WEBSITE FOR YOUR RESTAURANT
In today’s world the internet is as much a marketplace for restaurants as the high street on which they are located. Many people search online for a place to eat their lunch or dinner, even when they’re standing on a street full of restaurants! Review sites are not the only source of customers online, and creating yourself a virtual storefront i.e. website, where people can discover more about you from a maps search on their devices is essential to turning “restaurants near me” searches into an increase in business.
Give Yourself Some Identity
When you look at search results of a restaurant online you find their name, phone number, operating hours, customer photos, and, hopefully, a menu. This is helpful information but it doesn’t tell you who that restaurant actually is. Having a website for your restaurant allows potential customers a sneak peak into not just what you’re offering but who you are, your brand and much more about you!
Convenience
With so many of our interactions happening online there’s no wonder that people prefer the quick and easy process of reserving tables and ordering takeout or delivery through websites. Having a website gives you a portal for guests to do this, and once they’re on your dedicated site then they’re even more likely to complete that transaction rather than through a crowded search engines results page.
Higher Visibility
Having a website for your brick and mortar location is a proven way to push yourself higher up in Google’s site rankings. So whether you be a fine dining establishment or a pizza joint it pays to have a virtual storefront out there for customers to search for.
Questions
Potential customers have a myriad of questions about your location: “can we make a reservation?”, “What gluten free options do you have?”, “What’s on your children’s menu?”, and “Do you deliver?” are just the tip of the iceberg. Having a website allows potential customers access to this information and can stop many of the phone calls asking such repetitive questions, and also help them make the decision to dine with you.
Promotions
Having a website allows you to post information about upcoming events, to which you can link social media posts, and it also allows you to have an email form to which patrons can sign up for a mailing list of deals, information and much more!
Mobile Friendly
It has been found that 77% of diners will check a restaurant’s website before making the decision to dine or order from that establishment. There’re many factors that can make or break a customer’s decision but because most restaurant website searches are done from mobile devices it is key that your website, it’s menu, and all other pages are optimized for mobile devices. Not to mention that a mobile optimized site also helps you claim a higher spot in Google’s site rankings!
Your restaurant’s website need not be fancy, expensive, or contain reams of information. It only need express who you are, what you offer, and provide your customers with easy access to all the information they could potentially want. Getting your restaurant website right is key to turning internet traffic into foot traffic!