible in those search results is most important.

  • It increases visibility on Google Maps and local packs
  • It increases credibility through reviews and citations
  • It generates high-intent traffic to your website or storefront
  • It supports mobile searchers, who typically convert faster

1. Claim and Optimize Your Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile (GBP) (previously known as Google My Business) is the foundation of your local SEO approach. If you haven't claimed and optimized your GBP yet, now is the time.

Follow these suggestions to optimize your GBP:

  • Include accurate name, address, and phone number (NAP)
  • Select the most relevant business categories
  • Upload high-quality images
  • Keep your operating hours up to date
  • Get customer reviews and respond to them

Pro Tip: You can include local keywords in your description, like "Affordable home cleaning services in Austin," and Google can match you with the most relevant searches.

2. Use Location-Specific Keywords

To compete for ranking in your city, you need geo-targeted keywords throughout your entire website and content, including:

  • Homepage
  • Landing pages
  • Blog posts
  • Meta descriptions
  • Header tags

Examples:

  • "Top-rated Dallas wedding photographer"
  • "Emergency HVAC service in San Diego"

You can use tools such as Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or Ahrefs to help find keyword variations for your city and niche.

3. Create Localized Content

Content marketing is not exclusive to global businesses. By creating content that relates to your local area, you can significantly boost your visibility. Think beyond your products and services and talk about:

  • Local news or events
  • City guides
  • Community involvement
  • Case studies for local customers

For example, a fitness center in Chicago might write a blog post along the lines of:

"5 Outdoor Workout Locations in Chicago You’re Going to Love this, Summer."

Creating content like this is going to create both relevance and authority for both users and search engines. Want help with content creation? Contact iMarketo!

4. Build Local Citations

Citations are mentions of your business name, address, and phone number on other websites, even without a link. Different examples include:

  • Yelp
  • Yellow Pages
  • TripAdvisor
  • Facebook
  • A local chamber of commerce's website

It's important that your NAP on all your listings is consistent. Any variations will lead to confusion on the part of the search engines and hurt your local rankings.

5. Get Online Reviews—and Respond to Them

Online reviews provide credibility and authority to search engines and your potential clients. All the positive reviews on your Google Business Profile, Yelp, Facebook, and niche directories can improve ranking power.

To encourage reviews:

  • Ask customers who are satisfied after their purchase
  • Including review prompts in follow-up emails
  • Providing links to your review pages

Always respond, whether the review is good or bad. It shows engagement and helps with SEO.

6. Optimize Your Website for Mobile

Most local searches occur on mobile devices. Your website must be mobile-friendly, which means:

You should always:

  • Fast load time
  • Readable fonts
  • Easy town navigation
  • Click-to-call buttons

Google favors mobile-optimized websites for local search results. Test your site with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool.

7. Add Location Pages to Your Website

If your business serves multiple locations, create separate pages for each city/neighborhood. Each page should include:

  • Unique content relevant to that location
  • Embedded Google Map
  • Testimonial from clients within that location
  • Location-specific keywords

This helps search engines know what locations you serve and creates new opportunities for you to rank in many locations.

8. Use Schema Markup for Local SEO  

The LocalBusiness schema markup gives search engines valuable information about your business. It includes:

  • Business name
  • Business type
  • Location
  • Hours of operation
  • Customer ratings & reviews

You can utilize tools such as Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper if you want to add this type of code to your website without any advanced coding skills.

9. Leverage Local Backlinks

Backlinks remain a solid ranking factor, and local backlinks are even stronger ranking signals in local SEO. Here are some ideas to get backlinks from:

  • Local bloggers and influencers
  • Local news media
  • Sponsorships (local events, local sports teams, etc.)
  • Business directories
  • Partner companies

Guest posting on local blogs and joining community resources pages can make a huge difference.

10. Track Your Local SEO Performance

Use resources like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and BrightLocal to track your local SEO success.

Keep an eye on:

  • Rankings of local keywords
  • Traffic from specific geographic areas
  • Google Business Profile views or actions
  • Conversion rate of local visitors

You should look to extract value in the form of statistics and should regularly assess and refine your approach based on the data you review.

Final Thoughts: Dominate Your Local Market

Local SEO is not just a one-time strategy—it is a continual practice to show up for your audience in the places they are. Using the approaches mentioned above, you can considerably improve your chances of ranking higher in local search engine results, increasing traffic and conversions.

No matter your profession-whether you're a local restaurant, salon, law firm, or service provider-your customers are searching for you. Be found easily.

Ready to Expand Locally?

At iMarketo, we provide local SEO services that take small and mid-sized businesses to the top of their local markets. Offering Google Business Profile optimization, hyper-local content, and citation building, we know how to help you rank higher and convert better.

Schedule your free local SEO audit today and begin your journey to search for visibility in your city.

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