Taste the Success: Why Restaurant Websites Drive Rapid Growth📈🍔
Dining out is an experience. A restaurant website is often the first stage of that experience.
For the restaurateur, it is a must that the website encourages patrons to visit the restaurant.
The objective of the restaurant website should be two-fold:
Show off the enticing array of food
Make it easy to find the necessary information
Here are some critical elements of a restaurant website:
Professional photography
Short and compelling copy
Quick access to location, phone number and hours of operation
Easy access to a menu
Online reservations (if applicable)
Social media buttons
Nowadays it is now very unusual for a business not to have some sort of presence online. With improved connectivity and the advances in smartphone technologies most people now use the internet to source information, and having your business available to fulfill these information searches is key to driving more footfall through your door.
A website gives you a controlled way to portray an image of your business as you would like it, giving your customers an idea of the atmosphere and offering before even stepping foot inside.
WHY SHOULD YOUR RESTAURANT HAVE A WEBSITE?
While there are general advantages for every business in creating a website, there are several specific advantages that can benefit a restaurant. Here are eight reasons your restaurant should have a website:
1. Low Advertising Costs
Print ads and commercials are expensive. With a website, you can display an endless amount of print information at a fraction of the cost. Information is available 24/7 to anyone with internet access and you can easily update outdated information on your website whereas the cost of re-printing flyers is far greater.
2. You Can Give Key Information On Your Location, Menu, Opening Times and Special Offers
A website gives you a platform to provide the basic information your customers may need to know about your restaurant including hours of operation, directions, payment methods and more. By answering these basic questions, you can decrease the amount of time your managers and staff need to spend answering phone calls. You can also keep customers aware of any promotions, such as pre-theatre menus, lunch deals or Christmas offers.
3. You Can Include Customer Testimonials
You can include customer testimonials on your website or if your restaurant has been lucky enough to be featured in a publication such as a review by a restaurant critic in a newspaper you can link to this from your site. This will help to build your restaurant’s credibility.
A website may also help your chances of being reviewed by bloggers as they have a resource to gain information about your history to add to their articles.
4. Increases Awareness of Your Business
When people are looking for information the first place they will look is on the web. It is important that if someone is looking for your business they can find the information that they need quickly so they are less likely to become disgruntled and consider your competitor(s).
5. You Can Improve Search Rankings
By investing time into search engine optimization (SEO) you can help your business show for related search terms. For example, if your website shows for someone searching ‘late night café’, ‘Italian restaurant’ or ‘family friendly pub’ you will gain more exposure and hopefully more customers.
6. You Can Build a Solid Brand Image
A website will help your business to build a professional image. Particularly if you are just starting, a website is a great method for helping customers become acquainted with your brand. With the correct marketing, it may even convince customers to seek you out and try for themselves. High-quality images will help entice customers to visit.
7. Differentiate Your Business from the Competition
If all of your competitors have an online presence it only makes sense that you should too. Many competing restaurants may already use a website to promote themselves; stealing your business. A well-presented easy-to-use website will help you highlight what you do well and may persuade customers to pick you over alternatives. The lack of a website may also suggest that you are not willing to invest in your business
8. Book Online Features
You can easily add an online booking link or app to your website giving your customers a quick way to make reservations on the go.
9. A Way to Promote Other Services
A website gives you a channel to promote your other services. Offer catering or private events? Creating pages for these and using SEO (see point 5!) can generate more business.
10. Sell Gift Cards
With a website that enables online selling you could even sell gift vouchers online. This can help drive more business, particularly around Christmas or other events where people are looking for gifts.
INTERESTED IN SETTING UP A WEBSITE FOR YOUR RESTAURANT?
If you don't yet have a website for your restaurant you are missing out on potential customers. UPSCALE UR BUSINESS helps small businesses build easy-to-use, reliable websites at negligible cost that perform well and have all the features needed to build an excellent online presence. Our websites are designed to rank - and with our custom themes, the building blocks are already in place to set up a user-friendly, beautiful website is just a matter of a few days.
For more information about getting your restaurant online, why not drop us an email? We specialize in helping small businesses make their stamp online and will be happy to talk to you through email.
