Restaurant SEO: The GoKart Guide

Posted on Posted in Restaurant, Restaurant Marketing

Restaurant SEO? You are probably thinking…why do I need that!

Restaurant SEO is an often overlooked marketing strategy, but vital for your restaurant’s success in the digital world.

In 2019, the gap between technology and restaurants seem to shorten even more  – driven by an increased focus for the consumer to be catered to on the web and not just at the dinner table! Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) with good practice can allow restaurants to grow their presence on Search Engines such as Google and Bing. When done effectively, SEO can help attract visitors to your business. 

This is great for restaurants as it offers further visibility towards their food range and their brand as a whole. For instance, food connoisseurs who are curious about trying new cuisines can discover your restaurant’s offering online before they have even stepped through the doors!

What Is SEO?

In simple terms, SEO is Search Engine Optimisation – which is designed to help drive organic traffic towards a website. The position of your restaurant’s website on popular search engines like Google is a strong indicator of effective SEO. But how is this achieved? Is there a magic wand solution? Well, first of all, there needs to be a complete understanding of the search engine that you wish to improve your site’s ranking on. 

Let’s take Google for example, the most popular search engine to date. At the very core, Google is designed to discover the “most popular” websites that are relevant to the words that were used in the search bar. This is achieved through the use of advanced algorithms (computer code)  that help populate the top pages with sites that Google deem will offer value for visitors.

Where To Start With Restaurant SEO

Registering your site on Google is the first step for good restaurant SEO, but to be positioned highly on their Search Engine Results Page (SERP), there are many ranking factors to consider.

  • To begin with, websites have a quality score that is determined by user queries directed at that site and user interest — This means the more visitors you get to your site…the better! So get the word out.
  • Secondly, there are link quality scores that measure the number of links on a site and the traffic generated on those links alone. – Add loads of links to your site, including internal links to other pages, and external links…for example to publications your restaurant has featured in.
  • Google’s PageRank (PR) system measures the importance of a website page. For example, a published blog can gain more views depending on the number of links associated with that webpage. – Get backlinks

Using The Right Keywords For Your Restaurant

Restaurant SEO can provide websites with further exposure if the content present is unique and proposes a value for the end-user – people looking to eat delicious food. Take a look at the GoKart website for example… our homepage has highly relevant content and word usage around ‘restaurant supplies’. You restaurant can take advantage of tools such as Google Keyword Planner to find the keywords with high search volume such as “local restaurant, quality food, and reliable service,” which should match the content displayed on your website.  Are you a family restaurant? Do you serve authentic regional cuisines? Try to focus on your niche and what makes you stand out. 

When done properly, the content on your site will reflect positively on your target keywords, boosting your restaurant SEO and making your page highly relevant on search engines.

Your Restaurant’s Website

Keywords alone can only extend a website’s reach because restaurant SEO is built on multiple elements — one of them being the website’s overall design and how it aids the user experience (UX). A restaurant must consider the appearance of the website and its likeability towards the end-user….hungry customers!  Google trends for 2019 show that 50% of Google searches are done through a smartphone or tablet. Optimising the mobile site of your restaurant can meet user needs and can improve SEO results.

Effective website design can be the difference-maker when it boils down to increasing conversions (ratio of visitors to a site) or a lost prospect. If a restaurant wishes to improve on their overall brand image and awareness, this should be at the forefront when improving SEO. This is reinforced by the fact that 72% of marketers understand how efficient it is to push quality-driven content when formulating SEO strategies (Articulate Marketing). To put it simply, a good website which is useful for users is fundamental for your restaurants digital success.

Local SEO For Your Restaurant

Ideally, as a restaurant owner, you would want to reach customers who can potentially eat at your restaurant, right? In that case, local SEO is the right approach for your business as it targets potential customers who are within range of your establishment. Does your restaurant pop up on ‘maps’ when people are searching for ‘local eats’? Are people leaving reviews after they have eaten at your restaurant? If not, you could be missing a key trick! 

Listed below are 3 ways you can improve your restaurants local SEO:

  • Registering your business on ‘Google My Business’ so you can appear on Google Maps – add your phone number, address and other specific details to make your website more relevant in local searches. This results in your restaurant becoming more noticeable as relevant information is shown towards potential customers in your region.
  • Get people to write reviews on your Google page. Good reviews show trustworthiness, authority, and the popularity of your restaurant.
  • Set your business up on local directories and business listing- such as Yelp. This can improve your restaurant’s brand perception through high-quality reviews and can boost your ranking on search results.

More About GoKart

GoKart works with 100’s of restaurants across the UK – connecting them with the right suppliers and saving them time. We are revolutionising how restaurants order supplies. Explore our suppliers:

➡︎ Meat Suppliers

➡︎ Fish Suppliers

➡︎ Fruit & Veg Suppliers

 

Ready to order? Book a call with our team today.

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