If you own a business in the restaurant industry, it’s important to understand SEO and how it can help your local business. SEO, or search engine optimization, is a process of improving the visibility and ranking of your restaurant’s website on search engines like Google and Bing.
What is restaurant SEO and why is it so important?
There are a number of benefits of using SEO for restaurants including Increased restaurant business through more walk-ins, calls and reservations. Restaurant SEO can help to improve your website’s ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs), which can result in more people visiting both your restaurant website and actual local business. it can help with improved brand awareness. SEO efforts can also help to increase your restaurant’s online visibility, which can lead to more people becoming aware of your brand.
Search engines use greater customer engagement as the most important KPI
SEO is an online marketing strategy designed to improve the visibility of your websites in search engine results pages (SERPs). It can help make restaurant websites more user-friendly and engaging, which Google understands can lead to increased consumer engagement. This is one of the major performance indicators (KPIs) that search engines use to evaluate a website’s position.
Where does your target audience search & what do they search for
People who are hungry want to go out to eat, and when they do, they typically start their search from their mobile device. As a result, generating a mobile-friendly website with excellent user experience is critical to obtaining good organic search results, which has a significant influence on sales.
It is equally important to understand what search terms locals and tourists alike a using. For this reason it is critical do perform extensive keyword research on your local market. For example, if you are a Mexican restaurant do people search for specific foods and drinks, like a Margarita, tacos rather than for “Mexican food” or other niche keywords.
Make sure your website is mobile-friendly
Well over 80% of customers search for a restaurant on their mobile device, so it’s important to make sure your restaurant SEO strategy starts with a mobile-friendly website. This means having a responsive website design that automatically resizes to fit the screen size of any device, whether it’s a smartphone, tablet,
Other benefits of SEO for restaurants include:
- Helps to get a local business listed in online directories.
- Can improve your social media reach
- Can increase the number of website visitors and online ordering and reservations from online local searches
- May help you to get featured on food blogs or other websites
Technical SEO and site health
Ensuring your responsive website performance meets all of the best practices for on page seo is your first step to improved search rankings. From there, you need to focus on the technical SEO of your site. This includes things like site speed and security, both of which are major ranking factors for Google, as well as writing a quality meta description and page title and adding structured data containing your target keywords.
If your website is loading slowly, it’s likely that potential customers will click away before they even have a chance to see what you have to offer. The same goes for security – if your website isn’t secure, people will be hesitant to enter their personal information or make a purchase. This can hurt your conversion rate and revenue.
Make sure your restaurant website is running as smoothly and efficiently as possible by working with a technical SEO expert. They can help you identify and fix any issues that could be holding you back from ranking higher in search results.
Start With High Quality Restaurant website content
There is a saying in among digital marketers that content is king. This is especially true when SEO best practices is concerned.
Creating quality, keyword rich content on your website helps search engines understand what your site is about and can result in higher organic rankings. It’s also a great way to improve the user experience on your site, which can lead to more conversions.
When writing SEO-friendly restaurant content, it’s important to keep the following in mind:
Keyword research – Make sure to target the right keywords in your content so that it ranks for terms that potential customers are actually searching for.
User experience – Write content that is easy to read and relevant to what people are looking for when they visit your site.
Search intent – Understand what type of content searchers are looking for at each stage of their buyer’s journey and create content that meets their needs.
If you’re not sure where to start, consider hiring a professional SEO copywriter to help you create high-quality content for your restaurant website.
Google my Business Profile
According to Statics, 40% of people who search for restaurants on Google will see local search results from Google Maps. These online searches result in a GMB (Google My Business) account with Google. This is a free service provided by Google that allows firms to manage their internet presence across Google Search and Maps. Your GMB listing includes your business name, address, phone number, hours of operation, website online reviews, and photos.
There are many things restaurant owners can do to help potential customers find their GMB listing, such as including the business name, address, and phone number on the website that match your Google business profile listing. This helps Google “crawl” your site and verify that the information is accurate. Encouraging customers to leave online reviews, and adding photos of your food, décor, and staff with the geo-coordinates embed in the images as exif meta-data.
Encourage reviews from customers
Customer reviews are important for two main reasons: they improve your Google search ranking and they build trust with potential customers.
Positive customer reviews can do wonders for your local listings, helping you to rank higher in local search results. In fact, one study found that businesses with positive customer reviews saw a 30% increase in organic traffic.
In addition to improving your relevant searches, customer reviews can also help build trust with potential customers.
Building your backlink Profile
Start by getting listed in as many niche local directories as possible. These business listings will help Google to identify your website as having a strong online presence in your local SEO market.
Some of the most important directory listings for restaurants include:
- Yelp
- TripAdvisor
- Google My Business
- Bing Local
- Foursquare
These are high authority websites and powerful directories that can help to increase your visibility and organic traffic from online search results.
Get help with SEO strategies
If you’re looking for ways to improve your restaurant’s search results, local search engine optimization should definitely be at the top of your list. It’s an effective and affordable way to reach more customers and grow your business. Contact a local SEO agency working with the food and beverage industry, like Bistro SEO to learn more about how they can help you optimize your restaurant website for success.