Congratulations on launching your own online ordering website! It was long overdue, isn’t it? You’re going to enter a different world of foodservice, which is quick, easy, and simpler compared to the traditional setups. Now it’s time to get a leading edge over competitors. To know how, read ahead!

Your restaurant is never going to go back to what it was, and once the pandemic is over, you’re going to reap the benefits of both in-store and online operations. A recent study suggests that by the time life goes back to normal, people would have gotten used to the convenience of online ordering and would prefer ordering-in more than dining-in. So even if you lose some of the business on the store-front, you’re going to gain a lot more through your online presence, and that’s just scratching the surface.

But the competition is fierce in the digital space and you’ve to find the most viable marketing outlet to be able to capture the audience that’s genuinely interested in your food and service. And what’s better than SEO?

SEO, Search Engine Optimization, is a must for businesses looking for greater searchability and visibility. The higher you rank in search results, the more business your site will generate.

5 reasons why your restaurant need SEO

and how it can give strong return both now and in the future

A steady stream of new customers

‍People are already searching for what they want, they just have to reach your business to fulfill their needs. So when your restaurant ranks on page 1 of Google Search Results, a substantial number of new customers engage with your business on a daily basis, which in turn leads to organic revenue growth. This is the only marketing strategy at present that gets you maximum return on your investment, with quality leads and a better conversion rate.

Gives a leading edge over competitors

‍Sure your competitors are also struggling to acquire customers organically, but the fact of the matter is that not everyone understands the significance of SEO, yet. Get the first-mover advantage by optimizing your website with popular keywords for your location, cuisine, and offerings. The earlier you implement these strategies, the better you’ll rank, outperforming your competitors that are still exploring the digital space.

Augment Brand Awareness

‍Being listed on Google evokes a sense of trust in potential customers. They see your brand as an authentic service provider to fulfill their need of the hour. With an effective SEO campaign, you’ll also be able to reach those people who didn’t know about your business earlier. Thereby, widening your reach, which will automatically increase average orders on a daily basis.

Strong Conversion Rate

‍ As mentioned earlier, people are already searching for a restaurant that can fulfill their needs. They are ready to order food online. They are sifting through the results and reading customer reviews to make a worthwhile decision. In short, you don’t have to convince them that they have to order food, you have to convince them that you’re the right restaurant to order from. It’s basically, half the battle won.

👉Also Read: How Restolabs' Online Ordering For Restaurants Helps Increase Average Online Order Value

Increased Website Traffic = Increased Orders

The math is simple, the higher your website ranks for the specific set of keywords, the more traffic it receives. The more traffic it receives, the more orders you get.

As a matter of fact, the first position on the search results page of Google boasts an average CTR (click-through rate) of 27.5%. This means that customers are more likely to engage with the brand that they see on the top of the list. Sometimes people just type the Restaurant’s Name that they want to order from to get a direct link to the ordering website. But if your website is not optimized for such practices, or in simple words, doesn’t have the content and tags with the right set of keywords, your business will not be able to capture the leads.

Using popular keywords that are geographically targeted in your web content and meta tags will help Google direct traffic to your website. Make sure you use the words that are most relevant to the cuisine you serve. This will improve your chances of getting listed on the top of the page every time someone enters keywords related to your offerings.

This isn’t about keyword stuffing or anything like that.

It’s simply creating strong content around your offerings that target keywords a few times to confirm to Google that your restaurants can fulfill the searcher’s requirement. Investing in Blog SEO can also help drive more traffic to your restaurant website.

So if your restaurant is known for its authentic Mexican food in Seattle, then something like Mexican Food Near Me, Order Mexican Food Seattle, Mexican Food Order Online Kent etc. should be good keywords for your business. Check the results below:

Now let’s see a few examples of how Google shows results for Food or Restaurant Searches.

This is how your listing appears on Google page when someone searches for your business online:

This is how your business should appear when your potential customers who are looking for what you offer at that particular moment

Do you see Shiro’s Sushi at the tops of the list? This is what you should be targeting, for your offerings, for targeted locations.

‍More Resources to boost online sales

👉 Do I Need A Blog For My Restaurant Online Ordering Website? Experts Answer

👉 360 Degree Digital Marketing Strategy For A Restaurant Business

What about Local SEO and Google Places?

The best way to get started to enhance your restaurant online presence is local SEO.

Local SEO, basically, allows potential customers to find your physical location and ultimately enhances your digital marketing plans.

The most crucial part of Local SEO is your GMB Listing. This is the way your customers find your business using phrases such as "near me" or "in Seattle". Optimizing your website to rank for such results maximizes the opportunity to reach local customers. Read the tips here to optimize your business for local search results.

Let's get rolling, shall we!

So now that you’re well aware of all the benefits of having a strong SEO strategy for your restaurant business, it’s time to take action! Get your marketing team together and get started with your keyword search. The sooner you do it, the better chances you’ll have to secure the first rank on all popular search engines.

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Want to know how Restolabs’ online ordering works?

View Demo here.

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