If you own a restaurant and you want to have a successful website there are some “musts” SEO Aware recommends and also includes in our clients’ websites. Our suggestions:
- You need your dinner and lunch menus on your site and that they be completely readable. They should also mimic your current menus so people can easily find their favorite dish.
- A printable take-out menu – By offering a printable take-out menu you not only allow people to easily order your food, you also save money on printing and save time on phone calls. PDFs are always nice.
- An idiot-proof website – It must be simple and and easy to use. People will not work harder than they have to. Make it simple for them!
- Directions, a map and a picture of your restaurant – You cannot assume everyone that hits your site is going to know where you are located or what your restaurant looks like. You need to have a map, directions/link to directions and a picture so people will recognize your restaurant as they drive by.
- A blog– If you have a blog you can announce dinner specials, special theme nights, add news, have pictures and videos and promote your restaurant in anyway you want. Social media and blogs can compliment each other.
- A website you can edit your self – If a change needs to be made wouldn’t it be nice if you could just login and quickly make a change? Sometimes changes need to be made immediately. You should have that ability.
- A Facebook fan widget – We all know that Facebook can send businesses new clientele. A Facebook widget allows people to see friends that are a fan of your restaurant. This can create trust and send more customers your way. It is also an easy way to promote your restaurant! However, please make sure the widget is visible on your website; don’t put it where no one will see it!
- An optimized website – Your site should be optimized for the types of food your offer, special dishes, where you are located (in detail), your phone number and of course your business name.
- A very visible phone number on every page – If you want people to call you for reservations and questions it should be easy to find your phone number.
- “All Prices are Subject to Change” – One thing that is happening for many restaurants right now is that the cost of tomatoes have gone up due to all the freezes. Situations like this can cause your menu prices to go up, but you don’t need people arguing with you that your menu says one price, but your site says another. With “All Prices are Subject to Change” on every page you avoid this problem.
It is important to say that not all sites are created equal. Often we are called for help and we just can’t optimize a restaurant site or help it succeed without creating a new one. This is not because we want to make money; it is because we would be taking your money knowing that we couldn’t help you. This is not SEO Aware’s policy.
Good luck and advertise your restaurant effectively online. Let us know if you need help ;-).
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