Building a successful website is a key part of any restaurant business plan. Did you know seven out of eight consumers routinely go online to discover their next dining destinations. Six tips here to help you get your bar, café or restaurant website right.
What Are The Essential Ingredients For A Restaurant Website?
- Location – A key element, customers will need to know where you are located.
- The menu – List all the food and drinks you have on offer and prices.
- Your interior- Customers want to know the look and feel of your decor. Will they feel comfortable when spending time with you.
- Feedback – Share third party reviews and comments from customers
- Reservations – Make the most of your website traffic and convert to table bookings
- Blog – Easy shareable updates that will keep your audience engaged and your social media fresh
These are the ingredients however you should also ensure that you are working on a robust platform (we recommend WordPress) that can offer a speedy and responsive pages for your visitors.
Location & More
It might seem obvious but it is important to add your location details in the right way. Firstly in a place where it can be seen without lots of user searching typically a prominent spot on your home page in addition to the footer and a contact page where you might add maps and directions as well
Use the correct schema in you page code and this will help search engines present your information in the best way. Schema code will help you get rich snippets in Google’s results page? Which can include address and phone details along with star ratings.
Combining search and location details is key for businesses with physical location and allows you to be seen for common search terms such as “Restaurant near me”. The best way to do this is using Google My Business. If you haven’t already done so claim your company on the Google and complete the various sections. This information appears in search results and maps, also a comprehensive listing in the Google search result pages’ sidebar. (You can go through a similar process for the Bing search engine).
Other great places to list are Facebook, TripAdvisor, Yelp and Foursquare etc. They will all give a good boost to your SEO along with added local focus.
Having added your website to sites that facilitate ratings and reviews be sure to monitor them. Thank and engage with those who offer feedback. Respond to the good as well as the bad.
The Menu
Show your menu on your restaurant or cafe website include clear descriptions and prices. Keep it updated to reflect the effort your kitchen team is making to keep it fresh and interesting. NB 86% people say they check menus online before booking. Try to avoid offering just a link to a PDF; it makes for a poor visitor experience particularly on a mobile phone. Use your blog to highlight special menus, seasonal changes or tempting offers. A specific menu page can also be linked in your restaurant schema.
Its not just words, give potential customers tempting images of your food (Don’t be tempted to skimp on this – In a recent survey of 9700 diners 52% said online photos influenced their dining decisions.). These images will make all the difference in creating an attractive proposition pulling in new customers however one bad one can keep people from wanting to eat at your restaurant at all!
The Interior
Potential customers will want to know what your business looks like inside. Show them images of the interior and they will be able to visit knowing that you are a good match for their occasion or expectations. Whether they are looking for a relaxed mid morning coffee on a comfy sofa or white linen and a chandelier for some fine dining .
As before great pictures will speak a thousand words and smooth a path for website visitors to your reservation link
Reviews & Testimonials
In addition to Google or Trip Advisor reviews having independent reviews on your web pages will make a positive difference. Third party reviews really help new customers choose to make a booking or to visit your location. It makes it easier for them to select you over competitors.
Reservations & Contacts
All of the above has one aim in mind and that is to attract business to your location either as walk in customers or as a table reservation. Make sure there are clear links to “make a reservation” or “book your table” they need to be prominent and in multiple locations on the site including the header and footer.
Customers want to make reservations online without having to call in. Incorporate online table-booking to your pages. There are many different platform to integrate with that can provide you this information in real time. For those on a tight budget there are numerous Word Press plugins available modestly priced or free. Before you make a choice request a demo and test them well to see which will best fit your needs.
Latest News & Offers
Make sure your web site has a blog. It is the easiest way to keep your site fresh and interesting. It is the ideal way to announce and share special offers, seasonal changes, menu changes, loyalty programme etc. New blog posts are also a great source of content that will facilitate interesting social channels and regular email news letter.
Overall your website is a powerful marketing tool that takes effort time and money to produce so make sure it has all the right ingredients in place to work hard and deliver customers. A successful site will also be the best centre point to engage with your social media channels, some content marketing via a blog, email marketing campaigns and online advertising.
If you would like so advice or practical assistance in developing café or restaurant website or maybe just another pair of hands to support your online marketing please get in touch.>>