Business: Windy City Bakes — Chicago, IL
Industry: Local bakery & cafe.
Goal: Drive local orders and in-store traffic
Challenge:
“It was just time,” said Ms. Sayar of Windy City Bakes, the well-regarded neighborhood bakery in Chicago’s Wicker Park, which faced the same competition onslaught from larger chains and trendier new spots.
While their pastries were popular, their outdated Google Business Profile and generic website content kept them buried in local searches like “best birthday cakes Chicago.”
What They Did:
In 2025, in the Holy Union of Amateurs’ early days, The Windy City Bakes:
Completely optimized their Google Business Profile — uploading new photos, writing detailed menu descriptions and updating their hours.
Incentivized their fans to write new reviews that spoke of local keywords such as “birthday cake Chicago” and “custom cupcakes Wicker Park.”
Added hyper-local keywords on their website for neighboring areas.
- Added FAQ page with answers to real customer queries regarding delivery zones and custom orders in Chicago.
Results:
In just 90 days, Windy City Bakes:
- Top 3 for “custom birthday cakes Chicago” in the Google Map Pack.
- Reported 40% rise in local online orders and online pickup pre-orders.
- Earned over 100 new 5-star reviews, including many that mentioned “Chicago bakery” and “local.”
Key Takeaway:
Smart local SEO — listing optimization, new reviews, and neighborhood-centric content — can help even something small like Windy City Bakes win big against bigger competitors.
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