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Mastering Restaurant SEO: Boost Your Online Visibility with These 7 Tips

4 min read

Numerous tips are available to help people increase their website’s search engine ranking, but the exact scoring system utilized by Google remains a closely guarded secret. It is difficult to find the same factors that contribute to achieving the top spot.

Nevertheless, Google has provided some insight into the formula that it uses.

This section will explore the fundamental strategies and recommendations that SEO experts use to optimize websites. Below are some tips to enhance your restaurant’s online presence.

 

  1. Building Your Roadmap to SEO Success

 

To kickstart their SEO efforts, a restaurant should prioritize creating a comprehensive restaurant SEO roadmap through keyword planning.

But what exactly does keyword planning entail?

Keyword planning involves identifying the search terms you want your restaurant’s website to rank for. These search terms can consist of single words, such as “wings,” but are more common phrases containing two, three, or more words, such as “best chicken wings in Houston.”

Once you’ve compiled your initial list of target keywords, you can leverage a free keyword planning tool to generate additional relevant keywords. This tool can assist you in prioritizing specific keywords over others based on their monthly search volume.

By engaging in early keyword planning, restaurants can establish a strong foundation of targeted keywords to generate meaningful value for their business. This proactive approach sets the stage for sustainable growth and long-term success.

 

  1. Optimizing for Local SEO

 

Between 2004 and 2006, Google revamped its local search results for searches with location-based intent, such as queries for businesses in a particular city or town.

This is why location-based searches typically produce results featuring the Google Map carousel feature. By adding your restaurant’s website to various directories, review sites, and social media platforms with consistent and accurate company information; you can optimize for these results straightforwardly and effectively. These efforts work to bolster your brand presence and identity while demonstrating to Google that your restaurant is a trustworthy and reputable business. Additionally, this approach can defend against your primary local competitors by positioning your restaurant ahead of theirs in search results.

 

  1. Leveraging Review Sites to Drive Restaurant Success

 

Research has demonstrated that search result pages featuring reviews experience higher click-through rates (CTR), ultimately translating to more traffic and potential customers.

Moreover, reviews are crucial in Google’s ranking algorithms for local search results. For example, Google frequently displays the highest-rated restaurants and businesses in many local searches and may even showcase your restaurant’s rating directly on the search results page, serving as a powerful magnet for new customers.

 

  1. Getting Other Websites to Link to Your Restaurant’s Website

 

Online reviews are one of many ways to boost your restaurant’s online presence. Link building is another key factor in search optimization that can be leveraged for increased visibility.

If you have a marketing professional, consider exploring link-building strategies beyond just online reviews. For example, when external websites link to your restaurant’s website, it signals to Google that your site is a trustworthy authority on the relevant topic. This is akin to receiving endorsements on LinkedIn, where every link to your site serves as another endorsement in Google’s eyes.

The more links you get from authority sites, the higher your ranking in search results for your target keywords. Therefore, implementing a link-building strategy can play a significant role in improving your restaurant’s online visibility and attracting more customers.

 

  1. Making Your Restaurant Website Mobile-Friendly

 

As mobile device usage continues to grow, having a mobile-friendly website has become crucial for businesses – and restaurants are no exception. Over 80% of people used their mobile devices to browse the internet in 2018, and that number is expected to increase.

In response to this trend, Google updated its search algorithm to prioritize mobile views of websites over desktop views. So if your restaurant’s website needs to be mobile-friendly, it’s less likely to appear in search results.

Make your website optimized for mobile phones.

If you had a web developer build or update your website, confirm that the design is “responsive,” meaning that the content on every page adjusts to the screen size of the customer’s mobile. If you’re building or updating the site, consider using responsive frameworks pre-packaged in many popular website-building platforms like WordPress. This will help ensure your website appears optimized for mobile and desktop visitors.

 

  1. Testing Your Online Ordering System

 

As online ordering continues to rise in popularity, it’s become a standard feature for restaurants to offer on their website. However, having an online ordering system is half the battle – it might also be easy and intuitive for customers. Otherwise, they may abandon their order and choose a different restaurant with a more streamlined ordering experience.

It will not only result in lost revenue and customers, but it also impacts your search engine rankings. Google considers when users become frustrated and leave a page and prioritizes websites with lower bounce rates.

This is where user testing can be invaluable. Whether you build your ordering system with a website builder or UX designer, having multiple people going through the ordering process step by step is crucial. By doing so, you can identify and eliminate any glitches or confusion, ensuring your customers a smooth and seamless ordering experience.

 

  1. Starting a Blog

 

Most restaurant websites contain a few basic pages, such as the homepage, menu, and contact information. However, adding a blog to your website can boost your online presence and drive more visitors. Not only can a blog help improve your search engine rankings, but it also allows you to showcase your restaurant’s personality and engage with your customers more meaningfully. So why take your restaurant’s website to the next level and start blogging?

Wondering what to write about on your restaurant blog? Get creative!

You can share stories about your restaurant’s history and menu inspirations or highlight your staff and their unique talents. Use your blog to feature your expertise in the food industry, such as tips on pairing wine with dishes or how to cook the perfect steak.

You can promote special events or menu items or write about local food trends or community involvement.

By consistently publishing good content on your blog, you’ll engage your audience, improve your search engine rankings, and attract new customers.

 

Don’t have the time to manage your blog?

 

Check out our monthly SEO packages for expert help building your online presence. And once your blog starts driving traffic to your restaurant, be sure to have a plan in place to handle the increased business!

Shilpi Mathur
[email protected]