While I’m on the topic of restaurant marketing, I thought I’d post this response to a reporter’s query last January asking for “suggestions for mistakes that are somewhat unique to restaurant sites.”
From my observations these are some of the major mistakes:
Poor, unprofessional web site design overall. People make a judgment about the credibility of a Web site within seconds based on the graphic design. If it’s poorly done or looks like the owner’s son did it, it reflects poorly on the brand.
Lack of address(es)/directions. Make it very easy for your customers to find you by including the address and a link to an online map for every location so people can get directions from their location.
Lack of search engine optimization. Your current customers will be able to find your Web site by searching for the name of the restaurant but new customers will search for the type of restaurant they want that is near them. They will use geographically-specific generic restaurant search queries such as “Minneapolis French restaurant†or they might even get as specific as a neighborhood. In order for these new customers to find your restaurant in the search engines, you need to optimize your Web site for these types of searches by incorporating those search phrases into the design of the site.
Mobile-friendly location pages. People are increasingly using their smart phones to find local business information so it is becoming more and more important that the pages of your site for each location be easy to read on a mobile device and include all the necessary information for people to find and contact you.
The e-Strategy Academy covers all aspects of digital marketing including search optimization & marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, video marketing, mobile marketing & public relations.