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When was the last time you flipped through the Yellow Pages to find a new spot for dinner? Exactly.
These days, it’s all about Google. And if your restaurant isn’t optimized for search engines, you may be missing out on a lot of potential customers.
With a solid SEO strategy, you can make sure your restaurant is easily discoverable for potential diners.
However, SEO can feel like a maze full of dead ends for restaurant owners.
“Do this one simple tweak and watch your traffic explode”, they promise. But rarely do these blanket tips work.
Every restaurant’s needs are different.
As experts in the restaurant marketing space dealing with establishments ranging from indie joints and national chains, we understand the unique challenges you face. Thus, in this guide, we’ll explore an unbeatable SEO strategy for restaurants to sidestep complexities and 10x conversions.
Let’s begin.
Let’s cut to the chase – your restaurant absolutely needs SEO.
Why?
Because in today’s digital world, if you’re not showing up on Google, you might as well be invisible.
Websites on the first page of Google receive about 90% of all organic traffic. Moreover, the first organic search result has an average click-through rate of 27.6%.
In fact, businesses with a strong online presence enjoy up to more website visits than those that don’t. That’s a lot of potential diners checking out your menu and planning their next meal at your establishment.
But it’s not just about getting people to your website. SEO also helps build trust and credibility. About 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results. So, if your restaurant is sitting pretty at the top, it’s seen as more reliable and appealing.
In short, investing in SEO attracts more diners, boosts your revenue, and keeps you ahead of the competition.
Before diving into comprehensive SEO work for your restaurant, it is important to lay the groundwork. While this might not seem very exciting, it lays a strong data-driven foundation for your SEO program. From here you can charge ahead confidently, not wandering aimlessly!
Here’s how you can get started:
How’s your site looking from an SEO perspective right now? Run it through tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to evaluate metrics like:
This benchmark data will tell you where you stand today and help set specific targets. Maybe you want to hit page 1 for your core cuisine terms within 6 months. Numbers motivate!
Next, take stock of the resources you have for SEO. That includes things like:
Knowing what you can leverage internally and where you may require outside help lets you strategize effectively and realistically.
Research SEO strategies being used by prominent competitors in your city or area. See what kind of keywords they rank for, how much content they produce monthly, what types of backlinks they have, etc.
This intel can uncover prime opportunities for you to target and help shape your own approach.
With insights from your competition analysis, develop a prioritized list of SEO keywords and phrases that are a strategic fit for your brand. Brainstorm a wide range based on the following:
Then narrow it down using search volume data to identify the 10-20 best options to start with.
Start things off on the right foot. Enroll in Restaurant Growth’s coaching and get the inside scoop on all things SEO and beyond.
Restaurants don’t run on reservations alone. To increase reservations, you need a solid SEO strategy. Here are 8 under-the-radar SEO techniques that can help boost revenue and 10x your conversions without having to wait forever:
Your website is the core of your online presence. But not all sites are created equal when it comes to search visibility. Here are some recommendations to make your site shine.
Technical SEO ensures search engines can easily crawl and index your site. It’s the foundation of ranking success with a significant impact on visibility.
Yet, very few restaurants have the technical fundamentals locked down.
Don’t leave easy wins on the table.
Here are some key technical SEO tips to focus on:
✔️ Create Robots.txt:
Create a robots.txt file in your site’s root directory to give crawling instructions to search engine robots.
✔️ Create XML Sitemaps:
Sitemaps make it easier for search bots to crawl all your site’s pages. Submit your sitemap to Search Console for improved indexing.
✔️ Implement SSL Certificates:
SSL encryption keeps user data secure and signals to Google that your site is trustworthy.
✔️ Optimize Site Architecture:
Structure your site so important pages are 3 clicks away from the homepage to improve crawlability and user experience.
✔️ Improve Site Speed:
Faster sites rank better in search and keep visitors happy. You should ideally aim for less than 2 seconds of site load time.
✔️ Ditch PDF Menus:
Search engines struggle to read PDFs. Switch to an online menu using actual text for better visibility.
With technical SEO set up, it’s time to optimize individual web pages. On-page SEO is about making pages easy for search engines to understand.
✔️ Craft Optimized Page Titles:
A page title is the webpage name you see in search results. A good meta title can significantly increase the click-through rate (CTR).
Page titles should be clear and concise while also giving a sneak peek into what’s on the page. Keep them under 60 characters and include important keywords.
✔️ Write Meta Descriptions:
These short summaries or snippets appear under your title on SERPs. Describe what the page offers using tempting keywords. Follow the “M.E.T.A” framework to create effective descriptions:
✔️ Improve URL Structure:
Dynamic URLs with keywords tell search engines what the page is about. For example: www.restaurant.com/signature-dishes/lobster-risotto. This example of a dynamic URL with keywords provides information to both users and search engines about the content of the page.
In this case, the URL indicates that the page is likely about signature dishes at a restaurant, specifically focusing on lobster risotto. By including relevant keywords in the URL, it helps improve the page’s visibility and can ultimately drive more organic traffic to the website, improving its overall SEO performance.
✔️ Use Header Tags:
Proper header structure helps search bots digest content. Use H1 for the page title, H2 for sections, and H3 for subsections.
✔️ Tap Into Image SEO:
Optimize images with descriptive alt text and file names woven with keywords. For example: Chef-John-preparing-lobster-risotto.jpg. In this example, the image file name is optimized with descriptive alt text and keywords related to the content of the image.
This helps search engines understand the context of the image, improving its chances of being found in relevant searches and driving traffic to the location page.
✔️ Interlink Internal Pages:
Linking relevant pages together helps search bots navigate your site and pass “link juice”.
✔️ Leverage Long-Tail Keywords:
Be specific with menu item names. For example, go with “Seared Atlantic Salmon Piccata” instead of just “Salmon.”
At the end of the day, high-quality content is what earns links and social shares. You must feed the almighty Googlebot with regular helpings of fresh, keyword-optimized content.
✔️ Blog Regularly:
Share kitchen secrets, new dishes, staff spotlights, food trends – anything valuable for diners.
✔️ Refresh Menus:
Update pages whenever you roll out new seasonal dishes. Descriptions of these menus should be keyword-rich and mouthwatering.
Your restaurant’s online visibility relies heavily on local SEO. If potential customers can’t find your website or see your business prominently displayed on search engine and map results pages, you’re missing out on valuable foot traffic every single day.
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is often the first impression you make online. It’s essentially your local storefront on Google, displaying key information about your restaurant to searchers.
Here’s how to optimize your GBP listing:
✔️ Claim + Verify Listing:
Stake your claim on that GBP real estate! Verify your ownership through mail, email, phone, or search console.
✔️ Complete Business Info:
Double-check everything – address, phone number, hours. Even minor inconsistencies can negatively impact local rankings.
✔️ Encourage + Moderate Reviews:
Reviews boost local SEO and social proof. Politely ask happy customers to leave reviews and quickly address negative ones.
✔️ Utilize Posts:
Promote daily specials, events, new menu launches, and more through GBP posts. They are great for engagement and clicks to your website.
✔️ Add Photos:
Upload high-quality photos of your dishes, restaurant interior, and exterior. Immersive visual content makes you stand out on GBP.
Citations are basically any mention of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) across the web – think directories, review sites, and niche restaurant platforms.
By consistently using the same NAP data everywhere, you signal to search engines that your business is legit. More citations = more local SEO trust and authority.
Here are the most impactful platforms to focus on:
✔️ Local Directories:
Claim listings on Acxiom, Hotfrog, Citysearch. Higher volume is better here.
✔️ Review Sites:
Maintain profiles on the best restaurant review sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, Zagat, etc. Encourage reviews!
✔️ Niche Platforms:
Industry-specific sites like Restaurant.com and Gayot are gold for restaurants.
✔️ Aggregators:
Listing aggregators like Factual feed citation data directly into Google. Extremely valuable!
💡 Pro tip:
We recommend 30+ high-quality citation sources as a base, with more for multi-location restaurants.
Now let’s talk about creating content optimized specifically for local SERP domination. The keys here are geo-targeting and answering searchers’ location-based questions.
For example:
“best brunch cafes in Nashville” “family-friendly seafood restaurants near me” “Miami cafes with outdoor patio seating”
See what they’re looking for? Hyper-localized, specific results.
You can cater to these searches with:
✔️ Geo-Targeted Pages:
Create location-specific pages that align with what searchers want to know about dining options in their area.
✔️ Local Events + Guides:
Publish content around neighborhood happenings, local farmer’s markets featuring your ingredients, “best happy hour deals”-type round-ups, etc.
✔️ Local Keywords:
Pepper local keywords (like city names, street names, and landmarks) into pages and content. This helps search bots understand your local relevance.
Go beyond the basics of local SEO. Partner with Restaurant Growth and experience the difference ‘real’ SEO can make within just 3 months.
Content marketing is a powerful tool for restaurants to boost their SEO. Let’s dive into some effective strategies to help you stand out online.
Blogging is a great way to regularly update your website with fresh, relevant content.
✔️ Create a Content Calendar:
Plan your blog posts in advance. This ensures consistent publishing and keeps your content fresh.
✔️ Develop Evergreen Content:
Write timeless articles about your cuisine and specialties. These posts will attract traffic long after publication.
✔️ Share Behind-the-Scenes Content:
Give readers a peek into your kitchen. Share recipes, cooking tips, and staff stories to build connections.
Visual content is key in the restaurant industry, where presentation is everything. Here are some tips for optimizing your visual content:
✔️ Showcase High-Quality Food Photography:
A picture is worth a thousand words. Invest in professional food photography to make mouths water.
✔️ Create and Optimize Video Content:
Videos are SEO goldmines. Film cooking tutorials, chef interviews, or restaurant tours. Don’t forget to add captions and transcripts.
✔️ Leverage Infographics:
Create shareable infographics about food trends, nutrition facts, or cooking techniques. These visuals can attract backlinks.
UGC or user-generated content platforms like Quora and Reddit are great places to answer specific questions about your restaurant or cuisine. Let’s dive into how you can leverage these platforms for SEO success:
✔️ Offer Genuine Answers:
Monitor platforms like Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Google My Business. Respond to questions with helpful, authentic information.
✔️ Respond Quickly:
Speed matters. Aim to answer queries within 72 hours. This shows you value customer engagement.
✔️ Address Concerns Professionally:
Handle negative feedback gracefully. Your responses can turn critics into advocates.
A positive online reputation is important for restaurant success. Let’s explore some best practices for managing reviews and leveraging social media.
Gaining authority signals you’re a trusted resource worth finding. Third-party credibility builds confidence for search bots and customers alike.
✔️ Earn Customer Reviews:
Feedback shows you deliver on promises. Monitor review sites and politely request satisfied diners to leave their thoughts. Respond professionally to any criticisms.
✔️ Pursue Industry Awards and Certifications:
High ratings and special designations such as “Best Restaurant Of The Year”, “Chef Of The Year”, “Sustainability Recognition Award”, etc. indicate high standards. Display these badges prominently on site. Also, write press releases when accolades are achieved.
✔️ Get Featured in Relevant Publications:
Guest posts and inclusion in “best restaurants” roundups establish expertise. Pitch writers at food journals, local papers, and niche blogs.
✔️ Build Quality Backlinks
Build quality backlinks by creating valuable content, networking with other websites, and earning links naturally to improve SEO rankings.
Here’s how you can integrate social media into your content marketing strategy:
✔️ Showcase UGC and Testimonials:
Repost great photos, rave reviews, and social media mentions. This builds credibility and gets more eyeballs on your brand.
✔️ Drive Traffic to Your Website:
Share links to your latest blogs, events pages, and online ordering platforms. This strengthens the association between your social media and website.
✔️ Promote Hashtag Campaigns:
Launch a custom hashtag such as #BestBrunchInTown on platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. Encourage customers to use it and repost their photos. This expands your reach and recall.
Supercharge your restaurant’s social media game with Restaurant Growth! Join the list of 4,800+ restaurants worldwide that trust us to deliver results.
Schema markup means adding structured data to your website’s code in order to help search engines understand the content on your pages better. Implementing restaurant-specific schema can improve visibility and click-through rates.
Here are some important schema markup tips for a restaurant website:
✔️ Use Menu Item Schema:
Apply schema markup to menu pages to showcase dish names, descriptions, prices, and images. This helps search engines display rich snippet previews.
✔️ Highlight Nutrition Information:
Use the Nutrition Information schema to share calories, ingredients, and allergen specifics. This builds trust with health-conscious diners.
✔️ Enable Online Reservations:
Use the ReservationAction schema to activate booking widgets. This allows searchers to instantly reserve tables without leaving SERPs.
✔️ Set Up Order Action Schema:
Implement this markup to power direct online ordering through Google. Users can add menu items to a virtual cart and checkout.
💡 Pro tip:
Use tools like Schema App or RankRanger to easily build and insert schema markup.
Mobile SEO is just as important as desktop SEO for restaurants. With more customers searching for dining options on their phones, optimizing for mobile is crucial.
✔️ Ensure Mobile Friendliness:
Over 50% of searches happen on mobile devices. You can make your website mobile-friendly by using a responsive design and optimizing images for smaller screens, etc. Test your site’s mobile experience using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test Tool to address better mobile SEO.
✔️Optimize for Voice Search Queries:
Conversational questions like “what’s the best Italian restaurant near me” are booming. Ensure important info is in your metadata so you appear for voice searches.
✔️ Implement Click-to-Call:
60% of smartphone users tap click-to-call buttons. Add this seamless booking functionality across your site.
✔️ Enhance Mobile Navigation:
Menus and contact info should be easily accessible. Ensure key pages are linked in the mobile footer and header.
✔️ Embrace Mobile-First Indexing:
Google now indexes the mobile version of sites first. Perfect mobile SEO improves overall rankings.
✔️ Size Content For Readability:
Mobile sites demand easy snackable content. Use short paragraphs, bullet points, headings, and bold key phrases.
✔️ Include Maps & Directions:
One-click access to your location and travel info caters to on-the-go users. This also signals relevance to local searches.
Hungry for more mobile traffic? Restaurant Growth’s holistic SEO and marketing services help boost your local rankings and get you in front of customers on their mobile.
Driving traffic is just the first step. You also need to monitor performance and continuously optimize based on data-driven insights.
Ongoing optimization is crucial as Google’s algorithms evolve, and so should your restaurant SEO strategy.
By regularly assessing performance data and fine-tuning efforts, you amplify ROI from SEO tenfold. It takes work to analyze metrics and identify growth areas. But the effort pays dividends in the form of more reservations, delighted diners, and most importantly – full tables.
That said, here are three keys to unlocking the full potential of analytics for restaurant SEO:
✔️ Set Up Google Analytics and Search Console:
Connect these free tools to monitor traffic sources, top landing pages, keyword rankings, click-through rates, and more invaluable data.
✔️Track Key SEO KPIs:
Focus on metrics like organic traffic, rankings for target keywords, backlinks gained, and content engagement. Set realistic goals to benchmark success.
✔️ Conduct Quarterly Audits:
Examine technical components like site speed, broken links, and accessibility. Review content freshness, opportunities for expansion. Assess new search trends and update targeting accordingly.
Boggled by SEO metrics? Unsure how to apply insights to fuel growth? Don’t do it alone.
Let Restaurant Growth take the stress out of analytics. Partner with specialists who speak Google’s language – and yours.
Ready to take your SEO game to the next level? Let’s explore some advanced strategies to help you stand out.
Structured data enables search engines to understand your content better through organized markup. Utilize schemas to stand out:
✔️ Enable Special Offers Schema:
Highlight limited-time deals and events. This schema can boost click-through rates.
✔️ Add Event Schema:
Make upcoming activities like cooking classes search-friendly. Event schema includes key details like dates, times, and locations.
✔️ Insert Review Snippets:
Display star ratings and positive customer feedback to build trust and credibility.
Featured snippets are those handy boxes that display quick answers at the top of search results. Here’s how to optimize an SEO strategy for your restaurant to incorporate featured snippet optimization:
✔️ Analyze Featured Snippets:
These special search results showcase paragraphs that directly answer user queries. Optimize content to rank.
✔️ Target “People Also Ask” Sections:
Answer the questions your customers are asking. This section provides built-in keyword inspiration.
Videos allow you to showcase dishes, the dining experience, chef tips and so much more in an engaging format.
✔️ Post Engaging Content on YouTube:
Upload cooking tutorials, behind-the-scenes videos, guest chef interviews. Include keywords in titles, descriptions, and captions.
✔️ Go Live on Instagram:
Broadcast cooking demos or Q&As with the chef. These real-time videos can help boost your organic reach.
✔️ Optimize for Search:
Add closed captioning. You should also transcribe videos to help search engines understand your content. Finally, include links back to your website.
PWAs are essentially websites that act like mobile apps. Implementing one for your restaurant can significantly boost SEO.
✔️ Enable Offline Accessibility:
Allow users to view menus, order food, and complete transactions offline. This creates a seamless experience.
✔️ Improve Page Speed:
PWAs only load essential elements for fast performance. This signals to Google that your site is optimized.
✔️ Facilitate App-Like Engagement:
Send push notifications, enable fingerprint-free payments, and more. PWAs encourage more on-site activity.
✔️ Boost Organic Visibility:
Google favors PWAs in search results. You’ll likely see improved rankings and click-through rates.
Just like websites, apps need SEO love too. App store optimization (ASO) helps diners find your restaurant’s app organically without paid advertising.
Here’s how to nail it:
✔️ Choose Strategic Keywords:
Identify high-traffic search terms people use to find dining apps. Weave these into your title and descriptions.
✔️ Create Engaging Screenshots:
Highlight your dishes, atmosphere, interface, and key features. Include text and visual callouts to guide users.
✔️ Monitor Reviews and Ratings:
Encourage users to leave positive feedback. Reviews boost app visibility and provide insights into the user experience.
Great SEO-optimized businesses inform and delight searchers while propelling your rankings upward. It’s a true win.
So why not prioritize it?
That wraps up our insider guide on unlocking the SEO code for restaurants. By combining unconventional strategies with proven technical/on-page best practices, your search visibility can reach new heights.
Moreover, by partnering with a reliable marketing agency like Restaurant Growth, you can further accelerate your growth and ensure actual results.
We offer holistic SEO and marketing solutions designed to boost conversions, 2X reservations, and 3X profit margins – all within 3 months. Trusted by over 4,800 restaurants worldwide, our comprehensive services include SEO, multi-channel marketing, personalized coaching, and live webinars.
Book a free strategy call today!
Restaurant SEO can take 3-6 months to show results. By investing in long-term, ethical tactics you’ll eventually rank higher and convert site visitors. Remember, consistency is key when it comes to SEO for restaurants.
Absolutely! Local SEO for restaurants is particularly effective for small establishments. By optimizing your restaurant’s website and online presence for local search queries, you can attract nearby customers actively seeking dining options. Small restaurants can benefit greatly from SEO marketing for restaurants, as it helps level the playing field against larger competitors.
In the context of SEO for restaurant websites, a strategy is the overall approach to achieving your goals. It outlines the key pillars of your restaurant search engine optimization efforts, such as content creation, technical optimization, and link building.
A roadmap is a timeline of specific actions and milestones that guide the implementation of your SEO strategy. Objectives are the measurable targets you aim to achieve through your SEO initiatives, such as increased organic traffic or higher search rankings.
Some quick wins for restaurant SEO include optimizing your Google Business Profile listing, ensuring your website is mobile-friendly, updating meta titles and descriptions, and updating your online menu.
These actions can provide immediate benefits for your local SEO for restaurant efforts.
From strategic marketing planning to seamless execution, we’ve got you covered!
