As the number one restaurant
Being present online is what a website is all about. If you make sure your restaurant's SEO is set up in an ideal way, you will get noticed online. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation and it consists of a number of methods that the major search engines use to make your website rank higher. This is important because no more than 10 per cent of all internet users look beyond the first search result page.
Put your restaurant on the first page with SEO
So getting on the first page of search engine results is important. In fact, getting into the top three is the goal. Then you will have the attention of 75 per cent of internet users who have typed in your keyword. To do this, you apply various SEO methods and these techniques contribute to the visibility of your website. This gets you more visitors, and more visitors to your website means more guests in your restaurant! Without SEO, your restaurant may be absent online, which in a way makes the purpose of a website redundant.
How do you do this?
SEO methods and techniques respond to search engine algorithms. These algorithms are applied to rank the websites that target the keyword entered. User experience is paramount in search engines and they aim to help internet users quickly get the exact information they are looking for. They do this by giving websites a score. SEO for your website ensures that this score is optimal for you. There are a number of techniques you can use for this.
1. SEO technique
The technology behind your website is the basis for SEO. Take care of this first, looking at your website's speed, structure, sitemap and security, among other things. If something is not right, your website is usually penalised immediately by the search engines. This is because the user's experience is paramount. Users want a fast, clear and secure website that is easy to navigate. SEO technology underpins this.
SEO techniques and your conversion rate
By working on the technology behind your website, you not only ensure better search engine rankings, but also improve your visitors' experience. And that in turn has the effect of making them stick around longer and therefore more likely to become a customer of yours. Every method you apply to improve your website's SEO also indirectly increases your conversion rate. This refers to the percentage of visitors to your website who actually go to your restaurant. The higher the conversion rate, the more successful your website will be.
2. SEO content
Once you are sure that the technical SEO of your website is in order, you can start working on the content. Again, user experience is paramount, but content also tells the search engine what the relevance of your website is in relation to the search term being entered. Therefore, first perform a comprehensive keyword analysis and use Google Keyword Planner to do so. By the way, this is also a programme that will be very useful later on. Then designate a keyword per page that is popular and relevant, but which few other restaurants have thought of yet. Work this strategically into your texts, the meta description and your URLs, among other things. If this keyword is then typed in, your website will be seen as a relevant search result by the search engines.
More than just keywords
SEO content is much more than just keywords. Once you have re-examined your website's content based on SEO principles, you may find that it needs to be taken in hand once more. This means adjusting, supplementing or completely rewriting texts, optimising your layout and ensuring a good internal and external link structure. Because again, with search engines, user experience is at the top of the list. Relevant, clear and well-organised texts contribute a lot to this and are therefore clearly given priority.
3. Backlinks
Backlinks refer to links that point to your website from another website. These are particularly important for your restaurant's SEO because they are seen as references by the search engines. The more references, the more authority your website will have. You gather backlinks, for instance, by launching a good social media campaign, by writing guest blogs or by publishing link-worthy texts. This is probably a part of SEO for your restaurant that can be tricky.
Why is local SEO for your restaurant important?
Local SEO is particularly important for your restaurant for three reasons:
- User experience: again, it has everything to do with user experience. If someone is looking for a restaurant in Zwolle, they don't want to see search results from restaurants in The Hague.
- Relevant visitors: if your restaurant's local SEO is in order, you will attract visitors who are actually looking for you. Local searches are specific and the chances of a conversion are higher.
- Voice search: local SEO is also an important way to prepare your website for voice search. If someone types in the search query, "Where is the nearest restaurant?" or "What is the best Italian restaurant in Zwolle?", you obviously want your website to come up.
4. Local SEO
For restaurants, local SEO is very important. This is because, unless you have a national chain, your target audience is local or regional. With local SEO for your restaurant, you make sure that your website is only shown to internet users who are either in the area, or who are looking for a restaurant within your region. To do this, create a page on Google My Business and use local keywords.
All in a row
These 4 examples give you just an idea of how you can tighten up the SEO for your restaurant. But this is by no means all. Many other SEO techniques can be applied to increase your findability, such as a listing in featured snippets, Google reviews and website design. The entire online marketing campaign is also important. SEO for your restaurant lies at the heart of this. Everything you do aims to optimise your conversion rate and increase your sales. So pick up your SEO quickly and in no time, your restaurant will be full to capacity.
