6 Restaurant SEO Tips to Boost Your Website Ranking

By applying effective restaurant SEO marketing, you will help your business appear first in the search results, ahead of your competitors. When potential customers search for certain keywords related to your restaurant, they will find you at the top of the search engine results. This shows that your restaurant is the best option for what they are looking for.

Restaurant SEO involves many aspects including optimizing your restaurant’s website copies, URL, social media SEO, and other digital platforms where you can build a presence. To ensure that you are targeting the correct search traffic, it’s necessary to research keywords that are directly linked to your niche. 

And don’t forget Google Maps! 

Image from Google Maps

Google Maps offer many functions for local businesses to showcase themselves. Restaurants can add beautiful photos and videos of their dishes, and even get tons of reviews to show off their popularity. An optimized Google Maps can be super beneficial for a local business like yours! It also has a special boost from Google as Google loves to put Google Maps and Google My Business information above most other types of content.

This offers a high return on investment because every time a customer actively seeks “food near them”, they will see your restaurant as one of the first results!

Restaurant Marketing SEO Tips
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Here are six Restaurant SEO tips that will boost your website’s search engine rankings.

1. Identify keywords

To begin, make a list of the keywords that you want to appear in an online search for your business. People tend to conduct their searches using phrases, so having a mix of single words and phrases (called long-tail keywords) is a good idea. Keywords should include both generic terms such as “restaurants in Utah” or “quick food restaurants in Louisiana” and specialized terms such as “alfresco wine bar” or “vegan pasta”. 

Consideration of your customer segments can help you identify more niche keywords. For example, if your restaurant is pet-friendly, you might include that as one of your keywords.

2. Get listed on online directories

Backlinks can also be used to increase traffic to your website. A backlink is a link from one website to another website. These links are super beneficial to your website’s SEO rating and domain authority since Google places a higher value on websites with a large number of high-quality, authoritative backlinks.

3. Have lots of pictures

Some ideas are to post photos that highlight the food and the restaurant’s interiors and exteriors. These photos can encapsulate the overall vibe of the restaurant and help customers know what to expect.  

4. Generate regular content

Blogs allow you to add your keywords to the website copies. Well-written blogs help you address a variety of topics catered to various customer interests. You can write about both internal events within your restaurant and more general issues such as nutrition or sustainable farming. The first step is to determine which keywords you want to use and weave them into your blog naturally (No one likes keyword stuffing).

5. Add your restaurant to review sites

Google values reviews and favors establishments with positive feedback. There are so many benefits when you put yourself out there on major review sites to encourage your customers to leave reviews publicly. A large number of favorable reviews establishes your credibility and trustworthiness, allowing you to rank better in Google search results.

Being a restaurant on Yelp can help you reach people from all around the world, but more importantly, reach locals looking for good meals. Yelp is available to businesses for free and is essentially free SEO for your restaurant since Yelp counts as a backlink too.

For restaurant businesses, reviews are very important in attracting new customers. When someone is looking for a place to eat, they will be more likely to book a reservation or simply stroll in if they read many great things your customers have written about you. 

6. Make your online ordering option a priority

Every visitor to your website is a prospective customer. The more people visit your restaurant’s website, the more revenue potential you will have. Restaurant SEO has long-term benefits to your restaurant’s online presence overall!

Some examples of engaging SEO friendly content include:

Blog: A weekly or monthly blog detailing the current happenings at your restaurant, such as events, new menu items, or information on your signature dish. If your material is relevant to your current or future consumers, it will result in an increase in viewers, which will lead to a better SEO ranking and increased restaurant foot traffic.

Customer Reviews: Request reviews from customers or host tasting sessions for influencers, then post the results on your website and social media accounts. It will not only provide frequent content for your website, but it will also make your clients feel special and a part of your success. It’s an excellent sales technique for attracting more customers.

Photos and Videos: Share photos of your food, the events you’re attending, or videos of what’s going on in the kitchen. Pictures and videos tend to capture more attention from the audience and are easier to engage with. As a result, it’s an excellent strategy to drive more traffic to your website and restaurant while also enhancing your restaurant’s SEO position.

Why restaurants should work with an agency that offers SEO specialized in restaurants.

The restaurant business is a demanding brick & mortar industry that includes a lot of moving parts due to its non-digital nature. You must have a menu that will appeal to a wide range of customers while keeping up with the current health trends, and advertise your business well to stand out from the competition. 

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Vivid Candi has worked with 1500+ clients and over 100+ of them in the hospitality space.