6 Important Elements Every Restaurant Needs on Their Website to Grow Their Business
The restaurant industry is filled with wonderful people who are offering their customers incredible dining experiences and ways to connect. I love how vibrant, resilient, and capable the people are. It’s so cool to see how innovative and flexible they are too, especially over the past few years. I have seen time and time again how much of a difference these businesses make in their communities, and I want to see them thrive.
In addition to working as a server and hostess in restaurants throughout my youth, I also worked with restaurant owners and operators as a sales & marketing consultant for 16 years. Needless to say, I have a special place in my heart for this industry, which work so hard while up against so much.
Restaurants face many challenges throughout the year including staffing, cost of goods, increased competition, and supply chain issues. Reaching new customers through marketing is also a common obstacle.
Marketing continually came up as a struggle for the restaurants I worked with. Most operators would tell me that they weren’t a “marketing person” and that it was understandably difficult for them to find the time, budget, and/or staffing needed to execute the marketing. My job was to suggest strategies, tactics, and tools that would help them efficiently do that without taking them away from operating their restaurants.
Before creating a marketing plan for them, I would make sure they were operationally ready and that the brand foundational basics were being executed well. I’d make sure their branding was consistent and fresh, that their teams were aware of any promotions, and that their online presence was on point.
While there are many great marketing tactics restaurants can execute, one of the easiest and most effective ways to build awareness and drive traffic is to have a high-performing, strategically built website that automatically does the marketing for them. A website that tells the restaurant’s brand story, puts a spotlight on the offerings and makes it easy for a visitor to act.
However, many restaurants struggle with website design and are either relying solely on social media as their online home base, are operating off an old, outdated website, or have put together a basic site that’s missing important information.
Website visitors (aka potential customers) will look elsewhere if they are not finding what they need or struggle with the website experience.
So much has changed over the past few years so it’s especially important to have a well-built website now that dining preferences have changed. Pickup and delivery have increased and in-house dining isn’t always the norm. When customers are choosing the pickup and delivery options, the restaurant’s website then becomes the only experience they are getting with the brand.
The website needs to professionally represent the restaurant and shouldn’t be an afterthought. A strategic design and easy process for the customer should be easy, but if the website is non-existent or missing key information, that experience won’t be a good one.
The top 5 things restaurants should have on their websites to improve site performance, give visitors a great experience, and grow their business:
A HOME page that is inviting, feels like your restaurant, and tells shows the visitor they are in the right place. It needs to show who you are, what you offer, and what they will get out of their experience dining or purchasing with you. The information should guide them to learn more and they must be able to easily access what they are looking for.
An ABOUT page that takes a deep dive into your restaurant’s story. The reader wants to learn about who you are, how you started, why you do what you do, who runs the joint, what your business values are, etc. This is the place where you make a personal connection and start to build a relationship with the customer.
MENUS are a must and can either be built into the site or uploaded as PDFs. Restaurant customers searching online need to see the details of what you have to offer in the form of current menus. They need to be easy to read from any device, be continually updated, be broken down by category, should show each daypart, and need to include extras like kids’ menu, dessert, and specials.
A CONTACT page that is clear, concise, and easy to find. This information is often forgotten or not fully complete. Website visitors need contact information for a variety of reasons and it should be easy for them to find what they need. A detailed contact page includes the restaurant address, email address, phone numbers, owner or manager name, links to social media account handles, and up-to-date hours.
Being clear about the in-personal and online EXPERIENCE is important as well. Taking action must be simple and quick. Offering services like online ordering, reservations, catering, private events, gift cards, merchandise, and delivery gives you extra revenue streams and allows for more interaction with your customers. If your website isn’t telling people about these options, isn’t clear on what is included, or makes the process difficult, you will miss out.
Use QUALITY PHOTOS throughout. The imagery you use should be high-quality and represent your brand. The photos should be of YOUR food, atmosphere, and customer experience. Using old images that are blurry or clip art can make your business look unprofessional. You need to keep in mind too that if your photos aren’t the right size or format or are blurry, and have long names, they can slow your website down. High-quality stock images or hiring a photographer to shoot unique images for your brand are both great options.
In addition to the six must-have elements listed above, I have included a few extra tips for restaurants to use when updating or building out their online home base.
Ensure your website is responsive & has a clean design
Use a pop-up block or announcement bar for special news and promotions
Create an events page or section if you plan to host or participate in local events
Make sure you are set up with Google My Business, that you’ve correctly linked your website, and keep it up to date
Include a variety of customer reviews throughout your site
Collect emails for a newsletter so you can announce special, updates, events, etc.
Link articles, videos, and interviews that feature your restaurant or team
Add your most common frequently asked questions in a FAQ section
Strategically designing your website to include these 6 important elements will help you grow your business while you operate your restaurant by giving the visitor a great experience, clearly displaying the information they are seeking, and making it easy for them to make purchases or take action.
A great place to start if your restaurant already has a website that you’d like to update is by having a website audit done. A professional website audit is a great way to improve your site’s performance and helps make sure your current website is attracting your target audience, engaging them once they land on your site, and converting them to customers. If you are wondering if your restaurant’s website is working for you and would like some extra eyes on it, select the button below to learn more about my audit offering and process.
If you are looking to work with a professional on a whole new website design and are interested in the Squarespace platform, you can check out my package options here.
