SEO Case Study: Boosted Local Map Views from 1,100 to 7,800 in 6 Months for a B2B Office Catering Company in Chicago
In January 2025, a B2B office catering company in Chicago, Illinois partnered with Goforaeo to improve local visibility and bring in more recurring office orders. The business already had good food and reliable delivery, but their local presence was not strong enough to win consistent map traffic.
This SEO Case Study covers January 1, 2025 to June 30, 2025 and focuses on Chicago with priority neighborhoods like The Loop, West Loop, River North, Fulton Market, South Loop, and Near North Side.
Client snapshot:
They serve breakfast, lunch, and meeting catering for offices, coworking spaces, and corporate events. Most orders come from office managers, HR teams, executive assistants, and operations coordinators.
They were getting some map activity, but they were not showing up often for searches that usually convert, like “office catering near me” and “breakfast catering Chicago”.
Where things stood at the start:
We did not jump into posting or blogs first. We started by checking what Google was actually seeing, and what customers were experiencing when they found the business.
Starting metrics in January 2025:
- Google Maps views: 1,100
- Google Business Profile actions total: 210
- Calls from profile: 38
- Website clicks from profile: 61
- Direction requests: 22
- Menu or order page clicks: 44
- Catering form leads tracked: 9
- New reviews in the month: 2
- Average rating: 4.4
The outcome we achieved in 6 months:
By June 2025, the profile was active, clear, and supported by the website and local signals around Chicago.
Ending metrics in June 2025:
- Google Maps views: 7,800
- Google Business Profile actions total: 610
- Calls from profile: 126
- Website clicks from profile: 188
- Direction requests: 54
- Menu or order page clicks: 242
- Catering form leads tracked: 31
- New reviews in the month: 10
- Average rating: 4.6
What we wanted to improve:
The main focus was not just traffic. It was about showing up more for office catering searches and turning that visibility into real orders and quote requests.
We aimed for better local signals, cleaner tracking, stronger proof on the profile, and website pages that matched what people were searching.
Measurement and tracking setup:
We set up tracking early so the results were easy to prove and easy to explain. This also helped us avoid wasting time on tactics that looked nice but did not move real numbers.
Metrics we tracked monthly:
- Google Maps views and searches inside the Google Business Profile
- Calls, website clicks, direction requests, and menu or order page clicks
- Catering form submissions and quote requests
- Top search terms in Google Search Console
- Local visibility checks across key Chicago areas
Tools used:
- Google Business Profile dashboard
- Google Search Console
- Google Analytics 4
- Google Tag Manager
- Looker Studio for monthly reporting
- BrightLocal for citation audits and listing fixes
- Local Falcon for map grid scans in Chicago neighborhoods
- Screaming Frog for website SEO checks
- Ahrefs for competitor research and backlink review
- Canva for clean post visuals and menu highlights
Month by month actions and results:
Below is the exact 6 month timeline with what we worked on and how the numbers moved. Every month had real work done, and the gains came from consistency, not a one time trick.
January 2025: Foundation fixes and proper tracking:
We started with a full local audit and fixed the basics that were holding back visibility. We also cleaned up tracking so we could measure calls and leads correctly.
Work completed:
- Optimized Google Business Profile basics: business description, services, attributes, service areas
- Updated primary and secondary categories to match office catering intent
- Added clear service list inside the profile: breakfast catering, boxed lunches, meeting platters, corporate events
- Set UTM tracking for profile links to separate map traffic from other traffic
- Set up conversion tracking in GA4 using Google Tag Manager
- Fixed website technical issues: broken links, indexing issues, slow pages on mobile
- Updated the catering page to make ordering and quote requests simple
January numbers:
- Google Maps views: 1,100
- Calls: 38
- Website clicks: 61
- Direction requests: 22
- Menu or order clicks: 44
- Catering leads tracked: 9
- New reviews: 2
February 2025: Stronger profile proof and better customer signals:
Once the profile was clean, we made it look active and trustworthy. For food and catering, proof matters fast, because buyers are comparing many options.
Work completed:
- Added 25 new photos: office setups, boxed lunches, breakfast spreads, delivery team, branded packaging
- Started weekly Google Business Profile posts with real offers and meeting packages
- Added a simple review request flow for corporate clients after delivery
- Wrote review reply templates that sounded human and specific
- Cleaned and fixed key citations across major directories
February numbers:
- Google Maps views: 1,850
- Calls: 49
- Website clicks: 74
- Direction requests: 24
- Menu or order clicks: 71
- Catering leads tracked: 12
- New reviews: 4
March 2025: Website pages built for real office searches:
In March, we focused on website relevance. Google can rank a profile better when the website clearly supports the same services and locations.
Work completed:
- Created service focused pages:
- Office breakfast catering in Chicago
- Boxed lunch catering for offices
- Meeting platters and corporate events catering
- Office breakfast catering in Chicago
- Added simple location support with natural writing:
- The Loop, West Loop, River North, Fulton Market, South Loop
- The Loop, West Loop, River North, Fulton Market, South Loop
- Added FAQ sections based on real questions:
- delivery windows
- minimum order size
- vegetarian and gluten free options
- setup and cleanup support
- delivery windows
- Added schema markup:
- LocalBusiness
- FoodEstablishment and Catering
- FAQ schema on key pages
- LocalBusiness
- Improved internal linking from homepage and menu pages to catering pages
March numbers:
- Google Maps views: 2,950
- Calls: 63
- Website clicks: 96
- Direction requests: 28
- Menu or order clicks: 98
- Catering leads tracked: 16
- New reviews: 6
April 2025: Map visibility push with grid scans and profile engagement:
This month we used map grid scans to find weak areas in Chicago and improve visibility where offices are concentrated. We also improved engagement signals inside the profile.
Work completed:
- Ran Local Falcon scans for keywords:
- office catering Chicago
- breakfast catering Chicago
- boxed lunch catering Chicago
- corporate catering Chicago
- office catering Chicago
- Built a content plan based on what ranked and what did not
- Added Q and A inside the profile and answered them clearly
- Posted 2 times per week with photos and menu highlights
- Added product style entries in the profile for top packages:
- breakfast bundle
- lunch boxes
- meeting platters
- coffee and pastries
- breakfast bundle
- Continued citation building where top competitors were listed
April numbers:
- Google Maps views: 4,350
- Calls: 82
- Website clicks: 118
- Direction requests: 36
- Menu or order clicks: 144
- Catering leads tracked: 20
- New reviews: 7
May 2025: Trust building and conversion improvements:
In May, we improved trust and conversion. A lot of map growth is wasted if the customer cannot quickly understand pricing, delivery, and package options.
Work completed:
- Created a simple “How ordering works” section on the catering pages
- Added clearer calls to action:
- request a quote
- schedule recurring office lunches
- same day delivery rules
- request a quote
- Uploaded new photos every week from real deliveries
- Built local backlinks from relevant sources:
- local business directories
- vendor partners
- community and business listings
- local business directories
- Improved page speed for mobile users
- Continued review flow with a steady schedule
May numbers:
- Google Maps views: 6,200
- Calls: 108
- Website clicks: 156
- Direction requests: 45
- Menu or order clicks: 203
- Catering leads tracked: 26
- New reviews: 9
June 2025: Consistency and refinement based on real search data:
June was about doing more of what worked and trimming what did not. We used Search Console and profile data to refine page content and post topics.
Work completed:
- Updated page headings and service descriptions using top performing search terms
- Added a “Recurring office catering” section with simple weekly plan options
- Posted weekly with seasonal menu items and meeting friendly packages
- Ran another grid scan and improved weak zones with extra location mentions and internal links
- Continued citations, reviews, and photo uploads without gaps
- Improved tracking dashboards so the client could see the month progress clearly
June numbers:
- Google Maps views: 7,800
- Calls: 126
- Website clicks: 188
- Direction requests: 54
- Menu or order clicks: 242
- Catering leads tracked: 31
- New reviews: 10
Before vs after proof:
The clearest proof is the consistent month by month lift and the final comparison using the same tracking setup.
Google Maps views growth:
- January 2025: 1,100
- June 2025: 7,800
- Increase: +6,700 map views
- Growth multiple: about 7 times
High intent actions improved:
These actions show real buying intent, not just browsing.
- Calls from profile:
- January 2025: 38
- June 2025: 126
- Increase: +88 calls
- January 2025: 38
- Website clicks from profile:
- January 2025: 61
- June 2025: 188
- Increase: +127 clicks
- January 2025: 61
- Menu or order page clicks:
- January 2025: 44
- June 2025: 242
- Increase: +198 clicks
- January 2025: 44
- Catering leads tracked:
- January 2025: 9
- June 2025: 31
- Increase: +22 leads
- January 2025: 9
Reviews and trust signals:
For catering, reviews are not just about stars. They help people feel safe choosing you for an office order.
- New reviews per month:
- January 2025: 2
- June 2025: 10
- January 2025: 2
- Rating movement:
- From 4.4 to 4.6 with more reviews and better review replies
- From 4.4 to 4.6 with more reviews and better review replies
Why the strategy worked:
We did not rely on shortcuts. We built a strong local system that helped Google understand the business and helped customers feel confident fast.
Step 1: Relevance in the profile and website:
Google ranks businesses that match the search intent closely. We made sure the profile and the website said the same thing using natural words.
Key actions:
- Correct categories and services inside the profile
- Catering pages that matched what offices search for
- Clear packages and delivery details that reduce confusion
Step 2: Prominence through proof:
Prominence is about trust. We improved the signals that show the business is real, active, and chosen by customers.
Key actions:
- Frequent photo uploads from real orders
- Weekly posts that kept the profile active
- Review growth with steady requests and real replies
Step 3: Strong local signals across Chicago:
Chicago is competitive. If your business info is inconsistent across the web, it can slow ranking growth.
Key actions:
- Citation cleanup and consistency
- Listing fixes and duplicate cleanup
- Local links from relevant sources
Step 4: Better conversions from map traffic:
Many businesses grow map views but do not turn that into orders. We focused on making it easy to take action.
Key actions:
- Clean order and quote paths
- Clear catering pages with FAQs
- Tracking so we knew which pages produced leads
What made this different for B2B office catering in Chicago:
Office catering buyers are busy and practical. They care about reliability more than fancy words.
Things that mattered most:
- Delivery windows and on time proof
- Clear minimum order and pricing guidance
- Dietary options stated clearly
- Photos that look like real office orders, not staged restaurant shots
- Fast reply signals in reviews and Q and A
What we learned from this 6 month campaign:
Local SEO for catering is a mix of visibility and trust. You can rank, but you still need customers to feel confident enough to order.
Key lessons:
- Consistent photos and posts drive more engagement than occasional big updates
- Reviews improve both ranking and conversion, especially for office buyers
- Service pages win when they answer basic questions clearly
- Grid scans help you target the neighborhoods that matter most for B2B orders
- Tracking removes guesswork and helps you focus on what actually works