When the World Cup comes to Kansas City, thousands of visitors will arrive with one thing in common: they’ll be searching on their phones, looking for places to eat, and shop. They’ll need to fix problems, and they’ll want to enjoy the city.
The big question is: Will your business show up when they search?
Most people don’t scroll past page one of Google results. If your business isn’t there, it’s easy to miss — even if you’re a great option.
What Visitors Will Be Searching For
Since World Cup visitors won’t know your business name, they’ll search based on their need, timing, and location.
Examples include:
- coffee near stadium
- breakfast open early
- late night food
- gift shop near Union Station
- salon open now
Google only has so much space on page one. So for your business to be shown there, you must understand how Google decides which businesses deserve those spots.
How Google Decides Which Businesses to Show
Google’s No. 1 goal is to show the businesses that are the best match for any given search. It does this by pulling information from a few key places and comparing them.
Where Google Gets Its Information
Google looks at:
- Your Google Business Profile
- Your website
- Other directories like Yelp, Nextdoor, and Facebook
- What customers say about you in reviews
Google blends all of this data together. If the information lines up, your business looks like the best match. If it doesn’t, Google often chooses a different business instead.
What This Means for Your Business Right Now
If your business wants to show up during the World Cup, there are three things that matter most:
1. Using the Right Search Phrases
Most business owners make their best guess about what people actually type into Google. But visitors often don’t search the way businesses describe themselves.
Keyword research shows you:
- what your customers really search for
- how often they search it
- and which phrases are realistic to show up for
If your website and listings use the wrong words, Google won’t connect your business to the search — even if everything else looks fine. This is one of the biggest missed opportunities I see.
2. Cleaning Up Conflicting or Outdated Information
Over time, businesses leave a trail online of old hours, services, duplicate listings, and profiles that were never updated. Google compares all of this.
When details don’t match, your business becomes a risk to recommend — especially during high-traffic times like the World Cup.
This kind of work is often called SEO cleanup. It’s essential, and almost every business needs it.
3. Making Sure Your Website Supports Your Visibility
When Google checks your website, it’s looking for confirmation.
It wants to quickly understand:
- what you offer
- where you’re located
- and whether your site works well for visitors
A website also needs to work well on mobile. Slow pages or clunky mobile layouts cause visitors to leave quickly, which Google notices. Fast, mobile-friendly sites are easier for Google to recommend when search demand spikes.
Getting Ready Before the World Cup
The World Cup will bring a surge of searches this summer. We can support updates to your Google Business Profile, directories, and website so everything works together before search demand spikes.
Book a free consultation to get your Search Readiness Score before World Cup search traffic ramps up.