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Restaurant SEO Tips or how to improve your visibility on the Internet

Restaurant SEO Tips or how to improve your visibility on the Internet

Seo search engine optimization paper notes with inscriptions

You own a restaurant and would like to boost your Google search visibility? It is important to improve your search engine optimization and increase your Google rankings because that would drive more hungry people into your restaurant.

According to the most recent consumer review survey, almost 60% of consumers search for cafes and local restaurants online. More than 70% of clicks go to the first page of a Google search result, therefore it is a must that your restaurant’s website is on the first page.

The following suggestions will help you boost your website in the search results via SEO. Let’s go step by step.

Define your SEO strategy and keywords

The first step is to define your SEO strategy, which means you should clearly describe what audience and geographical locations you are targeting. Defining those will help you imagine what the potential customer will type into Google when searching for your restaurant, and how to adjust your SEO strategy and content around those potential customers.

Once you worked out your targeting, then you can research keywords that are centered around your potential customers to maximize your Google search results. For restaurants, there are predominantly three keyword groupings which are: broad, niche-specific, and brand-related.

Blocks with word seo and magnifying glassBroad restaurant keywords

Terms like “restaurants” and “Munich restaurants” are some of the most generic variations a searcher might use. You should set your geographic focus to the area your restaurant is located, and besides using the generic term (“restaurants”) you can add a geographic modifier. If you type in Google search “Munich restaurants” there are hundreds of results, but if you type for example “restaurants in Maxvorstadt” you will have less competition for that keyword.

Niche-specific keywords

A good example of a niche-specific keyword grouping for a restaurant would be “Sushi Restaurant” or “Asian Restaurant in Munich”. By using niche-specific terms you are cutting down your targeting to your restaurant’s niche and will probably face less competition. In case you’re not sure what specific terms you should use, the easiest way is to check sites like OpenTable, Foursquare, Yelp, and TripAdvisor and see the categories and criteria they use for your area.

Brand related terms

The name of your restaurant could be an example of a brand-related keyword you can use. But, don’t assume you’ll automatically rise to the top on brand searches. Know how many people are searching for your restaurant by name and compare that to the broad level and niche-specific search volume. The potential problem you can encounter is that the restaurant’s social media pages may rank higher than your actual website. Some people might not view that as a bad thing, but your website should provide more value and has ways where you can track the traffic that is coming to your website, unlike the traffic from social media pages.

By using various SEO tools, such as the Google Keyword Planner, you can find out what other keywords you can target and how to improve your rankings. Those tools can help you keep an eye on the position of your keywords, and by researching them you will get meaningful information about the search volume of the keyword, your target audience, and their needs. That info is of the utmost importance if you plan to create content on your website that ranks well in search results.

Be unique, create your own story

If you want your website to be better ranked, you must put an effort to create a unique story that attracts people. First, ask yourself what makes your restaurant unique? Is it a family business which lasts for more than 50 years, or maybe you have some special dish which others don’t have? Use that and create interesting text, graphics or video that will make you authentic among others. Exercise some storytelling skills and make a video for your Home page, tell people more about your founders, your culture and about your products. Explain how you prepare weisswurst and why it is the best in the whole of Munich!

Have in mind that you need to regularly create new content for the website which will keep you remarkable. Building a strong brand will help you reach better rankings and greater brand affinity.

Hand arranging wood block stacking with iconsMake your address visible

When people are looking for a place to eat, they want to find your address and phone number quickly. Therefore, your NAP (name, address and phone) must be visible on your page when people are scrolling down searching for your menu. Also, your working hours is another crucial piece of information. Are you open daily or 24\7? It is also important to say what kind of meals do you serve for breakfast, lunch, etc. since people might choose your restaurant just because you serve pretzels from 06:00 AM.

Optimize menu

Another important thing is to optimize your menu for the website because new potential customers will for sure check the offers and prices. Besides text, you can have pictures of your food, but be sure to put some high-quality pictures because no one likes unprocessed photos (or food).

Ensure that your menu is not in PDF format because the text on PDFs is not readable by search engine crawlers and consequently not allowing your menu to be indexed by Google. Remember that mobile devices have difficulties displaying PDF, and customers who are on mobile will have to pin and scroll to look at your menu, therefore decreasing your conversions.

Creating a mobile responsive website is another must. And yes, you can read more about it in our next blog!