# City Ranked | City Ranked Media, Inc. | Nationally recognized digital marketing and advertising agency serving the entire United States. > At City Ranked we specialize in growing service area business, such as: Pest Control Services, HVAC, Roofers, Landscape Companies, House Painting, Septic Pumping, Flooring, Home Windows, Siding Companies, Excavation, Tree Care Services, and much more. through innovative digital marketing and advertising services paired with advanced MarTech tacks to help our business owners scale faster than traditional models. > City Ranked has been touted as one of the United States best digital marketing and advertising companies for service area businesses, such as Pest Control, HVAC, and Roofing Companies. --- ## Pages - [Expert Digital Marketing Review](https://cityranked.com/our-process/digital-marketing-review/): Is your digital marketing sending the right message? Is your message reaching the right people? Call us for an expert... - [Referral Program](https://cityranked.com/referral-program/): Refer a friend and save. Save money on your digital marketing by bringing your friends to join the City Ranked... - [GPS SEO by City Ranked](https://cityranked.com/seo/gps-seo/): GPS SEO:A powerful plugin that puts you on the map. Clearly communicate your services and service area to search engines... - [HighLevel Marketing Automation Agency](https://cityranked.com/highlevel-marketing-automation/): Looking for a HighLevel Agency Partner for your business? City Ranked is experienced in building custom automations, programming complex API... - [Pest Control Digital Marketing & Advertising Agency](https://cityranked.com/home-services/pest-control/): Over 500 pest control businesses grown since 2011. Looking for a reputable digital marketing agency to help scale your pest... - [Plumber Advertising](https://cityranked.com/case-studies/plumber/): +111% Call Volume 1,514 First-Time Callers +140% Organic Traffic +180% Local Visibility GBP Views 12. 3% Conversion Rate $5. 33... - [Reviews & Reputation](https://cityranked.com/reviews-reputation/): Online reviews and reputation management are even more important to your digital strategy than you may realize. They make search... - [Merger & Acquisition Marketing Agency](https://cityranked.com/enterprise-digital-solutions/): The City Ranked Approach to Enterprise Digital Solutions When you’re laser-focused on growth, meeting your goals while maintaining consistent ROI... - [What We Do](https://cityranked.com/our-process/): Smart strategies, real results. Success takes a team effort. Our team supports yours with these digital marketing services and more.... - [Digital Marketing Case Studies](https://cityranked.com/case-studies/): Real examples of our success We specialize in harnessing the unique qualities of each business we work with, skillfully guiding... - [HVAC Contractor Advertising](https://cityranked.com/case-studies/hvac/): +148% Call Volume 365 First-Time Callers +112% Organic Traffic +110% GBP Maps Views 12. 9% Conversion Rate $30. 33 CPA:... - [Landscaper Advertising](https://cityranked.com/case-studies/landscaper/): +111% Call Volume 187 First-Time Callers +130% Organic Traffic +540% Local Visibility Targeting Customers in Orlando Metro 14. 4% Conversion... - [Pest Control Advertising Case Study](https://cityranked.com/case-studies/pest-control/): +32% Sessions in first quarter +128% Conversions in first quarter +117% Sessions in following quarter +128% Conversion Rate in following... - [Skout Privacy Policy](https://cityranked.com/privacy-policy-skout/): This privacy policy sets out how Skout uses and protects any information that you give when you use this website.... - [Careers](https://cityranked.com/careers/): It’s our people who set us apart. We pride ourselves on our holistic approach to building local relevance for our... - [Social Media Marketing](https://cityranked.com/social-media/): Advertising on Social Media Social media marketing levels the playing field. It’s your community hub, digital storefront, and brand megaphone... - [Marketing Automation](https://cityranked.com/skout/): Meet Skout – Our Easy-to-Use Marketing Automation Platform Looking to turn more prospects into customers? The path is created through... - [Search Engine Marketing](https://cityranked.com/sem/): Paid Media Campaigns to Grow Your Business The customers are out there, they’re searching for keywords related to your business,... - [Let's chat](https://cityranked.com/contact/): Focusing on just a few marketing channels doesn’t cut it anymore. With the evolving landscape of digital marketing and shifts... - [Website Schema Generator](https://cityranked.com/seo/website-schema-generator/): Free JSON-LD Schema Generator If your website doesn’t currently have schema markup, you’re missing out on a big SEO opportunity.... - [GBP Review Link Generator](https://cityranked.com/seo/gbp-link-generator/): Get reviews for your business on Google Custom Link for Google Business Profile Reviews Generate a link that sends your... - [Free Website and SEO Audit Tool](https://cityranked.com/seo/seo-audit/): Get a detailed SEO Analysis of your website with our FREE Website & SEO Audit Tool, including why you may not... - [Technical Support](https://cityranked.com/support/): In Need of Technical Support? Contact Our Team. Our team is dedicated to supporting our clients with questions and concerns.... - [Blog](https://cityranked.com/blog/) - [Local SEO](https://cityranked.com/seo/local-seo/): An industry leader in search engine optimization for local businesses Many digital marketing agencies have extensive experience with search engine... - [Search Engine Optimization](https://cityranked.com/seo/): Custom SEO Solutions for Growing Businesses SEO is crucial to the success of your business, but it takes much more... - [Who We Are](https://cityranked.com/about/): We’re a team of passionate digital marketing, web dev, and SEO experts who can fix your title tags, optimize your... - [About Duane Baumgartner](https://cityranked.com/about/duane-baumgartner/): City Ranked, Founder and CEO Duane Baumgartner had a front-row seat to the evolution of digital marketing as we know... - [Terms and Conditions](https://cityranked.com/terms-and-conditions/): Marketing communications preferences for Email and/or SMS/MMS Messaging. - [City Ranked Legal](https://cityranked.com/legal/) - [Testimonials & Reviews](https://cityranked.com/about/reviews/): What’s it like partnering with City Ranked? Check out our recent client reviews and testimonials. - [Ready to grow your business?](https://cityranked.com/book-a-demo/): It starts with a conversation. Growing your business is a journey that begins with a single step. That step? Reach... - [Website Development](https://cityranked.com/website-development/): Ready to grow your business? We have the website for you. Grow your brand. Get discovered. Invite consumers to take... - [Digital Marketing Agency](https://cityranked.com/): City Ranked’s full-funnel approach to digital marketing cultivates customers at every phase of the buying cycle – from brand awareness... - [Privacy Policy](https://cityranked.com/privacy-policy/): This privacy policy sets out how uses and protects any information that you give when you use this website. is... --- ## Posts - [Combining Marketing Data, AI, and Automation for Predictable Business Growth](https://cityranked.com/business-growth-ai-automation/): The modern business environment is rapidly changing with the release of AI-powered business tools. For home services businesses, staying relevant,... - [Why You Should Create and Optimize Content for AI Platforms](https://cityranked.com/ai-content-optimization/): Artificial intelligence (AI) has changed the way users find brands and convert into leads. Search engines, assistants, and copilots now... - [Pest Control - Increase Profits by reducing Customer Cancellations](https://cityranked.com/pest-control-increase-profits-by-reducing-customer-cancellations/): Pest control companies can increase profitability by reducing customer churn through the use of marketing automation and AI. One of... - [Hyper-Local Growth Using GPS-SEO](https://cityranked.com/hyper-local-growth-using-gps-seo/): GPS-SEO by City Ranked Video Transcript Hello, I’m Duane Baumgartner, CEO and Founder here at City Ranked. Today I want... - [How Social Media and SEO Work Together to Boost Your Online Visibility](https://cityranked.com/how-social-media-and-seo-work-together/): Have you ever been out with a friend, and then you run into another friend? You start to introduce your... - [Using AI in Google Ads - Embracing the AI Revolution](https://cityranked.com/embracing-ai-in-google-ads/): Optimizing Your Google Ads Using AI (Artificial Intelligence) The digital advertising landscape is constantly transforming, and at the forefront of... - [How We Target the Right Audience for Your Google Ads Campaign](https://cityranked.com/audience-targeting-google-ads-campaigns/): The difference between an ineffective Google Ads campaign and one that’s leading to conversions often comes down to who’s seeing... - [10 Proven Marketing Ideas For Your Pest Control Business](https://cityranked.com/10-proven-marketing-ideas-for-pest-control-businesses/): How to Improve Your Pest Control Marketing by Duane Baumgartner I’ve been marketing pest control companies for over twenty years,... - [The FTC Ban on Fake Reviews & What It Means for Your Business](https://cityranked.com/ftc-ban-on-fake-reviews/): In response to growing concerns from consumers, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been making moves for the past couple... - [How Should I Handle Negative Reviews and Customer Feedback?](https://cityranked.com/how-should-i-handle-negative-reviews-and-customer-feedback/): Once a steady stream of online reviews starts rolling in, it feels easy. Your business’s overall rating rises, which leads... - [How small businesses can use marketing automation and AI to increase lead generation ](https://cityranked.com/how-small-businesses-can-use-marketing-automation-and-ai-to-increase-lead-generation/): Small business owners have never had more competition for their time. The days of casually posting on a Facebook or... - [How Can I Encourage Satisfied Customers to Leave Positive Reviews?](https://cityranked.com/how-can-i-encourage-satisfied-customers-to-leave-positive-reviews/): So you’ve decided to make gathering reviews a bigger part of your online marketing strategy – that’s great! Now, the... - [How Can Online Reviews Impact My Business?](https://cityranked.com/how-can-online-reviews-impact-my-business/): Reviews have always been extremely important for local businesses. Imagine a friend tells you, “Avoid that restaurant – I saw... - [Ranking #1 on Google isn’t a strategy, it’s a reward.](https://cityranked.com/better-ranking-strategy/): Let’s get this straight from the beginning: every small business owner wants their website to rank higher on Google –... - [Summit Reviews: Our New Offering](https://cityranked.com/summit-reviews-our-new-offering/): Introducing our New Text Review App No matter the size, type, or industry, your business will benefit from reviews. In... - [FTC Proposes Ban on Fake Reviews](https://cityranked.com/ftc-proposes-ban-on-fake-reviews/): Last month, City Ranked spoke about the importance of Online Reviews. ( And the importance of not buying them )... - [Could the way you run your business affect your Google rankings?](https://cityranked.com/business-operations-rankings/): Short answer? Yes. Your customer’s in-person experience directly impacts your rankings on Google. But the way you can affect it... - [Supercharge Your Reviews to Crush the Competition](https://cityranked.com/supercharge-your-reviews-to-crush-the-competition/): Undoubtedly, the significance of reviews is important, yet many businesses fail to fully grasp the key role they play in... - [Getting Reviews For Your Business Online](https://cityranked.com/getting-reviews-business-online/): Getting Online Reviews For Your Business Consumers rely on reading reviews these days to form opinions and decisions on everything... - [Conversion Rate Optimization: Increasing Website Conversions For City Ranked Customers](https://cityranked.com/increase-website-conversions/): Incrementally Increasing Website Conversions With New WordPress Programming As a web design and search engine optimization company, we’ve always maintained... - [SEO Code Innovation: Targeting SEO Through GPS Location](https://cityranked.com/targeting-seo-gps-location/): GPS Targeted SEO We here at City Ranked have been busy testing, retesting, and refining SEO tactics based upon GPS... - [Programming Innovation: Get Customer Reviews Through Text Messaging](https://cityranked.com/get-customer-reviews-text-messaging/): The GoLocalReviews. com Text Review App (Demo video at the bottom of this article) With an ever-increasing number of savvy... - [JSON-LD Schema Structure for Local SEO](https://cityranked.com/json-ld-schema-structure-local-seo/): New SEO Schema Markups Released and Tested First it might be helpful to explain what schema markup is. Back in... - [SEO Code Innovation: Local SEO and Google's Doorway Page Update](https://cityranked.com/local-seo-google-doorway-page-update/): Targeting Local SEO After Google’s Doorway Page Update Way back in March of 2015, Google released its Doorway Page Update... - [3 questions to ask before hiring a web advertising company](https://cityranked.com/3-questions-to-ask-before-hiring-web-advertising-company/): Know the right questions to ask a web advertising company Hiring a reputable Internet Advertising company for your small business... - [Expert SEO Quiz](https://cityranked.com/expert-seo-quiz/): Consider yourself an Expert at SEO in 2015? Take our quiz and find out how you rank. - [Is your Small Business Website and SEO Strategy Forward Thinking?](https://cityranked.com/website-seo-strategy/): I want to cover a topic I think many small business owners rarely think about, the viability, and scale-ability of... - [8 Sure Signs Your SEO Company Sucks](https://cityranked.com/8-sure-signs-your-seo-company-sucks/): Last year I wrote an article titled “10 Signs You’re Buying SEO Snake Oil“. Since I’m into SEO, I thought... - [Poor Man's Guide: Website and Internet Advertising on a Budget (Part 3 of 3)](https://cityranked.com/poor-mans-guide-website-and-internet-advertising-on-a-budget-part-3-of-3/): Promoting and Updating Your Small Business Website I get it as a small business owner, you’re busy. There’s a million... - [Poor Man’s Guide: Website and internet advertising on a budget (Part 2 of 3)](https://cityranked.com/build-website-advertising-budget-2/): Website SEO on a Budget Self guide to getting your business website on the search engines Awhile back I wrote... - [Is Your SEO Company a Copycat?](https://cityranked.com/is-your-seo-company-a-copycat/): Why you shouldn’t work with an SEO company that copies your competitions’ strategies. As a business owner nothing can more... - [What Your SEO Company Might Be Doing To Hurt Your Rankings](https://cityranked.com/seo-company-might-hurt-rankings/): Is your SEO company hurting your websites rankings? I get it, as a business owner it’s really easy to let... - [5 things you need to know before hiring someone to build you a website in WordPress](https://cityranked.com/5-things-need-know-hiring-someone-build-website-wordpress/): Here at City Ranked Media we primarily work in WordPress and all of our new client websites are built using... - [Cheap website SEO, does it really exist? Learn the facts here](https://cityranked.com/cheap-website-seo-really-exist/): Just about any business small or large will at some point be faced with the decision on how to properly... - [Google Pigeon, what happened to your Google listing and rankings?](https://cityranked.com/google-pigeon-listings-rankings/): Did you loose rankings with the Google Pigeon update? Late Thursday, Google quietly released its newest update to its local... - [Poor Man's Guide: Website and internet advertising on a budget (Part 1 of 3)](https://cityranked.com/build-website-advertising-budget-1/): Many small business owners build their own website, perform simple SEO when they start out to save, here's a simple... - [How much should SEO cost?](https://cityranked.com/much-seo-cost/): How much should SEO cost your business? The answers to this question are as plentiful as websites returned on any... - [Are you really dealing with an SEO expert?](https://cityranked.com/really-dealing-seo-expert/): The 10 warning signs that the person you’re talking to is not an SEO expert. In this day and age... - [Why your SEO needs to be continually worked on](https://cityranked.com/seo-needs-continually-worked/): SEO and Your Old & Tired Website SEO and first page rankings One of the questions we get a lot... - [Measuring The Effectiveness of Your SEO and PPC Campaigns](https://cityranked.com/measuring-effectiveness-of-seo-ppc-campaigns/): The Basics of measuring your marketing efforts How to measure the effectiveness of your SEO and PPC efforts When it... - [What kind of website are you really buying, and why should you care](https://cityranked.com/cheap-or-expensive-web-design/): Drag & Drop Websites – WYSIWYG website programs are they worth it? Finding someone to build your business a website... - [Looking for a SEO company? 5 internet advertising myths debunked](https://cityranked.com/5-myths-seo-debunked/): So you’re in the market for an SEO Company? For many small businesses, looking for a qualified local SEO Company... - [SEO Quiz](https://cityranked.com/seo-test/): Want to test your SEO knowledge? Try the 10 questions below to see how you score. View Survey - [Three questions to ask anyone trying to sell you search engine optimization](https://cityranked.com/three-questions-to-ask-seo/): Hiring a reputable Internet Advertising company for your small business may seem like an easy task. There are many choices... - [How Google's Penguin Update could affect your small business website](https://cityranked.com/how-googles-penguin-update-could-affect-your-small-business-website/): The Penguin Update and your small business website Google recently announced an update to their search ranking algorithms that in... - [Website Ranking Factors For Small Business (Part 3 of 3)](https://cityranked.com/website-ranking-factors-for-small-business-part-3-of-3/): In this final article of Website Ranking Factors For Small Business, I will cover factors that can get your website... - [Website Ranking Factors For Small Business (Part 2 of 3)](https://cityranked.com/website-ranking-factors-for-small-businesses-part-2-of-3/): In my prior article in this series, I discussed website On-Page Ranking Factors for small business websites. This article will... - [Website Ranking Factors For Small Business (Part 1 of 3)](https://cityranked.com/website-ranking-factors-for-small-business-part-1-of-3/): In this article series I will cover top-level factors that search engines use in determining where a website will rank... - [WordPress Ratings Setup](https://cityranked.com/wordpress-ratings-setup/): WordPress comes equipped with a built in system for readers to interact with your blog / website by allowing them... --- # # Detailed Content ## Pages - Published: 2025-09-04 - Modified: 2025-10-27 - URL: https://cityranked.com/our-process/digital-marketing-review/ Is your digital marketing sending the right message? Is your message reaching the right people? Call us for an expert digital marketing review and get the answers you need. Your digital marketing efforts should actively grow your business. If your strategy isn’t working on every level, it’s not working hard enough. After all, these days, the ways to reach and engage consumers online are practically limitless.   If you’re not 100% positive about your current digital marketing strategy and the results you’re seeing, call City Ranked today for a complimentary review. Don’t wait – because if you want to drive digital growth in three months, now is the time to act. And if you want long-term, sustainable growth for years to come, you need to build that foundation right now. Give us ten minutes for a quick call, and we’ll give you real, actionable insights into your overall digital presence and help you plot your roadmap to long-term sustainable success. You put everything into your business, and you deserve a digital marketing strategy that works just as hard.   Reach out now and get the ball rolling on your expert digital marketing review. What’s Included in Our Digital Marketing Review? Your comprehensive digital marketing review draws on our expert team’s knowledge and experience. We’ll evaluate everything from technical benchmarks, including site speed and page load times, to on-page SEO factors like heading and structured data optimization, and much more. In creating your complimentary digital review, we’ll provide high-level recommendations in... --- - Published: 2025-06-27 - Modified: 2025-07-31 - URL: https://cityranked.com/referral-program/ Refer a friend and save. Save money on your digital marketing by bringing your friends to join the City Ranked family. Refer a friend Refer a friend. Get rewarded. We believe great clients know other great businesses. Help us connect with them — and we’ll return the favor with a credit that helps your business grow too. (Only eligible on recurring services). How it works. We’ve made it simple — refer a friend, and when they join, you get rewarded. Share the love. Submit your referral's details using the form below. They join City Ranked. We onboard your referral as a new City Ranked customer. You get rewarded. We match their first month's spend as credit on your bill. Ready to refer? Know a business owner who could benefit from City Ranked's digital marketing services? Fill out the quick form below to refer them — and we’ll credit your account if they become a client. --- - Published: 2025-05-29 - Modified: 2025-10-27 - URL: https://cityranked.com/seo/gps-seo/ GPS SEO:A powerful plugin that puts you on the map. Clearly communicate your services and service area to search engines using our proprietary website application. Free Demo See the results Be the first business that local customers find. GPS SEO installs seamlessly on your website, boosting a combination of signals to search engines across a targeted geographic area of your choosing. Whether you’re searching for more high-quality leads in your existing service area or you’re ready to supercharge expansion into new territories, GPS SEO ensures search engines understand your core offerings and where you provide them. Make local SEO work for your business. Using a combination of on-page optimizations, API connections, and technical SEO factors, GPS SEO sends clear and proven signals that teach search engines what your business is, which services it offers, and where you offer them. Think of it like your wireless signal – installing GPS SEO is like going from one bar to four. It’s a clearer, steadier signal that can be picked up in more places. GPS SEO helps more customers find you in more places: Increase local search ranking We help your business appear in search results when people nearby are looking for what you offer. Attract higher-quality leads Our tools connect you with people already searching for your specific services in your area. Easily grow into new cities or regions You can add new service areas without starting over or rebuilding your website. Automate hundreds of SEO tasks Our software takes care of... --- - Published: 2025-04-11 - Modified: 2025-04-17 - URL: https://cityranked.com/highlevel-marketing-automation/ Looking for a HighLevel Agency Partner for your business? City Ranked is experienced in building custom automations, programming complex API connections, and eliminating repetitive marketing tasks allowing your team to focus on driving more revenue. Let's chat Using HighLevel to streamline your businesses revenue growth with a proven Digital Agency Increase your marketing ROI with over 50 proven pre-built automations that keep your revenue flowing day and night. From our “Done For You” snapshots to completely customized workflows, City Ranked has your business covered. Over 200 different marketing and business management automations on one platform! Our Skout Platform is best described as a Pre-CRM, better known as a Prospect Relationship Management tool designed to manage and optimize your company’s interactions with potential customers (prospects) before they become Sales Qualified Leads (SQL). This tool focuses on building relationships with potential customers, engaging with them through their chosen communication channel, and then nurturing them through the decision process to do business with your company. Web chat → SMS Convert potential customers with a web chat widget installed on your website to continue the conversation anywhere through SMS, all automated until Skout determines the prospect is ready to buy. Over 200 powerful automations The Skout platform combines the ability to use over 200 different actions combined with proprietary SEO and CRO programs built and backed by our nationally recognized digital marketing agency. Versatile mobile app Manage your new sales pipeline, respond to potential customers, add new leads, and generate new sales all from... --- - Published: 2025-03-11 - Modified: 2025-09-05 - URL: https://cityranked.com/home-services/pest-control/ Over 500 pest control businesses grown since 2011. Looking for a reputable digital marketing agency to help scale your pest control business? If so, you’ve come to the right place. City Ranked has been involved in pest control advertising since 2011, and our roots in the pest management advertising industry started with our founder Duane Baumgartner’s experience working with several pest control companies all the way back to 2004. Since then, City Ranked has proven itself as a major contender in the pest control marketing space, helping some of the largest pest control companies in the world scale their marketing operations across almost every state in the nation, as well as in Canada and beyond. From large-scale pest control companies to smaller regional operations, City Ranked helps pest control owners generate and maximize revenue growth at scale. Schedule a consultation Effortlessly sync marketing with your Pest Control CRM. Why experience in pest control marketing matters. When it comes to pest control marketing and advertising, the journey only starts with the initial sale. Representing your brand online in an ultra-competitive vertical like pest control takes more than a nice-looking website and a Google Ads budget. Factors such as your brand's reputation and reviews, speed of service, offers, warranties, certifications, and through communication with your customers are paramount to building a high-performing recurring book of loyal pest control customers. These and many other factors play into a successful pest control marketing strategy. When selecting a digital agency to represent your brand, understanding... --- - Published: 2025-02-27 - Modified: 2025-04-28 - URL: https://cityranked.com/case-studies/plumber/ +111% Call Volume 1,514 First-Time Callers +140% Organic Traffic +180% Local Visibility GBP Views 12. 3% Conversion Rate $5. 33 Organic CPA Plumber Advertising City Ranked has had the honor of partnering with D&F Plumbing for over a decade. Throughout our longstanding collaboration, we have accomplished outstanding outcomes by employing a comprehensive digital marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. By closely aligning our strategies with D&F Plumbing’s business goals, we have remarkably enhanced their online presence and organic search rankings. Our approach involves thorough market research, content optimization on their website, implementation of technical SEO best practices, and complementing these efforts with effective paid advertising campaigns. As a result, D&F Plumbing has established itself as a prominent player in the local plumbing industry, capturing valuable search traffic and generating high-quality leads. D&F Plumbing has experienced such tremendous growth in business and reputation, they have expanded into a new vertical, now offering Heating & Cooling services. Digital Marketing Tactics: New Website (Optimized for SEO & UX) Local SEO (GBP & Listings) Content Marketing Photoshoots & Job-Site Drone Shoots Service Area GPS Targeting (GPS SEO) Paid Media (PPC, LSA, Programmatic) Recruiting Services (LinkedIn & Radio Ads) Review Generation (Summit Review App) Not all heroes wear capes. Sometimes they wear plaid. “D&F Plumbing, Heating and Cooling is proud to service a wide area of customers throughout the Portland Metro Area. Whether your plumbing emergency happens in the middle of the night, on a weekend, or a holiday, you can count on D&F... --- - Published: 2025-02-27 - Modified: 2025-10-27 - URL: https://cityranked.com/reviews-reputation/ Online reviews and reputation management are even more important to your digital strategy than you may realize. They make search engines more likely to recommend you, and customers more likely to click. And as we move into the age of automation and AI, high-quality reviews and testimonials from real humans will only grow in importance. The good news is it’s not too late to get started. Now is the perfect time to revamp your review gathering and reputation strategy. Schedule a demo with our experts today – and we’ll make sure your business is always putting its best foot forward. Real-time review monitoring Online reviews can arrive at all hours, and businesses need to be ready to respond ASAP. This shows customers that you’re open for business, and they can count on the same careful attentiveness if they work with you. We track your reviews on all major platforms – including Google, Facebook, and Yelp – and respond within one business day. What can the human touch do? It’s amazing how a human response can quickly turn around a negative customer experience. Customers occasionally need to vent, and our team lets them by responding promptly, compassionately, and with a human touch. This can lead to customers revising negative reviews, giving you another chance, and turning bad experiences into loyal long-term customers. Google Business Profile optimizations In a world where Google still gets about 90% of all search engine queries, it’s important to use every tool they give you. Your Google... --- - Published: 2025-02-27 - Modified: 2025-06-26 - URL: https://cityranked.com/enterprise-digital-solutions/ The City Ranked Approach to Enterprise Digital Solutions When you’re laser-focused on growth, meeting your goals while maintaining consistent ROI can be challenging. And that goes double when relying on traditional agency models. City Ranked’s innovative approach to merger and acquisition marketing solves that problem for you. With our ONE-TEAM model, it’s like having an in-house digital marketing department down the hall. Want to reach your M&A goals while staying lean and mean? City Ranked’s scalable enterprise digital solutions can get you there. Partners who believe in us One-Team: The scalable solution to enterprise M&A growth Successful M&A firms are built on efficiency, and in all likelihood, having an in-house digital department is a luxury you can’t afford. That’s why we created the ONE-TEAM model. Rapidly growing businesses need increased capabilities – but without all the overhead. ONE-TEAM gives you get a fully managed turnkey solution tailored to your business. Marketing specialists anticipating your needs Your ONE-TEAM will be made up of digital marketing specialists with expertise in everything from search engine optimization to paid media marketing, organic social to advanced automation, reviews and reputation management to development and much more. ONE-TEAM is the only team you’ll ever need to help you plan and achieve your digital marketing goals. Flexibility when you need it Need extra capacity? No problem. Our model gives you the option for extra capacity when it’s needed. Your pricing will reset at the beginning of the following month, giving you a fresh start, and allowing you... --- - Published: 2025-02-27 - Modified: 2025-09-04 - URL: https://cityranked.com/our-process/ Smart strategies, real results. Success takes a team effort. Our team supports yours with these digital marketing services and more. build web presence WebsiteDevelopment Launch your site improve seo Search Engine Optimization Boost your rankings maximize ads Search Engine Marketing Get more leads automate & elevate Marketing Automation Save time, grow faster Let's get social Social Media Management Grow your following build trust Reviews & Reputation Get more reviews Maintenance Digital Marketing Review Improve your online presence --- - Published: 2025-02-27 - Modified: 2025-10-27 - URL: https://cityranked.com/case-studies/ Real examples of our success We specialize in harnessing the unique qualities of each business we work with, skillfully guiding them to the summit of success, attracting high-quality prospects along the way. As experienced mountaineers of the digital landscape, we have scaled various market sectors, leaving behind awe-inspiring case studies that showcase the sheer impact we can have on your business. Whether you’re navigating the rocky terrain of plumbing, exploring the lofty heights of roofing, or conquering the challenging slopes of the legal landscape, our expertise transcends industries, ensuring tailored strategies and remarkable results that will leave you breathless. So gear up and join us on this thrilling expedition towards online greatness! HVAC Contractor Advertising City Ranked has had the privilege of working with Apex Air, a local HVAC Contractor in Vancouver WA, for over 7 years. Over the course of this partnership, we have achieved remarkable results together, utilizing a comprehensive approach to digital marketing and search engine optimization (SEO). Digital Marketing and SEO for HVAC Plumbing Contractor Advertising One of our most fun examples of combining advanced paid targeting and local SEO, our full-funnel approach to D&F Plumbing has shown tremendous success. D&F Plumbing has experienced such massive growth in business and reputation over the past decade, they have expanded into a new vertical, now offering Heating & Cooling services. Digital Marketing and SEO for Plumbers Landscaping Contractor Advertising We take immense pride in collaborating with businesses that share our commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction. With Brightwater... --- - Published: 2025-02-27 - Modified: 2025-04-28 - URL: https://cityranked.com/case-studies/hvac/ +148% Call Volume 365 First-Time Callers +112% Organic Traffic +110% GBP Maps Views 12. 9% Conversion Rate $30. 33 CPA: All Channels HVAC Contractor Advertising City Ranked has had the privelege of working with Apex Air for over 7 years. Over the course of this partnership, we have achieved remarkable results together, utilizing a comprehensive approach to digital marketing and search engine optimization (SEO). By aligning our efforts with Apex Air’s business objectives, we have significantly improved online visibility and organic search rankings. By conducting thorough market research, optimizing website content, implementing technical SEO best practices, and supporting these efforts with paid advertising, we have successfully positioned Apex Air as a prominent player in the local HVAC industry, capturing valuable search traffic and generating high-quality leads. Digital Marketing Tactics: New Website (Optimized for SEO & UX) Local SEO (GBP & Listings) Content Marketing Service Area GPS Targeting (GPS SEO) Paid Media (PPC, LSA, Programmatic) Review Generation (Summit Review App) Over 55 Years of Combined Experience Keeping Local Homes Comfortable. “Apex Air was started with the simple belief that everybody should have a quality, efficient HVAC system at a price to fit any budget. Our skilled staff has the experience and technical knowledge to design, install and maintain today’s most energy efficient commercial and residential heating and cooling systems. ” apexairco. com Our omnichannel approach to marketing for HVAC Contractors. After launching a highly-optimized website with a heavy focus on local visibility and user experience, we implemented a comprehensive omnichannel strategy... --- - Published: 2025-02-27 - Modified: 2025-03-25 - URL: https://cityranked.com/case-studies/landscaper/ +111% Call Volume 187 First-Time Callers +130% Organic Traffic +540% Local Visibility Targeting Customers in Orlando Metro 14. 4% Conversion Rate $15. 34 Organic CPA Landscaper Advertising We are proud to partner with Brightwater Irrigation & Lighting, an esteemed landscape lighting and irrigation contractor based in Florida. At City Ranked, we take immense pride in collaborating with businesses that share our commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction. With Brightwater Irrigation & Lighting’s unmatched expertise in creating breathtaking outdoor lighting designs and our strategic digital marketing solutions, including designing and developing a brand-new website, implementing powerful SEO strategies, and managing effective paid search campaigns, we continually deliver outstanding results in business growth. Through our ongoing partnership, we work together to illuminate their brand and showcase their exceptional services to a growing audience. Digital Marketing Tactics: New Website (Optimized for SEO & UX) Local SEO (GBP & Listings) Content Marketing Service Area GPS Targeting (GPS SEO) Paid Media (PPC, LSA, Programmatic) Review Generation (Summit Review App) A vibrant and well-lit landscape will bring your property to life, even at night. “At BrightWater Irrigation & Lighting, we strive to help you elevate your outdoor space with gorgeous landscape lighting and sustainable irrigation systems. From energy and water conservation to visual designs that complement your style, we can help with it all. ” brightwaterfl. com Our omnichannel approach to marketing for landscape design. One of the key milestones in D&F Plumbing’s journey was the strategic rebranding to “Plumbers in Plaid,” which emphasized a more... --- - Published: 2025-02-27 - Modified: 2025-04-17 - URL: https://cityranked.com/case-studies/pest-control/ +32% Sessions in first quarter +128% Conversions in first quarter +117% Sessions in following quarter +128% Conversion Rate in following quarter +42% YOY Leads *04/23 – 2024 Pest Control Case Study We are proud to partner with Rocket Pest Control, a trusted pest control company serving the southeastern United States. Rocket Pest Control is a local pest control leader in several cities with lofty ambitions of regional expansion throughout the Southeast United States. With their commitment to excellent service and outstanding customer reputation, we knew they were an excellent match for City Ranked, and their goal was possible. Their digital marketing plan would begin with designing and developing a new website and implementing organic and paid SEO strategies.  This would get some momentum on immediate business growth into nearby markets they hadn’t yet tapped, and through our ongoing partnership, we would work together to illuminate their brand and showcase their exceptional services to a growing audience. Our Digital Marketing Tactics: New Website (Optimized for SEO & UX) Local SEO (GBP & Listings) Content Marketing Service Area GPS Targeting (GPS SEO) Paid Media (PPC, LSA, Programmatic) Review Generation (Summit Review App) Fast and friendly pest solutions that fit your life. “Our expert team is committed to providing effective pest control solutions that are convenient and tailored to fit your lifestyle. From your home to your business, you can count on Rocket to keep pests out of your world, for good. ” gorocketpest. com Our omnichannel approach to marketing for pest control. Our... --- - Published: 2025-02-27 - Modified: 2025-03-25 - URL: https://cityranked.com/privacy-policy-skout/ This privacy policy sets out how Skout uses and protects any information that you give when you use this website. Skout is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement. Skout may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes. This policy is effective from 12/1/2024. We may collect the following information: Name and job title. Contact information including email address. Demographic information such as postcode, preferences and interests. Other information relevant to customer surveys and/or offers. What we do with the information we gather: We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with a better service, and in particular for the following reasons: Internal record keeping: We may use the information to improve our products and services. We may periodically send promotional emails about new products, special offers or other information which we think you may find interesting using the email address which you have provided. From time to time, we may also use your information to contact you for market research purposes. We may contact you by email, phone, fax or mail. We may use the information to customize the website according to your interests. Security: We are committed... --- - Published: 2025-02-26 - Modified: 2025-07-15 - URL: https://cityranked.com/careers/ It's our people who set us apart. We pride ourselves on our holistic approach to building local relevance for our client’s websites, leveraging local traffic into qualified leads, and, ultimately, growth for every client’s business. We’re always looking for new talent, even if the positions aren’t active on Indeed or Linkedin. If you think you’d be a great fit for our team, we’d love to hear from you. Content writers Creating engaging content for websites, social media, and more. Content Writers produce engaging website content, blog posts, social media campaigns, email marketing campaigns, landing pages, and other digital marketing content to execute broader digital marketing strategies. Content Strategists conduct research, manage editorial calendars, execute content audits, refresh content and create strategies for successful content marketing campaigns. This position understands how to craft compelling writing in the client’s voice that’s also optimized for search engines. Account management The liaison between clients and our team. Our Account Management team works directly with our clients to strategize solutions for lead generation, conversion rate optimization, customer engagement, long-term customer retention, and overall business growth – then develops plans and timelines to implement those strategies internally. The ideal candidate has a passion for working with business owners and assisting them in exceeding their business goals, while also coordinating with the internal team to implement strategies. Paid media specialists Creating compelling ad campaigns for all the right audiences. Deploying engaging ads on Google, Social Media, OTT, and other channels to help our clients reach relevant consumers, our... --- - Published: 2025-02-26 - Modified: 2025-10-27 - URL: https://cityranked.com/social-media/ Advertising on Social Media Social media marketing levels the playing field. It's your community hub, digital storefront, and brand megaphone all rolled into one, allowing you to reach people in your local neighborhood – or across the globe. And let's face it: your customers are there already scrolling through their feeds. Make sure you’re part of the conversation. From building brand awareness to paid advertisements, our social media marketing supports your overall digital strategy, where every tweet, post, and story works in harmony with your broader marketing goals. Organic content posting starts the conversation The best organic social content invites consumers in and makes them want to continue the conversation. We specialize in assuming your brand voice and showcasing your values and personality, while also engaging a wider audience. By consistently delivering valuable and engaging content, your business can build trust, establish a strong online presence, and organically expand your reach, contributing to increased brand awareness. Reach a younger audience It’s no secret that young people enjoy social media (although it’s also true that social media is universally popular across all age groups). But it’s Millennials and Gen Z especially that expect to find you on their favorite platforms and adopt new platforms quickly. If they can’t find you there, your business is, as they say, “sketchy” or “sus. ” Don’t be sketchy or sus – our social media experts can help you connect with every age demographic on their turf. Extend your reach with paid social media advertising Social... --- - Published: 2025-02-26 - Modified: 2025-10-27 - URL: https://cityranked.com/skout/ Meet Skout - Our Easy-to-Use Marketing Automation Platform Looking to turn more prospects into customers? The path is created through strategic touchpoints that keep you connected until your customer is ready to move forward. Skout, our intelligent marketing automation platform for businesses, can show you the way. Integrating seamlessly with your CRM, Skout takes over repetitive and time-consuming tasks and makes nurturing leads a breeze. Schedule custom messages or simply touch base with warm prospects at the tap of a button. Skout’s automations are easy to use and help you never miss another opportunity. Let's chat AI-enhanced marketing automation to streamline revenue growth Catapult marketing ROI with 200+ powerful built-in automations that work for you day and night. In today’s digital landscape, conversion paths travel across multiple channels and devices. Every customer has a preference, and with Skout, you can be sure you’re getting it right. More than a Pre-CRM, it’s a precision tool that strengthens relationships with prospects before they become qualified leads. If your sales process involves a pipeline, Skout can help you optimize it. 200+ powerful built-in automations Skout has more than 200 marketing automations ready for you to use right out of the box – and more are released all the time! Funnel leads into groups with custom conversion paths that keep the engagement going! Integrated web chat widget From web chat to two-way SMS messaging, you can keep the conversation going no matter where it’s happening. Customize the widget’s look and feel to match your... --- - Published: 2025-02-26 - Modified: 2025-10-27 - URL: https://cityranked.com/sem/ Paid Media Campaigns to Grow Your Business The customers are out there, they’re searching for keywords related to your business, but the online search landscape is a crowded place, how can you be sure they find you? Our search engine marketing services flip the script, so instead of hoping they see you, you find them. Using the latest analytics and technology, our paid media SEM specialists target high-quality leads and drive them to your business. We don’t just win you keywords – we win you customers. Ready to drive more qualified traffic, boost conversions, and amplify your brand’s visibility across digital platforms? Book a demo today with our SEM and PPC experts. Find your ideal audience We don’t target demographics; we target customers. We find those who are most likely to convert and bring them to your website. Our team gets it right down to the last detail, ensuring your ads reach the right audience, and you get the consistent ROI that fuels sustainable success. Creative that jumps out We don’t just deliver ads to the right people at the right time – it has to be the right message, too. Our creative team crafts ads that are engaging and compelling and designed to drive clicks. Real-time bid management Our team continuously optimizes our bidding strategies to maximize ad performance, improve click-through rates, and achieve cost-effective results in a competitive advertising landscape. By leveraging the most effective channels and campaigns, we can maximize returns. Data-powered keyword insights Starting with a... --- - Published: 2025-02-26 - Modified: 2025-07-16 - URL: https://cityranked.com/contact/ Focusing on just a few marketing channels doesn’t cut it anymore. With the evolving landscape of digital marketing and shifts in consumer behavior, your business needs to be everywhere at once. From designing and building websites to SEM and SEO, we take a full-funnel approach to grow your business by staying on top of the trends and ahead of your competitors. When you’re ready to take your business to new heights, give us a call. Book a demo Get in touch. City Ranked17800 SE Mill Plain Blvd, Suite 190Vancouver, WA 98683 (360) 433-9870 Office HoursMonday-Friday8:00am – 5:00pm --- - Published: 2025-02-26 - Modified: 2025-03-12 - URL: https://cityranked.com/seo/website-schema-generator/ Free JSON-LD Schema Generator If your website doesn’t currently have schema markup, you’re missing out on a big SEO opportunity. Navigating the schema. org library can be mind-boggling. Let us take out some of the mystery by generating Local Business schema for you. Complete the three simple steps below to generate your Local Business schema. Type of Business Name | Address | Phone Business Name Street Address City State Zip Code Phone Operations Info Your Main Service Your Service Area Business Hours Select Weekday References & Services Link to Your Website Link to Your Logo Links to Pages on Your Website that Describe Your Services Number of Links Social Media Profile Links Number of Links Generate Schema Copy What is Schema Markup? Simply put, schema markup (JSON-LD) is code that helps search engines understand and display website information more clearly, improving visibility and search results. Schema markup is a structured data vocabulary that helps search engines understand and interpret the content on a website more effectively. It provides additional context and meaning to the information presented, allowing search engines to display rich and informative results in search engine result pages (SERPs). By implementing schema markup, website owners can enhance their visibility and improve the chances of their content being featured in rich snippets, knowledge panels, and other enhanced search results. Schema markup can include various types of data, such as product details, reviews, events, recipes, and more. JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data) is a lightweight data interchange format... --- - Published: 2025-02-26 - Modified: 2025-03-25 - URL: https://cityranked.com/seo/gbp-link-generator/ Get reviews for your business on Google Custom Link for Google Business Profile Reviews Generate a link that sends your customers directly to leave a review on your Google Business Profile. Just type in your business name below! Start by entering your business name below. If your business is listed on Google, your business will appear, select it to get you direct link to share with your customers to get reviews on your Google Business Profile. Your Review Link Copy Google Business Profile Review Link Create links that take your customers directly to the review section of your Google Business Profile. A direct link saves your customers time and effort, resulting in more reviews – a crucial ranking factor that boosts your online presence. Customer reviews not only influence purchasing decisions but also impact your search rankings on Google. Accumulating more reviews enhances your credibility and attracts a larger customer base. --- - Published: 2025-02-26 - Modified: 2025-03-12 - URL: https://cityranked.com/seo/seo-audit/ Get a detailed SEO Analysis of your website with our FREE Website & SEO Audit Tool, including why you may not be showing up in the search results for your important keywords. Free SEO Audit: Enter your website URL and we will send a report to your email with free tips and changes to improve your online presence. Audit your website below function soSubmit(el) { if (! soFormValidate(el)) { //e. preventDefault; return false; } const behaviour = el. getAttribute('data-behaviour'); soBody = document. getElementsByTagName("body"); soBodyOriginalStyleHeight = soBody. style. height; soBodyOriginalStyleOverflow = soBody. style. overflow; const element = document. createElement("input"); element. setAttribute("type", "hidden"); element. setAttribute("name", "referrer"); element. setAttribute("value", window. location. href); el. appendChild(element); if (behaviour == 'new_tab') return true; if (behaviour == 'modal') return soSubmitModal(el); if (behaviour == 'be_in_touch') return soSubmitBeInTouch(el); if (behaviour == 'redirect') return soSubmitRedirect(el); } function soFormValidate(el) { const domain = el. querySelector('input'); const email = el. querySelector('input'); const phone = el. querySelector('input'); const firstName = el. querySelector('input'); const lastName = el. querySelector('input'); const custom = el. querySelector('input'); const consent = el. querySelector('input'); if (0 == domain. value. length) return alert(domain. getAttribute("data-validation")), ! 1; if (domain. value = domain. value. trim. replace(/\/$/, ""), ! domain. value. match(/^(https? :\/\/)? {1,62}\. {1,62}(\. {1,62})*$/i)) return alert(domain. getAttribute("data-validation")), ! 1; if (null ! = firstName && 0 == firstName. value. length) return alert(firstName. getAttribute("data-validation")), ! 1; if (null ! = lastName && 0 == lastName. value. length) return alert(lastName. getAttribute("data-validation")), ! 1; if (null ! = email) { if (0 == email. value. length)... --- - Published: 2025-02-26 - Modified: 2025-03-25 - URL: https://cityranked.com/support/ In Need of Technical Support? Contact Our Team. Our team is dedicated to supporting our clients with questions and concerns. If you are experiencing any technical issues with our software please utilize our support request form, and a member of our team will reach back out promptly to assist you. Please make sure to describe your issue to allow our team to investigate further. If you are in need of immediate support, please call our office at (360) 433-9870. --- - Published: 2025-02-26 - Modified: 2025-03-12 - URL: https://cityranked.com/seo/local-seo/ An industry leader in search engine optimization for local businesses Many digital marketing agencies have extensive experience with search engine optimization, but few have a level of expertise with local search engine optimization. While these may seem similar, they’re vastly different and rely on unique techniques and strategies. If you own a local business and you’re interested in growth in the digital space, local SEO is the answer.   Our local search experts put you in front of consumers from your zip code searching for the services you offer. Schedule a demo today to see how our innovative tools and techniques can help your business get discovered by local people. Are SEO and local SEO different? Short answer: yes. Long answer: yesssssssssss. For example, if your roofing company is getting lots of traffic, that’s what you want, right? That means your SEO is working, right? Not so fast – what if your roofing company is in Oregon but your traffic is coming from all over the country? You’re not going to drive to Oklahoma for a job. You would gladly trade that irrelevant traffic for a handful more quality leads in your area. When someone searches for a local business, Google understands they’re eager to make a decision. They want the best choice now. That’s where we come in. We build your website from the ground up with local search in mind, providing the precise signals that you’re the right business to recommend to local customers. Precision neighborhood-level targeting Our... --- - Published: 2025-02-25 - Modified: 2025-10-27 - URL: https://cityranked.com/seo/ Custom SEO Solutions for Growing Businesses SEO is crucial to the success of your business, but it takes much more than simply picking out the right keywords and throwing up some “optimized” pages on your website. At its best, search engine optimization is about understanding who’s searching for you and why – and reaching out to those people. Because you want customers, not empty traffic.   City Ranked’s approach to SEO gets the right message to the right people. From building brand awareness to nurturing high-quality leads, we’ll create a long-term organic SEO strategy that grows your business – not just your rankings. Powered by technical and on-page optimizations SEO isn’t a shouting contest. It’s more like a choir – with dozens or even hundreds of small parts ringing out in harmony. From title tags to load speed and localized content to permalinks and structured data, we get the details right, so the result is a clear and resonant signal that people will hear and want to know more about. Organic SEO leads to sustainable long-term search success Be skeptical of promises to vault you to the top of X or Y keyword rankings. That’s not how it works. SEO is a constantly evolving field predicated on connecting web searchers with the best content for their search intent. Tactics that worked yesterday won’t necessarily work today. To get ahead, you need a team that sees the latest SEO trends in the context of the bigger picture, tracks the latest algorithm... --- - Published: 2025-02-25 - Modified: 2025-07-16 - URL: https://cityranked.com/about/ We’re a team of passionate digital marketing, web dev, and SEO experts who can fix your title tags, optimize your bid management, and turn your sluggish old website into a lean, mean conversion machine. But digital marketing only begins to define us. We’re artists, technicians, readers, writers, chit-chatters, gamers, parents, pet parents, brothers, sisters, friends, river rafters, walkers, runners, dancers, skateboarders, cyclists, home chefs, PC users, Mac users, actors, musicians, analysts, optimists, realists – and much more.   Above all, we’re people. And we look forward to getting to know you. Meet the team Our Story It all started with a dream. Dreams come in all sizes. For Duane Baumgartner, founding City Ranked Media in 2011 was about helping small business owners reach their dreams, and being able to walk his daughters to school daily. His daughters are grown now, but Duane’s original vision – helping local businesses break through their growth ceilings – still beats at the heart of everything we do at City Ranked. About Duane Leading by innovation. Follow the leader? No thanks, not our style. Since day one, City Ranked has had a different code: question everything and test relentlessly. This philosophy has helped us develop some game-changing innovations over the years to the point where other agencies are now chasing us. They won’t catch up, though, because we still bring that same spirit of innovation to everything we do. Digital marketing with a human touch. Today, our full-service digital marketing agency in Vancouver, Washington, has... --- - Published: 2025-02-25 - Modified: 2025-08-08 - URL: https://cityranked.com/about/duane-baumgartner/ City Ranked, Founder and CEO Duane Baumgartner had a front-row seat to the evolution of digital marketing as we know it. After beginning his career in contract security services, in the early 2000s, Duane found himself working for Verizon, selling ad space in the old yellow pages. That’s right, phone books – those big blocky doorstops that were delivered to your home every year. “Those ads were shockingly expensive, but they were effective, and they worked,” he remembers. “Whoever paid the most got the biggest ads, the best placement, and therefore most calls. ”  The digital landscape started shifting with the introduction of search engines and smartphones. Phone books weren't cutting it anymore, and consumers needed to find information for businesses no matter where they were. Duane became the go-to guy at Verizon for demonstrating to businesses how digital ads were the future of advertising. And they indeed were – as the weeks and months went by, he saw what a huge leg-up it gave his clients. At this same time, his oldest daughter was just entering kindergarten, and he loved being able to walk her to the bus in the morning. He also wanted to start saving for her college. As a few of his former clients and relationships were asking if he would consider freelancing, Duane finally took them up on it. It started as a side project, but in 2011, he made a leap into the unknown and established City Ranked Media.   Flash-forward to today. Duane’s... --- - Published: 2025-02-25 - Modified: 2025-02-25 - URL: https://cityranked.com/terms-and-conditions/ Introduction1. 1 These terms and conditions shall govern your use of our website https://cityranked. com/. 1. 2 By using our website, you accept these terms and conditions in full; accordingly, if you disagree with these terms and conditions or any part of these terms and conditions, you must not use our website. 1. 3 If you register with our website, submit any information to our website or use any of our website services, we ask you to expressly agree to these terms and conditions. 1. 4 You must be at least 16 years of age to use our website; and by using our website or agreeing to these terms and conditions, you warrant and represent to us that you are at least 16 years of age. 1. 5 Our website uses cookies; by using our website or agreeing to these terms and conditions, you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with the terms of our privacy policy. Credit2. 1 This document was created using a template from SEQ Legal (http://www. seqlegal. com). Copyright notice3. 1 Copyright (c) 2001 – 2025 by City Ranked. 3. 2 Subject to the express provisions of these terms and conditions:(a) we, together with our licensors, own and control all the copyright and other intellectual property rights in our website and the material on our website; and(b) all the copyright and other intellectual property rights in our website and the material on our website are reserved. Licence to use website4. 1 You may:(a) view... --- - Published: 2025-02-25 - Modified: 2025-08-08 - URL: https://cityranked.com/about/reviews/ What’s it like partnering with City Ranked? Check out our recent client reviews and testimonials. Leave a Review “Whenever we acquire a new client, their very first piece of feedback is they called us due to the professionalism and design of our website. ” Ashli Uphoff Zenith Properties “I'm extremely grateful to have City Ranked on my team. They hold down an important element of business freeing up my time and focus on other aspects. ” Trent Barry Akepele Apparel “I have had nothing but exceptional help from this company. I’m always impressed by the quick email replies and execution of plans. ” Lindsay Malkovich Lindsay Blair Photography Rodney L. 4 months ago “I’ve had the pleasure of working with City Ranked and their team—and Duane—for many years across multiple companies, and I can say without hesitation that they are one of the best full-service marketing and website firms out there. They’ve built several outstanding websites for us, each one tailored to our industry and customer base, with a sharp focus on both aesthetics and performance. Beyond the design work, City Ranked has also managed our online presence and lead generation with exceptional results. Their expertise in SEO, PPC, and overall digital strategy has consistently driven growth and delivered a strong return on investment. Duane and his team are knowledgeable, responsive, and truly care about their clients’ success. They take the time to understand your business, and it shows in the quality of their work and the results they produce.... --- - Published: 2025-02-25 - Modified: 2025-07-15 - URL: https://cityranked.com/book-a-demo/ It starts with a conversation. Growing your business is a journey that begins with a single step. That step? Reach out to us and say hi. --- - Published: 2025-02-25 - Modified: 2025-05-12 - URL: https://cityranked.com/website-development/ Ready to grow your business? We have the website for you. Grow your brand. Get discovered. Invite consumers to take the next step and become customers. What are your goals? We’ll build a custom-designed website that helps you reach them – and beyond. That’s our approach to website development. Great websites stand out in people’s minds, so they come back again later when they’re lying in bed, the next time they’re at their computer, and again on their phone waiting for the bus. If you want your business to reach great heights, it starts with a great website. Clean, modern, custom, and intuitively easy-to-use If you want customers on your website, it has to be clean, modern, and easy to use. With a focus on user experience, we design websites that visitors understand intuitively, so they know where to find the information they need. More time spent on your site means they’re more likely to become a customer – and then a repeat customer. Fast mobile-first responsiveness If you still do your web browsing on a computer, you probably work in an office – or you remember when Golden Girls was first on TV. The majority of web traffic is now mobile, and if your site isn’t optimized, search engines like Google won’t bother sending customers your way. Don’t leave that huge slice of the pie on the table – our lightning-fast mobile-first responsive website designs give users a seamless experience no matter what type of device they’re using. Conversion-focused... --- - Published: 2024-10-17 - Modified: 2025-10-23 - URL: https://cityranked.com/ Let's take your business to the next level. a full-service digital marketing, SEO, & web development agency City Ranked’s full-funnel approach to digital marketing cultivates customers at every phase of the buying cycle – from brand awareness to ready-to-purchase. Tell me more What We Do Marketing that checks every box. Success takes a team effort. Our team supports yours with these digital marketing services and more. Website Development A stunning new website can do almost anything. What are your goals? We’ll custom-design a website that helps you reach them – and beyond. Websites Search Engine Optimization SEO is much more than choosing the right keywords – it’s making sure you’re reaching the right people. Because you want customers, not empty traffic. SEO Search Engine Marketing Customers are out there, but how can you be sure they find you? Search engine marketing flips the script, so instead of finding you, you find them. SEM Marketing Automation Tired of tedious outreach tasks? With Skout, our cutting-edge marketing automation platform, nurturing leads has never been easier. Automation Social Media Management Social media can be your community hub, digital storefront, and brand megaphone all rolled into one. Ready to join the conversation? Social Reviews & Reputation In the age of automation and AI, online reviews from real humans are more important than ever. Make sure yours are telling the right story. Reputation How we make it happen Who We Are What sets a digital marketing agency apart? Success requires more than a new website... --- - Published: 2024-10-08 - Modified: 2025-02-21 - URL: https://cityranked.com/privacy-policy/ This privacy policy sets out how City Ranked uses and protects any information that you give City Ranked when you use this website. City Ranked is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement. City Ranked may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes. This policy is effective from 03-22-2019. We may collect the following information:Name and job title. Contact information including email address. Demographic information such as postcode, preferences and interests. Other information relevant to customer surveys and/or offers. What we do with the information we gather: We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with a better service, and in particular for the following reasons: Internal record keeping. We may use the information to improve our products and services. We may periodically send promotional emails about new products, special offers or other information which we think you may find interesting using the email address which you have provided. From time to time, we may also use your information to contact you for market research purposes. We may contact you by email, phone, fax or mail. We may use the information to customize the website according to your interests. Security:... --- --- ## Posts - Published: 2025-10-27 - Modified: 2025-10-27 - URL: https://cityranked.com/business-growth-ai-automation/ The modern business environment is rapidly changing with the release of AI-powered business tools. For home services businesses, staying relevant, let alone achieving scalable growth, requires a marketing partner that doesn't just manage ads and simple optimizations, but actively adapts to new consumer behaviors and emerging technologies. City Ranked’s Digital Ramp Model - Real-Time Marketing Management "The old marketing management model puts agencies at least six weeks behind the curve, reacting to last month's stale sales data. At City Ranked, our Digital Ramp Model provides real-time data, allowing our teams to make proactive, weekly adjustments and truly drive growth for your business. " Duane Baumgartner - City Ranked, CEO & Founder Big Company Technology and Processes Scaled Down for Small Businesses Since our inception, City Ranked has built our entire business and management philosophy on innovation and testing boundaries. Our system, the City Ranked Digital Ramp Model, is a proven, process-driven roadmap refined since 2010 that has successfully scaled hundreds of businesses nationwide, many to the point of acquisition. With our Digital Ramp Model, we remove the guesswork that comes with traditional marketing and advertising, replacing it with a dynamic approach focused on data-driven decisions, Full Marketing Attribution, next-gen tech (AI and automation), all built and managed using the Agile Framework. Marketing Data and Full Marketing Attribution Sustainable business growth can't be based on assumptions or "vanity metrics" like clicks or keyword position anymore. It must be built on data that connects marketing spend directly to revenue, and ultimately, company... --- - Published: 2025-09-18 - Modified: 2025-09-18 - URL: https://cityranked.com/ai-content-optimization/ Artificial intelligence (AI) has changed the way users find brands and convert into leads. Search engines, assistants, and copilots now summarize, cite, and make recommendations for readers. These new systems collect information from various sources across the web. They use data from sites, knowledge graph signals, product feeds, and third-party references to form answers to queries. So if your brand isn’t a source in a user’s query, your overall site visibility may go down (meaning fewer leads). But the right approach to your content strategy, search visibility can turn into growth for your brand. Innovative Content With AI Optimization Having “AI-optimized” content means getting answers to potential leads’ questions in fewer, or even zero clicks. This includes: Quality and structure with clear hierarchy, scannable paragraphs, consistent formatting, and cited sources. Natural, conversational language to write how people ask. Anticipate questions, objections, and tasks AI needs to complete on a user’s behalf. Specificity and usefulness with solution-forward content that addresses real pain points. Rich media with context, including images, charts, and video with transcripts, alt text, and captions. Internal links to connect related assets and pages. Sound familiar? These methods are already intertwined with search engine optimization (SEO) best practices. Features like Google snippets have existed for many years, and the rollout of AI systems and AI overviews (AIOs) is just another industry shift.   But this time around with generative AI in search, SEO experts have to consider the likelihood of users not clicking into a site. Some have even... --- - Published: 2025-08-20 - Modified: 2025-08-27 - URL: https://cityranked.com/pest-control-increase-profits-by-reducing-customer-cancellations/ Pest control companies can increase profitability by reducing customer churn through the use of marketing automation and AI. One of the easiest ways to increase a pest control company's profits is by reducing customer cancellations. I’ve been involved in the pest control marketing and advertising game for over 20 years, and as part of my discovery process with any pest control business owner, I will always ask what their customer retention rate is for their pest control services. Over the years I’ve been told numbers as low at 60% retention and as high as 90%+ retention. In most cases I’ve found for recurring residential pest control services, quality pest control companies typically retain 75% or greater of their customer base, and I would say that unless you’re retaining 85% or better of your customer base, you have room for significant improvements. Increase Customer Retention to Increase Profits A study completed by Kemp Anderson Consulting found that customer retention in the pest control industry has a staggering effect on the company's bottom line. Increasing retention a mere 2% has the same effect on the profitability of a company as reducing expenses by 10%. The same article explains that pest control operators should strive for retention rates between 82% and 87% for residential and 94% for commercial. How Retaining Your Pest Control Customers Affects Your Bottom Line Marketing Cost Savings: Some studies suggest that it’s up to seven times less expensive to retain a current customer than to find a new one.... --- - Published: 2025-07-31 - Modified: 2025-07-31 - URL: https://cityranked.com/hyper-local-growth-using-gps-seo/ https://youtu. be/AI_M-2fE0a0? feature=shared GPS-SEO by City Ranked Video Transcript Hello, I’m Duane Baumgartner, CEO and Founder here at City Ranked. Today I want to introduce you to our GPS-SEO software. This software has helped hundreds of service businesses just like yours scale their lead generation online by sending very specific signals to search engines like Google to help them understand your business's service offerings, where you provide these services, and even which of your Google Business Profiles services these areas. To understand our GPS-SEO software, I’m going to take you all the way back to 2011 when I started City Ranked. Back then I had this idea that service area businesses such as plumbers, HVAC contractors, landscaping, pest control, roofers, and other service area businesses that deliver their services to home owners and businesses shouldn’t be limited to ranking in their own neighborhoods and cities if they could or did serve people in adjacent cities, so I set out on testing a revolutionary idea for the time with a few of our customers; and guess what... the idea worked; it worked really well. So well that the first two customers I tested it on grew at such a fast rate, they were both acquired and sold within a few years of us installing our software on their websites and running their digital marketing.   The first, a local pest control company here in the Pacific Northwest, grew from $800,000 to over $5,000,000 in revenue, in just 6 years... all with... --- - Published: 2025-07-28 - Modified: 2025-07-31 - URL: https://cityranked.com/how-social-media-and-seo-work-together/ Have you ever been out with a friend, and then you run into another friend? You start to introduce your friends, but it turns out they already know each other. Huh, you think to yourself, I would have never guessed they'd get along so well. They seem so different. That’s social media and SEO. Two friends and cornerstones of any successful digital marketing strategy. And while on the surface it might not seem like they have much in common, they’re actually much more connected than you realize.  So, how can you get your social media and SEO to work together to boost your online visibility and amplify your reach? We have a few ideas. How can you use social media to improve your seo? Simply having a social media presence and an SEO strategy isn’t enough. If they’re not working together, it’s a lost opportunity. Even though social media and SEO seem like an unlikely pair, when you align them, it turns good marketing into great marketing.   Here are a few simple ways you can leverage your social media channels for better SEO: Claim and optimize all of your social profiles: Don’t send mixed signals with your social accounts – make sure all of your accounts are under your control, so that when you do send an important message, it gets heard loud and clear. Create content that gets shared: Duh! OK, easier said than done. But the key is not giving up. Many brands get discouraged when they’re... --- - Published: 2025-05-09 - Modified: 2025-05-14 - URL: https://cityranked.com/embracing-ai-in-google-ads/ Optimizing Your Google Ads Using AI (Artificial Intelligence) The digital advertising landscape is constantly transforming, and at the forefront of this evolution is the increasing power and prevalence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the Google Ads platform. For businesses aiming for optimal online visibility and growth, understanding and embracing this AI-driven approach is no longer a future concept – it's a present-day imperative. At City Ranked Media, we recognize that adapting to these changes can raise questions, especially if you're accustomed to older and now outdated campaign management methods. This shift towards AI isn't just a fleeting trend; it represents a fundamental change in how Google's sophisticated algorithms operate to connect your business with the right audience to maximize your desired outcomes, primarily conversions. The Paradigm Shift: From Manual Control to AI-Powered Precision Think back to how Google Ads campaigns were often managed. Agencies like ours dedicated significant time to meticulously selecting granular keywords, manually adjusting bids based on historical data and mathematical estimations. While this approach historically yielded results, the sheer volume and velocity of data in today's digital world have rendered it wildly less efficient. AI has ushered in a new era. Google's intelligent systems can now analyze vast streams of real-time data signals, far exceeding human processing capabilities. This allows for incredibly precise decisions regarding when and where to display your ads, all with the ultimate goal of driving conversions that align with your business objectives. Why an AI-Driven Google Ads Strategy is Crucial for Your Business... --- - Published: 2025-04-30 - Modified: 2025-07-31 - URL: https://cityranked.com/audience-targeting-google-ads-campaigns/ The difference between an ineffective Google Ads campaign and one that’s leading to conversions often comes down to who’s seeing the ads. At City Ranked, this is controlled through audience targeting.   Our job is not to get you the most clicks – it’s to get you the best clicks. Irrelevant clicks blow your budget and leave you with nothing to show for it. This is a quick rundown of how City Ranked’s team uses audience targeting to ensure you always appear in front of the right leads, simultaneously keeping conversions high and maintaining healthy ROI. We conduct thorough market and keyword research to identify opportunities We consider searcher intent to define your ideal target audience We use exact match keywords to reach out directly to purchase-ready consumers whose search intent matches your offering We strategically deploy broad match keywords at the early stages of a campaign to help us gain actionable insights As your campaigns progress, we refine and scale them to ensure you’re always getting the right amount of leads every month Why Is Audience Targeting Important in SEM? Operating a paid media campaign can be a bit of an abstract notion. Ostensibly, you’re bidding on keywords. But in reality, who cares about winning keywords? What you’re actually vying for is the attention of a person who might be interested in your products or services. Some will argue this is merely a numbers game; the more people who see your ads, the more leads you’ll generate. To an... --- - Published: 2025-03-19 - Modified: 2025-08-27 - URL: https://cityranked.com/10-proven-marketing-ideas-for-pest-control-businesses/ How to Improve Your Pest Control Marketing by Duane Baumgartner I’ve been marketing pest control companies for over twenty years, and in that time, we here at City Ranked have come up with some tactics that have been repeatedly proven to produce qualified leads in volume for pest control businesses.   10 Pest Control Marketing Tips Guaranteed to Bring You More Customers: Offers, Coupons, & Specials - This seems like an obvious addition to any pest control marketing plan, but you’d be surprised how many pest control businesses don’t have specials, coupons, or offers on their website or added to their digital marketing mix. Benefits of having an Offer, Coupon, or Special Increase conversion rates from people who may not be ready to buy today. It’s happened to all of us. You were on a website not particularly motivated to buy, but an offer pops up that’s irresistible, so you made the purchase. Pest control services are no different. Give something, get something. Having a gated special that requires the end user to enter their name, phone, email, and any other pertinent information gives you an opportunity to engage with those prospects, even if they decide not to call at that point. Marketing automation with well-built-out automations and workflows can reengage these prospects, helping you turn them into your customers. Turn One-Time Services into Recurring Services - Most pest control companies offer some sort of guarantee on services. Many pest control companies will offer 60-day (yours may differ) guarantees on... --- - Published: 2024-11-04 - Modified: 2025-08-27 - URL: https://cityranked.com/ftc-ban-on-fake-reviews/ In response to growing concerns from consumers, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been making moves for the past couple of years to combat deceptive advertising. In August of 2024, the FTC officially announced a final rule that prohibits fake reviews and testimonials on products and services.   With the threat of an up to $51,744 fine per violation (in civil penalties) looming, the message is clear: the cost of deception far outweighs the temporary gains from falsified acclaim. The ruling, known as the Trade Regulation Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews, outlines exactly what is prohibited, including: Fake endorsements of any kind, including those from insiders or celebrities not genuinely endorsing the product. Suppression, alteration, or fabrication of customer feedback. Creation or fostering of misleading social media engagement. The FTC's chair, Lina M. Khan, emphasizes that genuine customer feedback is the cornerstone of fair business practices.   But don’t be afraid of the legal jargon from this regulation. This is an opportunity for your business to foster trust and build stronger relationships with your customers. Leads and purchasers largely rely on online reviews to convert – and naturally, having negative reviews can prevent this. In fact, approximately 81% of potential buyers check reviews before making a purchase. Let's break down how your current and future reviews are affected by this new ruling, and how you can continue to manage your business reputation while being fully and legally compliant. The Federal Trade Commission Reviews Ban: What’s Prohibited? Any testimonial... --- - Published: 2024-08-21 - Modified: 2025-08-27 - URL: https://cityranked.com/how-should-i-handle-negative-reviews-and-customer-feedback/ Once a steady stream of online reviews starts rolling in, it feels easy. Your business’s overall rating rises, which leads to more customers, which leads to more reviews. And most of those reviews will be positive. But inevitably, you will wake up one morning and notice a new negative review. When this happens, what’s a business owner to do?   Should you respond? How should you respond? There’s a lot of good advice and bad advice you can find on the internet. We’ve cut through all of the noise to give you the most important things you need to know. Should You Respond to Negative Customer Reviews? Yes. There’s no question about it – you should. Responding to a negative review sends a message to your customers that they can reach you if there’s ever an issue. Not responding makes it look like there’s nobody there. You’re the restaurant where nobody is there to greet you, so you seat yourself, wait a minute or two, and still, nobody shows up. You’re the Wild West saloon with the cowboys passed out on the card table and a tumbleweed blowing by.   According to the Harvard Business Review, consumers expect you to respond to negative reviews quickly.   How Should You Respond to Negative Customer Reviews?   Here are a few pointers to turn negative reviews into positive impressions of your business: Take the high road. Thank them for taking the time to leave the feedback: Let them know you’re open-minded toward... --- - Published: 2024-08-14 - Modified: 2025-08-27 - URL: https://cityranked.com/how-small-businesses-can-use-marketing-automation-and-ai-to-increase-lead-generation/ Small business owners have never had more competition for their time. The days of casually posting on a Facebook or Instagram page and swimming in the organic traffic are long gone. Now, they have to balance prospecting, lead qualification, content creation, digital marketing strategy, and doing their business's actual work. Many business owners find it impossible to keep up on their own. Thankfully, a new wave of marketing automation and artificial intelligence products have given small business owners more time to effectively run their businesses, serve more customers, and ultimately grow their revenue.   These marketing automation and artificial intelligence (AI) tools are advanced technologies designed to streamline your marketing and operations processes allowing you to engage with potential customers more effectively and efficiently.   In this blog post, we'll explore how these tools can transform your lead generation strategy, offering practical insights and actionable tips to help your small business thrive.   Whether you're a plumber, an HVAC technician, or a landscaper, you'll learn how to harness these tools to keep your sales pipeline full and your business growing. Leveraging Marketing Automation as a Business Owner This can sound like an overwhelming concept. But, fear not, this is a comprehensive guide to the subject and by the end you’ll know the ins and outs of marketing automation, and how you might leverage it for your business. But first - The basics of Marketing Automation. What is it, and how do you use it? What is Marketing Automation? Marketing automation... --- - Published: 2024-07-23 - Modified: 2025-08-27 - URL: https://cityranked.com/how-can-i-encourage-satisfied-customers-to-leave-positive-reviews/ So you’ve decided to make gathering reviews a bigger part of your online marketing strategy – that’s great! Now, the big looming question: how? For many business owners, asking for reviews can be one of the most frustrating parts of the job. We get it – it can take a little bit of effort, and it doesn’t always seem like you’re making progress. But you are, and the good news is it gets easier, and it’s worth it. By building your online reputation now, you’ll be reaping the rewards for years. Now, back to that question. How do you encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews? Tell Your Customers to Expect It Before you send your review requests, tell your customers you’re going to. . If you don’t tell them to expect it, they may assume it was sent by a robot, and nobody actually cares if do it or not, so why would they spend their precious time on it? When you tell your customers to expect it, they’re more likely to notice it, and by saying you’d appreciate a response, you’re assigning it value, making it more worthy of their time. When Is the Best Time to Send Review Requests?   We recommend sending initial requests immediately after the service is completed. That’s when you’re most likely to be on top of their mind, making it more likely that they respond. But each business is different – and as you establish a baseline and test and tweak the... --- - Published: 2024-06-04 - Modified: 2025-08-27 - URL: https://cityranked.com/how-can-online-reviews-impact-my-business/ Reviews have always been extremely important for local businesses. Imagine a friend tells you, “Avoid that restaurant - I saw a mouse run across the floor. ” You probably wouldn’t go there anytime soon, would you? But if they say, “I had the best meal of my life there! ”, you might look into making reservations that weekend. This says a lot about the power of reviews. Of course, we’re comparing recommendations from a friend versus online reviews – there’s a huge difference between those... Or is there? In this blog, we’ll explore how online reviews have become the number one trusted source for local business recommendations for tens of millions of consumers across the United States – and how you can leverage that into success for your business.   How Have Reviews Changed Over the Years? The biggest change in the last thirty years is where people get reviews. In the pre-internet days, you might read reviews in books, magazines, or newspapers. Maybe you’d look into your town’s local Better Business Bureau. Let’s say you were looking for a reliable plumber. If you knocked on your neighbor’s door seeking a recommendation and they had one for you, you were likely to take it. Why? Because you trusted your neighbor. These days, most people get their reviews from the internet. And when we say “most,” we mean pretty much everyone. According to some researchers, up to 97% of consumers read online reviews of local businesses. This is the type of... --- - Published: 2023-10-19 - Modified: 2025-08-27 - URL: https://cityranked.com/better-ranking-strategy/ Let’s get this straight from the beginning: every small business owner wants their website to rank higher on Google - it’s a given. But what we often forget is the core purpose behind that desire. When it comes down to it, you don’t want rankings; you want leads. You want hot leads: interested customers who are ready to schedule your service. So here’s a reality check: aiming for the top spot on Google shouldn’t be your primary focus or strategy - ranking #1 is the culmination of a well-rounded, customer-centric approach to your digital marketing. How to trick Google into better rankings. Just kidding! You can’t - at least not long-term. It’s easy to fall into the trap of trying to outsmart Google’s latest algorithm to move your site up a few spots in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Page). But let’s be honest - we can’t outsmart Google, and any agency that claims they can shouldn’t be trusted. I recently covered the trend in Google’s latest algorithm updates when we talked about getting better rankings through better business operations. To summarize: every algorithm Google rolls out focuses more and more on weeding out bad SEO tactics - all of the things marketers do to try to trick their way into higher rankings - in an effort to provide the most relevant and valuable content to the searcher. Therefore, your focus shouldn’t be on trying to employ specific SEO tactics to get to the top of the SERPs, it should... --- - Published: 2023-07-25 - Modified: 2025-08-27 - URL: https://cityranked.com/summit-reviews-our-new-offering/ Introducing our New Text Review App No matter the size, type, or industry, your business will benefit from reviews. In the steady change of Google algorithms and new marketing strategies, a constant for positively affecting Google visibility and generating trust are stellar reviews.   Another constant is how difficult it can be to generate those solid reviews. To help assist with the growth of excellent reviews we developed Go Local Reviews in 2016 with fantastic results. Now, in 2023, we are thrilled to announce its successor, Summit Reviews. SMS Reviews and Much More The next-generation text review request software is designed to not only replace Go Local Reviews but to take the concept of customer review management to new heights. QR Codes!   Now built into the Summit Dashboard, you can have your customer scan the QR code on your device or easily add it to your invoices and other promotional material. Increase the likelihood of your customers leaving reviews by Providing more opportunities. Sophisticated Dashboard Now with a built-in tutorial and FAQ section! Multiple Locations Sign-up for an extra location without leaving your dashboard!   Select different locations to send out review requests on the fly. Ease of Use We’ve built Summit Reviews from the ground up with your feedback in mind! Improved Security  With cutting-edge security measures, Summit Reviews ensures the integrity and privacy of the data it handles. Take Control of Your Reviews By being able to collect, view, and respond to all of your customer feedback... --- - Published: 2023-07-11 - Modified: 2025-08-27 - URL: https://cityranked.com/ftc-proposes-ban-on-fake-reviews/ Last month, City Ranked spoke about the importance of Online Reviews. ( And the importance of not buying them ) Well, last week the Federal Trade Commission agreed. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has proposed a new rule aimed at stopping marketers from using illicit review and endorsement practices. These practices include the use of fake reviews, suppressing honest negative reviews, and paying for positive reviews, which can deceive consumers and undercut honest businesses. The proposed rule would trigger civil penalties for violators. The announcement goes on to outline all the black hat strategies that will be banned:  Selling or Obtaining Fake Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Review Hijacking Buying Positive or Negative Reviews Insider Reviews & Consumer Testimonials Company-Controlled Review Sites Illegal Review Suppression Selling Fake Social Media Indicators The FTC is seeking public comments on these proposed measures. The Commission will review the comments received and decide whether to take the necessary next steps toward issuing a final rule. The proposed rule follows an advance notice of proposed rulemaking the Commission announced last November. What Can You Do If Someone Has Left A Fake Review? If someone has left a review that is not authentic and is not a customer, you do have options. Know that you cannot report any bad reviews. Only report reviews that violate Google's policies. Don't report a review just because you disagree with it or don't like it. Google doesn't intervene when businesses and customers disagree about facts. For third-party hotel reviews, contact the... --- - Published: 2023-06-29 - Modified: 2025-08-27 - URL: https://cityranked.com/business-operations-rankings/ Short answer? Yes. Your customer's in-person experience directly impacts your rankings on Google. But the way you can affect it as a business leader isn’t quite what you’d expect. It’s impossible to run a business without hearing about SEO, online reviews, call analytics, paid search, or social media marketing on a daily basis. Your email inbox is probably full of digital marketing agencies and marketing analytics tools trying to scoop up your business right now. I’m obviously in full support of every company developing solid digital marketing strategies (it’d be a real problem if I weren’t), but is there more we can do as business leaders, outside of our marketing teams, to improve our online visibility? Note: I’m going to make a lot of bold claims about Google here that are totally my opinion, but they’re based on a decade of experience observing and manipulating the search results. Buckle up! Why does Google even care about how your business runs? Every algorithm update Google rolls out focuses more and more on weeding out the bad SEO tactics and finding increasingly real, grounded ways to get the right search results to users. If we just look at the last four updates: Google deprioritized sites with spammy content with the Helpful Content Update (12/5/22) Google decreased spammy links with the Link Spam Update (12/14/22) Google weeded out thin, unhelpful reviews while prioritizing product reviews based on actual experience and research with the Product Reviews Update (2/21/23) Google rolled out a core update... --- - Published: 2023-06-20 - Modified: 2025-08-27 - URL: https://cityranked.com/supercharge-your-reviews-to-crush-the-competition/ Undoubtedly, the significance of reviews is important, yet many businesses fail to fully grasp the key role they play in your search page rankings. A consistent influx of keyword-rich reviews, particularly those with high scores, can radically boost your business's landing page visibility.   Beyond their SEO benefits, reviews are often the first point of entry for prospective buyers researching a product or service. Bearing this in mind, it's paramount that your business reviews are a true and comprehensive representation of what you offer. This understanding can set your business up for dominance on the Search Engine Results Page. Google Uses Business Reviews as a Local Ranking Factor Social proof is one thing, but did you know that Google also uses your business reviews to determine relevance to queries? That’s right, your business reviews are part of determining if you show up in Google Search!   Google also uses reviews to help asses trust in your business. In fact, online reviews are consistently listed in the top 7 Ranking Factors in Local Search. It’s that big of a deal. The number of reviews you have, the review scores themselves, review keywords, and the number of reviews you have coming in ( Review Velocity) all matter to your business’s search engine visibility. Google Review Checklist: Create a Google Business Profile Create a Review Link  Hit the “Ask for reviews” in your Google Business Profile to provide you with a short URL that goes directly to your Review Form portal. Ask For... --- - Published: 2017-09-27 - Modified: 2025-08-27 - URL: https://cityranked.com/getting-reviews-business-online/ Getting Online Reviews For Your Business Consumers rely on reading reviews these days to form opinions and decisions on everything from where to eat, to what to buy, to what businesses to do business with. In our fast moving digital world, reviews speak volumes about your business and offer potential customers social proof whether they should choose you, or one of your competitors. Consumers have fundamentally changed their buying process from what it was just a few short years ago, now relying heavily on reading reviews to form decisions on everything from what toaster to buy, to where each year, consumers are turning to online reviews more and more to make their buying decisions easier. How Consumers Use Reviews Reviews seem to be everywhere online, and rightfully so as reviews are read 91% of the time before making buying decisions. According to BrightLocals survey, consumers use reviews in the following ways: 95% of people say they search for local businesses online. 91% of people read online reviews about local businesses. 63% of people use search engines to find reviews, 37% use online review sites. 90% of people say they read at least 10 reviews before they can trust a local business. to eat, to which plumber is the best in their local area. Each year BrightLocal compiles a Local Consumer Review Survey, and just as it has shown Average star rating is the most important factor considered by consumers. 73% of consumers consider reviews over 3 months old to be... --- - Published: 2016-10-07 - Modified: 2025-08-27 - URL: https://cityranked.com/increase-website-conversions/ Incrementally Increasing Website Conversions With New WordPress Programming As a web design and search engine optimization company, we’ve always maintained that there are really only three ways we can increase the number of conversions a website produces: Drive more qualified traffic Increase the percentage of visitors that convert into prospects, or A combination of both At City Ranked Media, we are always challenging ourselves by coming up with new and innovative ways to achieve increases in one or more of the above to positively affect our clients’ bottom lines. During the first quarter of 2016, City Ranked Media introduced a new way to manage the above goals to help keep ourselves and our clients focused on activities that would ultimately affect one or all of the above goals. The City Ranked Account Management Tool The City Ranked Account Management Tool was developed to focus efforts on building qualified traffic and increasing conversions based upon 4 predetermined quadrants. These quadrants focus on: New and/or Updated Content - for search engine and end user consumption Technical SEO – all the back-end coding to increase website and keyword rankings Conversation Rate Optimization – ways to increase the percentage of visitors that convert into viable prospects Projects & Programming – technical projects and coding for increased user engagement, which would ultimately affect the conversion rate percentage Our First Innovation After Using The City Ranked Account Management Tool The programming staff at City Ranked Media was challenged to incrementally increase website form conversions. We focused... --- - Published: 2016-10-06 - Modified: 2025-07-15 - URL: https://cityranked.com/targeting-seo-gps-location/ GPS Targeted SEO We here at City Ranked have been busy testing, retesting, and refining SEO tactics based upon GPS coordinates of web enabled devices. Most internet enabled devices manufactured in the last few years including laptops, tablets, and smartphones have some sort of GPS locating feature built into them. These features are being used by search engines and social media sites alike to serve better and more refined results to end users. The Challenge Get Our Clients Ranked Based Upon GPS Coordinates Our goal has always been to place our customers in the highest position for local search, so naturally we took on the challenge of trying to get our customers to show up higher in results based upon the GPS coordinates of end user devices. The GPS SEO Test During the first quarter of this year, the staff here at City Ranked Media started quietly testing a new and innovative way to send the search engines marked-up code using JavaScript, schema markup, and the Google Map Maker API to indicate our customers’ various service areas within their towns. We initially tested this on City Ranked Media Enterprise Level clients in three major markets--Seattle, Portland, and Las Vegas--for extremely competitive keywords. We tested all three locations using Apple iPhones, as well as Samsung, testing in the same locations within each city. Tests were completed using Safari, as well as Google's Chrome App. All tests were completed in incognito mode, using cellular data, not wifi. The SEO and Design Work... --- - Published: 2016-10-06 - Modified: 2025-07-15 - URL: https://cityranked.com/get-customer-reviews-text-messaging/ The GoLocalReviews. com Text Review App (Demo video at the bottom of this article) With an ever-increasing number of savvy consumers searching the internet for local products and services, the impact of reviews on a local business’s continued success is becoming more and more apparent. Because of this, City Ranked Media developed the GoLocalReviews. com App (patent pending. ) For local small businesses that need to keep a step ahead of the competition, taking advantage of this consumer review system (especially Google reviews) is now a necessary part of an overall SEO marketing strategy. Why Online Reviews Are So Important It is no longer just the occasional few consumers searching for business reviews online. In fact, nearly 9 out of 10 consumers have read online reviews to determine the quality of a local business. This increasing consumer reliance on reviews is also evidenced by the fact that in 2016, 92% of consumers read online reviews, compared to 88% in 2014. Reviews Impact Your Bottom Line Consider these statistics from BrightLocal. com’s 2015 Local Consumer Review Study: Star rating is the #1 factor used by consumers to judge a business 40% of consumers form an opinion by reading just 1-3 reviews 68% of consumers say that positive reviews make them trust a business more 51% will select a local business if it has positive reviews 23% will visit a business in person if it has positive reviews Additionally, studies show that customers are likely to spend 31% more on a business... --- - Published: 2016-10-06 - Modified: 2025-07-15 - URL: https://cityranked.com/json-ld-schema-structure-local-seo/ New SEO Schema Markups Released and Tested First it might be helpful to explain what schema markup is. Back in 2011, the main search engines Google, Yahoo and Bing embarked on a collaborative project to develop code markup to help search engines understand what a specific website (or page on a website) is about. Implementing on-page markup helps search engines understand the information on web pages and provide richer search results. This shared markup vocabulary makes it easier for webmasters to decide on a markup schema and get the maximum benefit for their efforts. Search engines want to make it easier for people to find relevant information on the web. City Ranked Media has been using schema markups on our clients’ websites since they were first released, when only 1,500 websites nationwide were using it. Initially there were less than 20 different markups. Fast-forward to today, and there are hundreds of markups available for use. Why Schema Markup is Important for SEO Schema markup is important because it helps the search engines understand what a particular page, your website, and/or what your business does. This markup was invented to help the search engines provide a more enriching experience to end users, but it’s up to your web developer to correctly deploy schema markup on your website. There are literally hundreds of types of schema markups, so understanding what types of markup to deploy on a website can either help or hurt a website’s ranking. City Ranked Media’s use of Schema... --- - Published: 2016-10-04 - Modified: 2025-07-15 - URL: https://cityranked.com/local-seo-google-doorway-page-update/ Targeting Local SEO After Google’s Doorway Page Update Way back in March of 2015, Google released its Doorway Page Update specifically targeted at websites trying to gain rankings using pages that Google deemed added no real value to search experience. In local SEO, this was a search tactic used years ago to rank for specific terms of “”. Here at City Ranked Media we tested and used this strategy on a few websites with some success, but quickly moved away from it understanding these were nothing more than “Doorway Pages”, something that Google frowned upon. In the second quarter of 2015, City Ranked Media began testing how we could send signals to the search engines that a client served a specific geographic area, even when the client didn’t have a brick and mortar location in that area. The specific challenge was for service-based industries, such as pest control or plumbing companies, that would or could service customers in person in their area. Introducing the City Ranked Media Geo-Block After much testing, revisions, and refinement, City Ranked Media launched beta testing on the City Ranked Media Geo-Block. This block was designed to send city-specific data to search engines for important services a client provided, reinforcing with the search engine that the client served specific cities. The code, structure of the code, schema markup, and position of the code relative to other website elements was continually tested and refined to ultimately achieve desired results in first page rankings for pages the City... --- - Published: 2015-12-14 - Modified: 2025-07-15 - URL: https://cityranked.com/3-questions-to-ask-before-hiring-web-advertising-company/ Know the right questions to ask a web advertising company Hiring a reputable Internet Advertising company for your small business may seem like an easy task. There are many choices out there when it comes to website marketing, search optimization and search marketing companies. Unfortunately the decision to hire a reputable company to handle your online advertising is not as easy as it may seem. In many cases, small business owners choose internet advertising based upon convenience, rather than diligent research, which can have unintended consequences down the road. Don't become a victim of a company that doesn't have your best interests at heart. One thing to remember is that many of the large internet advertising companies want you for the long term. So their mission, and how they build their advertising campaigns are designed to make you fear and feel "non-advertising" pain if you ever decide to leave them. Below are 3 questions you should ask any internet advertising company before considering doing business with them. 1. ) Are you going to work on my actual website url (address)? This is a very important question to ask because many internet marketing companies do not promote your "real" website address across the internet. Instead they will advertise a website they create, with content they create, and will spread this "not real" website address across the internet... and it will spread like a virus. They often will do this because they will place tracking code and phone numbers on the website... --- - Published: 2015-11-30 - Modified: 2025-07-15 - URL: https://cityranked.com/expert-seo-quiz/ Consider yourself an Expert at SEO in 2015? Take our quiz and find out how you rank. (more... ) --- - Published: 2015-11-25 - Modified: 2025-03-25 - URL: https://cityranked.com/website-seo-strategy/ I want to cover a topic I think many small business owners rarely think about, the viability, and scale-ability of their current advertising efforts for the future. In times past, for many small business owners, thinking about the future of their advertising was as simple as knowing what ad size they wanted to purchase in the next edition of the local yellow pages, or perhaps the next ad they ran in the newspaper. Unfortunately, this type of thinking does not, and will not translate into a successful and long term internet marketing strategy. Why internet marketing is different than older forms of advertising When it came to older forms of advertising such as yellow pages, direct mail, and newspapers, shelf life was limited, and research options for consumers were even more limited. Ad positions were determined by factors such as who was willing to pay more for their ads, how long they had advertised in that particular medium, and the frequency they advertised. Fast forward from those times years back, and you get to 2015, the age where consumers rely on online mediums to make buying decisions. Unlike times past, search engine rankings are not determined by who pays the most, but instead businesses are graded and ranked by who does the best. If you think about all the different options out there when it comes to online properties to use when making buying decisions, search engines like Google have become experts in delivering the results their users want. Search... --- - Published: 2015-11-13 - Modified: 2025-05-06 - URL: https://cityranked.com/8-sure-signs-your-seo-company-sucks/ Last year I wrote an article titled "10 Signs You're Buying SEO Snake Oil". Since I'm into SEO, I thought I'd do a follow up article piggy backing on that article on 8 Sure Signs Your Current SEO Company Sucks. I get told all the time about how small business owners have been taken advantage of by unethical SEO companies, and frankly it makes me sad that there's people out there that would risk the livelihood of a hardworking business owner just to make a buck. These same SEO Snake Oil salesmen also make ethical, hardworking SEO companies job that much harder, as they have eroded any trust these business owners may have had in the prospect of real and quality SEO 1) Your SEO Company Talks About How Many Hundreds or Thousands of Links They're Building For You The question of whether "link building" is dead in SEO is a hotly debated topic. Many SEO companies still actively pursue link building as a must obtain goal for great rankings. I myself do not believe that link building in the old sense of the term is a viable SEO tactic with changes in Google's updates and algorithm changes. Instead I like to use the term "link earning". A quality SEO company can help a business earn links by putting good quality content out on the web, promoting it, and being creative. 2) They Talk About Directory Submissions, Forum Comments, and Article Submissions If anyone starts talking about directory submissions, forum... --- - Published: 2015-10-20 - Modified: 2025-07-15 - URL: https://cityranked.com/poor-mans-guide-website-and-internet-advertising-on-a-budget-part-3-of-3/ Promoting and Updating Your Small Business Website I get it as a small business owner, you're busy. There's a million things to worry about, and if you're like me, most of the things that suck up your time have nothing to do with why you started your business in the first place. Small business owners are pulled in several directions everyday, and rarely do they get what they planned done during the normal work day. I, myself am writing this on a Friday evening between dinner and kids showers because I myself didn't get this done during my normal workday. Remember you started your business because you are passionate - and - YOU ARE DIFFERENT I've been helping small business owners advertise themselves for almost 15 years, and with only a few exceptions of the thousands of business owners I've met, all of them have something that makes them different from who they perceive as their competitors. Typically when I would ask these business owners what made them different, I'd get the same canned answers: we provide the best service, we provide quality work, we provide the best guarantee... and on and on from there. It wasn't until we were able to really dig in deep with these clients did they actually really think about what made them different, and sometimes it takes someone from the outside to point it out. I'll give you an example. I met with a plumbing contractor that had been in business for many, many... --- - Published: 2015-05-11 - Modified: 2025-07-15 - URL: https://cityranked.com/build-website-advertising-budget-2/ Website SEO on a Budget Self guide to getting your business website on the search engines Awhile back I wrote the first part of this series, Building a website and doing your own SEO on a budget, sorry it's been so long for the second article in this series. In this article I'm going to assume that you've already launched your website and are now ready to get it out on the net and make it start working for your business. If you're having trouble with setting up the structure of your website, I encourage you to read my three part series, Website Ranking Factors for Small Business. It was written 2 years ago, but the practices are still essentially the same. (more... ) --- - Published: 2015-04-04 - Modified: 2025-05-06 - URL: https://cityranked.com/is-your-seo-company-a-copycat/ Why you shouldn't work with an SEO company that copies your competitions' strategies. As a business owner nothing can more frustrating than seeing one of your competitors copying the same website and SEO strategies that you've been using. It happens all the time, even within the SEO agency world, right here in Vancouver Washington. Here at City Ranked Media we've been testing different SEO strategies for years, only to have some of our strategies copied, which was the inspiration behind this article. So if you think your SEO company is copying from your competition, below are the reasons you may want to rethink your strategy (or your SEO's strategy) for long term business success. (more... ) --- - Published: 2014-11-08 - Modified: 2025-05-06 - URL: https://cityranked.com/seo-company-might-hurt-rankings/ Is your SEO company hurting your websites rankings? I get it, as a business owner it's really easy to let things like SEO and your website slide. Your phone is ringing, people are mentioning that they found you on the web, so life is good right? But if you have an SEO company, web advertising company, or anyone else that does any kind of promotion of your website with the goal of attaining better rankings online for you, it might be time to start paying attention. (more... ) --- - Published: 2014-10-05 - Modified: 2025-07-15 - URL: https://cityranked.com/5-things-need-know-hiring-someone-build-website-wordpress/ Here at City Ranked Media we primarily work in WordPress and all of our new client websites are built using WordPress, so you might say we're big fans of the website platform. However in the years we've been using WordPress, we've seen some pretty big messes with some websites that people have brought us to fix. Pretty big messes that took a lot of time and money to fix, so that being said we thought that we'd write an article on questions to ask, and things to know before deciding to hire someone to build you a website in WordPress. (more... ) --- - Published: 2014-07-31 - Modified: 2025-07-15 - URL: https://cityranked.com/cheap-website-seo-really-exist/ Just about any business small or large will at some point be faced with the decision on how to properly SEO their website. It's this need from small business owners, combined with the real complexities of how to get properly ranked on the web that has sprung up a whole industry of poor quality SEO agencies across the U. S. and the world. After doing some quick searches on the web, I came across an interesting story of a Pest Control business in Arizona that took the time to share his experiences with some these low cost SEO companies, and the results they provided. (more... ) --- - Published: 2014-07-26 - Modified: 2025-05-06 - URL: https://cityranked.com/google-pigeon-listings-rankings/ Did you loose rankings with the Google Pigeon update? Late Thursday, Google quietly released its newest update to its local ranking algorithm, quickly dubbed Google Pigeon by the folks at Search Engine Land. Google's newest update aims to achieve more useful and accurate search results according to a recent article posted by there. When asked by Search Engine Land's contributing author Barry Schwartz, Google said the update targets (more... ) --- - Published: 2014-07-15 - Modified: 2025-02-28 - URL: https://cityranked.com/build-website-advertising-budget-1/ Many small business owners build their own website, perform simple SEO when they start out to save, here's a simple guide to get you started. Part 1 of 3 Building a website and doing your own SEO on a budget Starting a business is a tough task for anyone. Starting a business on a shoe string budget is even tougher. Many new business owners save money by doing a lot of start-up tasks themselves, including building their first website, designing their own business cards, doing their own bookkeeping, and so on. If you're starting a new business, and don't have the capital to invest in a professionally designed website and SEO services, the below points will help guide you to developing the best website and strategy possible, without a huge investment in time and learning. 1) Choose your website building program Notice we didn't start with registering your domain? We often see small business owners get excited about starting their business and rush off to register their domain with the first recommended registrar. (more... ) --- - Published: 2014-06-24 - Modified: 2025-05-06 - URL: https://cityranked.com/much-seo-cost/ How much should SEO cost your business? The answers to this question are as plentiful as websites returned on any given search on Google. As a business owner , you should be looking at SEO as a long term investment into your business. So my answer is: "It costs you nothing. " SEO - done correctly - should yield measurable return on investment, therefore, the costs of quality SEO are far less than the return you should see in positive sales and growth for your business. However, I understand that most business owners still want to know the bottom line when it comes to the cost of SEO and what they should be budgeting for this service. (more... ) --- - Published: 2014-05-30 - Modified: 2025-03-25 - URL: https://cityranked.com/really-dealing-seo-expert/ The 10 warning signs that the person you're talking to is not an SEO expert. In this day and age it's pretty easy to come across someone who claims they are an SEO Expert. As a small business owner you are no doubt contacted by several people every week via phone or email claiming they can rocket your business to the front of the pack for mere dollars per month. So the question here is: with all these people claiming they can do the same thing, who is telling the truth, and who is selling SEO snake oil? (more... ) --- - Published: 2014-05-27 - Modified: 2025-07-15 - URL: https://cityranked.com/seo-needs-continually-worked/ SEO and Your Old & Tired Website SEO and first page rankings One of the questions we get a lot is why search engine optimization needs to be continually worked on once rankings have been achieved. Most business owners understand that SEO is a process that takes some time, but once desired rankings for a keyword are achieved, (more... ) --- - Published: 2014-04-11 - Modified: 2025-03-25 - URL: https://cityranked.com/measuring-effectiveness-of-seo-ppc-campaigns/ The Basics of measuring your marketing efforts How to measure the effectiveness of your SEO and PPC efforts When it comes to measuring your own SEO and PPC efforts, or perhaps you're trying to measure your outsourced efforts, understanding what metrics to measure can be a difficult task. The sheer amount of data that can be presented through programs such as Google AdWords or Google Analytics can make just about anyone's eyes glaze over. For business owners, reports like these often take a back seat to more important business functions. So a question that we often get is how to effectively benchmark an SEO and/or PPC campaign for effectiveness, and when do you know its time to make a change? (more... ) --- - Published: 2014-03-13 - Modified: 2025-07-15 - URL: https://cityranked.com/cheap-or-expensive-web-design/ Drag & Drop Websites - WYSIWYG website programs are they worth it? Finding someone to build your business a website these days is as easy as looking online, or waiting for one of the probably many calls your business gets from people claiming they can build your presence online for cheap. Pricing for websites varies widely and so as a savvy business owner, you should question why so cheap or why so expensive, right? Know the right questions to ask when buying a website (more... ) --- - Published: 2014-02-26 - Modified: 2025-07-15 - URL: https://cityranked.com/5-myths-seo-debunked/ So you're in the market for an SEO Company? For many small businesses, looking for a qualified local SEO Company can be a daunting task. There are many factors to look at when choosing an ethical internet marketing and web design company for your small business, and unfortunately all too often small business owners make decisions on web design and internet advertising based upon convenience rather than diligent research. (more... ) --- - Published: 2014-02-22 - Modified: 2025-02-28 - URL: https://cityranked.com/seo-test/ Want to test your SEO knowledge? Try the 10 questions below to see how you score. View Survey --- - Published: 2014-01-03 - Modified: 2025-07-15 - URL: https://cityranked.com/three-questions-to-ask-seo/ Hiring a reputable Internet Advertising company for your small business may seem like an easy task. There are many choices out there when it comes to website marketing, search optimization and search marketing companies. Unfortunately the decision to hire a reputable company to handle your online advertising is not as easy as it may seem. In many cases, small business owners choose internet advertising based upon convenience, rather than diligent research, which can have unintended consequences down the road. Don't become a victim of a company that doesn't have your best interests at heart. Three Questions To Ask Before Buying SEO Services Hiring a reputable Internet Advertising company for your small business may seem like an easy task. There are many choices out there when it comes to website marketing, search optimization and search marketing companies. (more... ) --- - Published: 2012-05-09 - Modified: 2025-07-15 - URL: https://cityranked.com/how-googles-penguin-update-could-affect-your-small-business-website/ The Penguin Update and your small business website Google recently announced an update to their search ranking algorithms that in most part only affects what Google terms "spammy websites" but with that being said, there is in my opinion, some unintended affects to small business websites... (more... ) --- - Published: 2012-02-21 - Modified: 2025-07-15 - URL: https://cityranked.com/website-ranking-factors-for-small-business-part-3-of-3/ In this final article of Website Ranking Factors For Small Business, I will cover factors that can get your website penalized by the search engines, hurting your chances of appearing for the keywords you want. The below information is by no means all inclusive, but covers some of the more common black hat SEO activities that will eventually hurt your rankings. (more... ) --- - Published: 2012-02-20 - Modified: 2025-09-11 - URL: https://cityranked.com/website-ranking-factors-for-small-businesses-part-2-of-3/ In my prior article in this series, I discussed website On-Page Ranking Factors for small business websites. This article will cover factors that are considered Off-Page Ranking Factors and how they apply to a small business trying to achieve first page rankings for desired keywords. (more... ) --- - Published: 2012-02-19 - Modified: 2025-07-15 - URL: https://cityranked.com/website-ranking-factors-for-small-business-part-1-of-3/ In this article series I will cover top-level factors that search engines use in determining where a website will rank for given keyword(s), and how a small business can use these factors to propel their website ahead of the competition, driving quality traffic through organic placement. On Page Search Engine Ranking Factors for Small Business Websites This first article will cover what is known as On Page factors, meaning what can be done on the website itself. We will cover the following: Content Keyword Research Keyword Use Engaging Visitors Updated Content Page Titles Meta Descriptions Heading Tags Indexing Page/Site Speed URL's Website Content As I've written about before, website content is king when it comes to attaining rankings on the search engine results page (SERP). I can not stress enough how important it is to have a good amount of Quality Content on each page of your website. The old days of having a website with the same old, stale set-up of: Home, About Us, Services, Gallery and Contact Us are dead and gone. The web and how people use it has changed dramatically, and to keep up with this change, the search engines have changed their game too. Having quality content, with a purpose, will help any small business get to the first page of the search engine results. Keyword Research for Small Business What keywords do you want to show up for? How competitive is it to get to the first page for those keywords? Do you know... --- - Published: 2012-02-07 - Modified: 2025-07-15 - URL: https://cityranked.com/wordpress-ratings-setup/ WordPress comes equipped with a built in system for readers to interact with your blog / website by allowing them to "Rate" your blog, or comments on your blog with a 5 star rating system. With this Ratings enabled users can hover over the stars and choose a rating for your content. All ratings are then added up to give a general score for that content. Accessing the Ratings function in WordPress One you access the Ratings screen, you will see there are two options to choose from: All Ratings and Reports. In the above example I have chosen All Ratings, which takes you to setup of your WordPress Ratings options. In the top red box area, you are able to control where people are allowed to rate content on your site, as well as where the rating option will appear - above or below the post or comment. For pages you can select above or below the post, with an option to enable or disable ratings. Posts and Comments Ratings Settings Under the comments link, as shown above in the red box, there are advanced options to control how the ratings system is shown on comments. Advanced Settings for Comments Rating In the above screen, Advanced Setting has been selected which expands the below blue area with options to customize your comments rating system. Rating Type Rating type allows you to choose from the "5 Star" or "Nero" rating system. 5 Star allows users to rate comments based upon... --- --- > To schedule a free no obligation digital marketing and advertising assessment, please contact City Ranked at https://cityranked.com/ or 360-433-9870. Located in Vancouver, Washington and serving our customers across the United States. ---