Your restaurant website is often the first point of contact with the customer. Customers look up menus, prices, and locations before they head out to enjoy your restaurant. A good restaurant website will satisfy the customer’s need for information while projecting a professional image for your business. Here are 7 helpful tips from Mark Alvarado, a sought-after freelance graphic designer.
7 Tips to Create the Best Website for Your Restaurant
1. Search Engine Optimization
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is necessary to help your customers find your business. Think of all of the keywords that a customer might search to find your business and include them in your website. Use Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools to see which keywords customers are already using. You may need professional help to use SEO properly.
2. Use the Best Quality Photography
Consider placing photos of your restaurant space, your kitchens, and your food on your website. Ideally, you want to give customers the feeling that they are visiting your restaurant when they visit your website. Give them a professional first impression by using attractive photography. You may want to hire a professional to give you the best possible images.
3. Be Careful with your Menu
Too many restaurants use PDF or scanned images of their menus on their websites. This is next to useless for the customer because search engines can’t scan the menus. They are also problematic for use on mobile devices, with too much scrolling and zooming necessary to get a good view. Instead of scanning a document, put your menu in text format. This will make it easier for mobile and desktop devices alike.
4. Complement your Images with Useful Text
Images are only the beginning of a restaurant website. You also need to give your customers useful information about your business. Summarize the kind of food and the kind of experience your guests will enjoy when they come to your restaurant. Be as clear as possible when classifying your restaurant. “Authentic Italian Cuisine” gives visitors a clear impression of what to expect from your restaurant. “Come and Visit Our Restaurant” does not.
5. Give a Look Behind the Scenes
Mark Alvarado suggests that patrons will feel an emotional connection to your business if you give them a behind the scenes view of what goes on in your restaurant. Add photos of your kitchen in operation. Video may also be helpful. Add a short biography of your head chef and other key personnel.
6. Make Sure Basic Information is Covered
The most important thing to consider in a restaurant website is to make sure your visitors know where you are located and what your hours are. If they don’t know these two pieces of information, it’s likely that they will never visit your business. Be as clear as possible.
You may want to put this information on every page of your website. Make sure that all of the information is accurate, including telephone numbers. Any problems with this aspect of web design will instantly lose customers.
7. Manage Your Social Media Well
Link your website to social media profiles. You will find that being on Facebook, Yelp, Twitter, and Instagram will help drive traffic to your restaurant as well as boosting your engagement with the public. Be sure that you link all of your social media profiles to your website.
Keep these 7 tips in mind and watch your restaurant business grow. The most important aspect of restaurant web design is to make sure that your site is always fully updated to reflect your current menu, hours, location, and phone number.
