Case Study Restaurant Chain
SEO Growth for Prospering Restaurant Concept
28%
increased online order revenue from Google Business Profiles
+49%
increase in non-branded organic clicks
+50%
increase in estimated catering revenue
The Situation
Condado Tacos is a popular Midwest fast-casual build-your-own taco concept ambitiously opening locations in new markets (on track to open more than 100 locations by 2026). While organic word-of-mouth recommendations and traditional PR efforts raised awareness about restaurant openings, the impact of those pushes was often short-lived and inadequate as the company expanded geographically. Considering the razor-thin margins that already impact restaurants, it’s vital for PR+SEO to buddy up and take a front seat in almost any marketing strategy. So, we added strategic SEO to improve overall non-brand visibility in new markets over time, delivering a sizable transformation.
The Transformation
By establishing a strategic Restaurant SEO Hierarchy of Needs and leveraging data for continuous optimization, we created a powerful SEO+PR strategy that improved Condado’s organic search by double digits in only a few months. We also established a bespoke go-to-market strategy that supports the fast-casual concept as it enters new markets across the country.
The Work
To improve Condado Tacos’ SEO, we started with an SEO audit, followed by a strategy for increasing the organic search contribution to crucial revenue streams (catering, online orders, in-store orders, and carry-out). We then established an SEO hierarchical structure custom to Condado Tacos and maximized visibility across our efforts. For example, we grew traffic for core terms that balance volume and competition, like “tacos near me.” We also used keyword conversion data from pay-per-click (PPC) to inform which keywords we should target for SEO based on what converts well or contributes to the most revenue for PPC. We even developed a model to help calculate the revenue return on non-brand SEO traffic growth using data from PPC conversion rates.
We then refined our strategy by market, focusing on foundational updates to grow all locations, plus an SEO plan for new vs. tenured locations. Different geographies require different SEO approaches because users search differently based on location, and new restaurants require additional SEO support vs. more tenured locations. As such, we developed a new restaurant opening (“NRO”) timeline of SEO needs, starting with how far in advance of opening we needed to create a “coming soon” location page and a Google Business Profile.
The Issues We Solved.
Smith’s assessment revealed surprising challenges and opportunities as the brand expands from market to market.
Users search differently based on location, and new restaurants require additional SEO support vs. more tenured locations.
Google Business Profiles are a massive revenue opportunity, requiring ongoing maintenance, optimization, and tracking enhancements to show growth.
Instead of traditional SEO measurement for non-brand organic revenue marketing, establish a revenue estimation method for showing the real impact of SEO efforts.
Increasing visibility in collaboration with Digital PR is an essential element of organic search, including best-of lists, overall star ratings, and customer reviews.