Why Your Restaurant Needs A Website!
You may think that in these days of social media, websites are unnecessary but they’re actually very important. Let me explain why…
Websites are not the number one place that customers find out about your restaurant, that’s true. People may see your posts on Facebook or Instagram, they may have heard about you from another person but... when it comes to making a booking or searching for you on Google, when they want to know exactly where you are located or because they only remember your venue’s name then a website comes into it’s own!
What is woefully overlooked is Google Business Profile - which is like a free mini-website given to you by Google, and it’s symbiotic relationship with your website.
If you don’t know Google Business Profile (GBP) is the box on the right hand side of the Google results page that lists a business’ contact details, opening hours, booking / ordering links, reviews and posts etc. It can display photos, videos and blog posts too. It’s how Google decides if you are worth listing in their top three search results and thus appearing on their map.
You might be thinking what the hell does this have to do with websites? OK I am coming to that now…
Your website is the place where you list everything about your business. Not just your contact details but who you are, what you do, your images and videos. All the things about your place that makes it unique and a favourite destination for your customers. This information becomes a library of search terms that your market should be searching for e.g. Italian restaurants in XYZ suburb, traditional middle eastern food in..., best wine list in….
This information is then access by Google and linked to your GMB listing. The more information you have on your site that matches what you are posting on your GMB the better you will be ranked and found by people searching on Google. This is the equivalent of free advertising on the No1 search engine in the world. I cannot overstate how important this is.
So if you don't have a website, then you need to get one!
Websites are like meals —you can get a good one or a bad one; a cheap one or an expensive one; an old standard or something avant-garde. The major difference between them though is that you aren't going to buy another website tomorrow; it is going to be around for a long time.
Even if you already have a website, you need to ensure that it is functional. By that, I mean that it does a whole lot more than just sit in cyberspace looking pretty.
Here's what I insist on when I am organising a site for one of our clients:
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That if the clients have no intention of having a web designer working for them all the time, that it is built on a no-code platform e.g. Squarespace, Wix or Shopify. Shopify only if they are intending to sell retail products too. These sites can easily be edited once they are set up. You do need to invest in a designer to design it and set it up. They will make sure it looks good and should put all the right kinds of forms and links on them for you.
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That it is built in WordPress if my clients have the money for a web designer working for them on an ongoing basis . That way it can be constantly updated as the internet evolves and it can be easily added to and edited by the restaurant owner without extra costs.
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That it is SEO-friendly so that Google can index it in their search engines.
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That it has SEO built into it from the beginning. It has the "keywords" that people use when searching for a restaurant in the owner's suburb or region. This has to be updated to stay relevant but having a lot of the work done upfront makes maintenance easier and cheaper later on.
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That it is linked to Google Business Profile and all the contact details and booking links are correct.
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That it is attractive and represents the restaurant well - I recommend that you spend some money on professional photographs for the site. Amateur snaps really make a bad impression.
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That you have at least the following pages:
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Home Page
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About us
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Menus (include links to delivery apps if you use them)
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Bookings page linked to your booking app such as Now Book It
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Our VIP club (or whatever your list is called)
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Find us (with a Google map of the location)
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Contact us
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Functions, catering, retail if applicable
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Cooking School if applicable.
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Blog page if you are willing to post updates on your site. These should also be posted to your GBP page.
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Every page needs your phone number, address, opening days, and hours .
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Every page needs your social media buttons .
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Avoid having a site with a black background and small white writing on it - although web designers think it looks cool, your website visitors will strain their eyes trying to read what you have written, and many will simply leave the site because of this.
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Make sure that it looks good on mobiles, tablets and computers. Most people book via phones these days so your website needs to look good and be easily navigable on a smart phone.
If you need help with getting a website built or updated contact us via our website ☺
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