How to Rank Your Blog for “[City] Events” Using Free Calendar Listings (2025 Local SEO Strategy)

August 13, 2025

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Dominate local SEO with our 2025 guide. Learn how to rank your blog for “[City] Events” by curating free calendar listings to get massive, targeted traffic.

If you want your blog to be the go-to resource for your city, you need to show up when people search for what’s happening around them. Imagine your blog appearing at the top of Google every time someone types “events in Lagos this weekend” or “free things to do in Abuja.” This kind of targeted, local traffic is invaluable, and you don’t need a big budget or complex backlink campaigns to get it.

There is a simple, free method that leverages public event calendars to position your blog as the ultimate local guide. Zero ad spend, zero technical wizardry—just a smart, consistent strategy.

This guide will walk you through the exact steps to find events, create content that ranks, and turn your blog into the trusted source for local happenings.

Table of Contents

The ‘City Events Ranking’ Strategy: How It Works

Every single day, thousands of people in your city are searching for things to do. They look for concerts, markets, festivals, and free family activities. The brilliant part is that the top results for these searches are often not huge media companies, but local blogs that simply provide a consistently updated list of events.

The core idea is simple:

You publish a regular blog post, such as “What’s Happening This Weekend in [Your City].”
You source the event information for free from public calendars.
With consistency, Google recognizes your blog as a reliable and fresh source for local event information, pushing you to the top of the search results.

This strategy is perfect for local bloggers, affiliate marketers looking to target a specific region, or service providers who want to build authority in their community.

Step 1: Set Up Your Permanent ‘Events in [City]’ Page

Before you start posting, you need to create a central hub on your blog for all event-related content. Think of this as your personal “What’s On” page that will grow in authority over time.

Create a New Page in WordPress: Go to your WordPress Dashboard > Pages > Add New.
Give It a Clear Title: Title the page something like “Upcoming Events in Ikeja, Lagos” or “What’s On in Abuja.”
Add Introductory Text: Write a short, welcoming introduction. For example: “Looking for the best things to do this weekend in Ikeja? You’re in the right place. We update this page weekly with the best markets, shows, festivals, and family fun.”

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Crucial SEO Setup for Your Events Page

URL Slug: Make your URL clean and keyword-rich. Use something like /ikeja-events or /events-in-lagos.
H1 Title: Your main on-page title should be clear, like “Upcoming Events in [Your City].”
Meta Description: Write a compelling description under 160 characters. Example: “Find the best events, shows, markets, and family fun in [Your City]. Our guide is updated weekly with the latest happenings.”

Important Tip: Keep this page’s URL the same forever. Do not create a new page every week. You will simply update the content inside this single page or link out to new weekly blog posts from this hub. This allows the page to build SEO authority over time.

Step 2: How to Find Free Events to List (Without Leaving Your Desk)

Here’s the best part: you don’t need to organize or host any events. Your job is simply to become a curator—an expert who gathers all the best happenings in one place.

You can find all the information you need from these public sources:

Eventbrite: Go to Eventbrite.com and search for “[Your City] events.” Filter by date and category.
Facebook Events: Go to the “Events” tab on Facebook and filter by your location and desired dates.
Government & Community Sites: Use Google search: “What’s on in [Your City] site:.gov” or “community calendar [Your City]”.
Local Institutions: Check the websites of local cultural centers, libraries, town halls, churches, galleries, and colleges.

What Information to Collect for Each Event:

Event Title
Date & Time
Venue (Include the address and a Google Maps link if possible)
Ticket Info (e.g., Free, ₦5,000, “Tickets available online”)
A Short Description (You can often copy this from the source)
Link to the Source (Always credit the original organizer)

Pro Tip: Add your own personal touch. A short comment like, “I went to this market last year—it’s family-friendly and totally worth it!” adds personality and builds trust with your readers.

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Step 3: Publish Your Weekly ‘Event Roundup’ Blog Posts

Consistency is key. Every week (e.g., on a Thursday), publish a new blog post listing the best events for the upcoming weekend.

Use a Clear, SEO-Friendly Title: “Top 10 Events in Abuja This Weekend (August 2–4, 2025)”

Format Your Listings for Easy Reading: Use a simple, repeatable format for each event.

🎤 [Event Title]
🗓️ Date: Saturday, August 3rd, 2025
📍 Location: The Dome, Central Business District, Abuja
💸 Entry: Free
🔗 More Info: [Link to the Official Event Page]
📝 My Note: This looks like a great event for families and music lovers!

At the bottom of every post, include a call to action: “Want this delivered to your inbox every week? Join our Telegram or WhatsApp group!”

Game-Changing SEO Bonus: Event Schema

To get your listings featured in Google’s Events Carousel at the very top of the search results, you need to use “event schema.” Don’t worry, it’s easy. SEO plugins like Yoast SEO or RankMath have built-in blocks or sections where you can simply fill in the event details (name, date, location), and the plugin will add the special code for you. This is a must-do step for maximum visibility.

Step 4: Promote Your Event List for Free Traffic and Backlinks

Your weekly post is an amazing asset that can be reused across multiple platforms to drive engagement and even earn backlinks.

Share on Social Media: Post your weekly event list on your WhatsApp Status, Telegram broadcast channel, Facebook page, or as a Pinterest pin.
Create an Email Newsletter: Send a simple email to your subscribers with the top “3 Things Happening This Weekend in Port Harcourt.”
Tag Organizers: When you post on social media, tag the official accounts of the event organizers and venues. They will often reshare your post to their own audience, giving you free exposure.
Submit to Community Pages: Find local newspapers, college websites, or community groups that have “Helpful Links” pages and ask them to add your blog as a resource for local events.

Step 5: Monetize Your Traffic and Become a Local Sponsor Hub

Once your blog starts consistently ranking for local event keywords, businesses will notice. This is where your traffic turns into income.

Monetization Opportunities:

Sponsored Listings: Event organizers will pay you a fee to have their event listed at the top of your post.
Display Ads: Sell banner ad space on your events page to local businesses (restaurants, shops, real estate agents).
Affiliate Links: If you list paid events from Eventbrite, you can join their affiliate program and earn a commission on ticket sales.
Paid Newsletter Shoutouts: Charge a fee to feature an event in your weekly email newsletter.

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Pro Tip: Add a clear banner or link on your events page that says: “Want your event listed here? Contact us to learn about our promotional packages.”

Summary: Your Blueprint for Dominating Local SEO

This strategy is a powerful way to become a trusted guide in your city and dominate local search results. It’s free, evergreen, and provides immense value to your community.

Here’s the entire plan, simplified:

✅ Step 1: Set up a permanent “Events in [Your City]” page on your blog.
✅ Step 2: Curate a list of free events every single week from public sources.
✅ Step 3: Use SEO-friendly titles and add Event Schema to your posts.
✅ Step 4: Share your list on social media and with community partners.
✅ Step 5: Monetize your growing traffic with sponsored listings and local ads.