Every restaurant wants to be the king of the hill in this day and age and utilises a variety of methods to try and achieve that. When it comes to the online world, social media and search engine optimisation (SEO) might be two ways that immediately spring to mind when deciding how to increase your restaurants’s search visibility. However, there are many other avenues you may be overlooking that can help you dominate the online rankings and put you ahead of all the competition.
1. Spruce up your website
In this digital age, your website cannot afford to be anything less than perfect. It has to be simple to navigate and provide information that’s quick and easy to digest. Keep your customers’ user experience in mind if you want to conduct a complete website revamp.
In addition to this, be sure to have a reservation button, an online food ordering platform, and links to your eatery on different food delivery platforms like Foodpanda, Deliveroo and GrabFood. Furthermore, make sure all the content is optimised, such as implementing keywords and ensuring it is helpful and insightful, as per the new guidelines unveiled by Google’s Helpful Content Update. This will ensure your restaurant’s search visibility increases when people are looking for particular places or food to eat.
2. Ensure your menu is online
How are customers expected to know what delicious delicacies your restaurant serves up if they can’t access your menu online? This simple step can attract a ton of diners to your eatery and also entice them to place orders online. It is imperative that your menu is up-to-date and can be found on your website, Facebook page, Google My Business Profile and other social media accounts.
3. Make sure your Google My Business Profile is optimised
This is an integral step to increase your restaurant’s search visibility as Google My Business Profiles that are optimised get 5 times more traffic in comparison to those that aren’t. When creating or updating your profile, ensure that key information, such as your address, opening hours, phone number, menu, and online ordering options, are listed.
Why is this important? Simply put, customers are 2.7 times more likely to deem businesses reputable if they have a fully completed Business Profile on Google Search and Maps. On top of that, 70% are more inclined to visit and 50% are much more likely to purchase from businesses with a Business Profile that has been filled out thoroughly.
On your profile, it is also vital to share updates, respond to reviews and post new pictures in order to connect with your customers on a more personal level, since Google results are optimised to help people find restaurants near them, it is in your best interest to ensure your Google My Business Profile is up to date and features all the necessary information.
4. Post regularly on social media
Whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or any other social media platform, you have to stay active and provide regular updates in order to increase your restaurant’s search visibility. Be sure to provide interesting updates and use location-specific words to involve the surrounding community. Furthermore, take advantage of many top-performing hashtags so that you reach an even wider group of people.
5. Respond to your customers
In order to make your customers feel valued, you should spend around 20-30 minutes of your day responding to reviews left by diners, whether they are positive or negative. Don’t react angrily to bad reviews, especially if there is constructive criticism, you can use to enhance the service or food at your establishment.
You should also look to utilise UGC (user-generated content) and promote this by offering customers who post pictures and reviews with special offers or promotions. This will get more people talking about your restaurant and encourage them to recommend your restaurant to their family and friends.
6. Do keyword research
If you want to increase your restaurant’s visibility on search engines like Google, you can use tools like SEMrush and Google Keywords to gain a better understanding of which keywords are trending and have high search volume. Based on this, you can start using the keywords that best apply to your restaurant in any content you publish.
For example, if your eatery is located in Marina Bay and serves traditional Singaporean food, be sure to mention this on your website. This will help bring in potential customers who are specifically searching for restaurants in that particular area of Singapore or are interested in eating authentic Singaporean cuisine.
7. Make reservations mandatory
You might be wondering how this can increase your restaurant’s search visibility. In a nutshell, reservations enable you to keep track of customers and contact them to provide their dining experience at your establishment. If these reviews are published online, it will give potential visitors a greater incentive to try your food and could result in repeat customers too.
8. Build partnerships with key members of the community
In order for the word to spread about how good your restaurant is, people need to hear it from someone else other than you! The best way to do this is to build up partnerships and a good rapport with members of the community, such as journalists, business leaders and food critics.
You should also approach influencers and invite them to do a food review. If it goes well, expect many of their fans to flock to your business or place orders!
9. Look at the data
When it comes to assessing the overall performance of your F&B business, the numbers never lie. Consistently check your web and social analytics to pinpoint which dishes are your most profitable and which promotions or discounts really hit the spot with your diners. This way, you can utilise them more often in order to really increase your restaurant’s visibility and build a loyal customer base.
Start getting noticed
As you can see, there are a plethora of creative ways available to increase your restaurant’s search visibility. It’s time to use them to your advantage and start reaping the rewards once you get it right! If you are looking for further marketing tips and tricks on boosting your sales, feel free to check out our blog.
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