{"id":51,"date":"2026-03-16T18:54:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T18:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jberraconsulting.com\/blog\/?p=51"},"modified":"2026-03-12T00:08:36","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T00:08:36","slug":"the-2026-world-cup-is-coming-heres-how-lawrence-businesses-can-prepare-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jberraconsulting.com\/blog\/branding-strategy\/the-2026-world-cup-is-coming-heres-how-lawrence-businesses-can-prepare-now\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2026 World Cup Is Coming. Here\u2019s How Lawrence Businesses Can Prepare Now"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The 2026 World Cup will bring global attention to our region. While matches will take place in nearby Kansas City, one of the biggest opportunities may actually be happening closer to home. A team is expected to stay and train in Lawrence, Kansas, which means visitors, media, and fans will be exploring our community.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For local businesses, this isn\u2019t just a short-term event. It\u2019s a chance to be discovered by new audiences, build relationships, and create long-term customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The businesses that win during moments like this are the ones who start preparing early. Here are five ways to get ahead now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Make Sure Your Google Business Profile Is Fully Optimized<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Most visitors will search for things like \u201ccoffee near me,\u201d \u201crestaurants in Lawrence,\u201d or \u201cthings to do.\u201d If your Google profile isn\u2019t up to date, you may never appear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Update your hours, services, photos, and categories. Start asking for more reviews now. The stronger your profile is before the event, the more visible you\u2019ll be when traffic increases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Create Content Around Soccer, Travel, and Lawrence<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Google needs signals. Start publishing blog posts or website content that connects your business to the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Where to eat in Lawrence during the World Cup<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Soccer-friendly restaurants in Lawrence<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Things to do near Kansas City during the World Cup<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This helps your business show up when visitors start planning their trips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Start Planning Special Experiences<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Think beyond discounts. Visitors want memorable experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Viewing parties<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Themed menus<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Local collaborations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Limited-time products<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This builds excitement and gives people a reason to choose you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Improve Your Website Now<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Most visitors will discover you on their phones. Make sure your website is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Fast<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Easy to navigate<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mobile-friendly<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Clear on what you offer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Small improvements now can lead to major impact later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Build Relationships in the Community<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Partnerships between local businesses can amplify visibility. Collaborate with hotels, event organizers, tourism groups, and other small businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This kind of local collaboration is what makes Lawrence special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want help preparing your website and local SEO for the World Cup, I\u2019m offering a free local website and SEO audit for businesses in Lawrence and the surrounding communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Planning Ahead for the 2026 World Cup? Start Here.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The World Cup is one of the biggest global events in the world \u2014 and Kansas City will be right in the middle of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I created a <strong>free Local Business Marketing Checklist<\/strong> to help businesses in Lawrence, Topeka, and Kansas City prepare early, show up in search results, and make the most of the opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 Download the <a href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3NifwJa\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3NifwJa\">free checklist<\/a> and start getting ready today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2026 World Cup will bring global attention to our region. While matches will take place in nearby Kansas City, one of the biggest opportunities may actually be happening closer to home. A team is expected to stay and train in Lawrence, Kansas, which means visitors, media, and fans will be exploring our community. For [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":121,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61,64,62,63,117],"tags":[77,72,76,66,31,30,68,67,71,69,75,74,73,70],"class_list":["post-51","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-branding-strategy","category-local-lawrence-community","category-small-business-growth","category-website-seo","category-world-cup-2026","tag-digital-marketing","tag-event-marketing","tag-google-business-profile","tag-kansas-city-world-cup","tag-lawrence-kansas","tag-lawrence-small-business","tag-local-marketing","tag-local-seo","tag-small-business-growth","tag-social-media-strategy","tag-tourism-marketing","tag-visit-lawrence","tag-website-strategy","tag-world-cup-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jberraconsulting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jberraconsulting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jberraconsulting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jberraconsulting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jberraconsulting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/jberraconsulting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":147,"href":"https:\/\/jberraconsulting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51\/revisions\/147"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jberraconsulting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jberraconsulting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jberraconsulting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jberraconsulting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}