How to make your restaurant visible through SEO?

How do you get your restaurant to appear first on Google? That's the question on everyone's lips these days. For a restaurateur, SEO is just as important as the location of your outlet. It's the key to gaining visibility, attracting new customers and boosting sales! It may seem difficult to rank well on Google, but with a little knowledge and patience, you can achieve good results in getting your restaurant listed in the search engines. Discover our guide to SEO for restaurateurs.

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What is SEO?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization), also known as natural search engine optimization, is a set of practices that will enable you to make your restaurant's website appear on the first page of Google results. By typing in a key query, Internet users see your website and online pages appear first in the search bar (also known as the SERP). In SEO parlance, a website is said to be "well optimized" or "well referenced" when it is in the top positions of a search engine on key queries. 

For example, if you run a seafood restaurant in Mulhouse, your SEO objective will be to make your restaurant appear in the first results of the search engine when an Internet user types in the search bar: "seafood restaurant Mulhouse". 

To understand SEO, you need to know a little about Google's algorithms. These are the ones that will determine whether or not your website will be well referenced. We know that Google gives a relevance score to websites. The higher the score, the more visible the site, and the closer it is to the 1st page of the SERP. To achieve this, your web pages must comply with the criteria of Google's algorithms. And while no one has yet managed to unravel all the mysteries of Google's algorithms, we do know a few. 

The criteria used to rank pages in search results include : 

• Content relevance: Content must respond satisfactorily to users' questions and intentions. Quality, useful and informative content is essential.
• Keywords: Theuse of relevant, well-chosenkeywords in content, titles and meta tags is important to help Google understand what the page is about. 
• User experience (UX): Google takes into account factors such as page load time, ease of navigation, mobile compatibility, etc., to evaluate the overall user experience.
• Overall site structure: A well-organized site structure with user-friendly URLs, sitemaps and clear architecture makes it easier for search engines to crawl and index pages.
• A set oftechnical elements: Factors such as title tags, header tags and alt tags for images can help Google understand the page's content.

These criteria may evolve over time, as Google regularly updates its algorithms to improve the relevance of search results and the user experience. It's important to note that this list is not exhaustive, and Google's algorithms are complex, taking into account many other factors to determine page rankings. That's why it's advisable to call on a digital strategy agency or SEO specialists to take care of your website!

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Why local SEO for your restaurant? 

If you want to increase the number of visitors to your website and social networks, you need local SEO. 

Local SEO enables your business to position itself more prominently in search results when users perform relevant local searches. This means that people in your region or target area will more easily see your restaurant.

Studies have shown that the sites most visited by Internet users are those appearing on the very first page of search engine results. Of these 10 results appearing on the first page of Google, the first 3 sites are the most visited.

Here are the figures on the percentage of clicks in search results according to their position in the SERP:

• site in 1st position: 31.7% of clicks,
• site in 2nd position: 24.7% of clicks,
• site in 3rd position: 18.7% of clicks (Source: Backlinko, 2022).

This means that the first 3 websites to appear in the SERP account for over 75% of clicks on search engines. That's why it's so important to be well placed in the natural results to gain visibility! 

SEO is a long-term strategy for increasing and developing your visibility on the web. It has many advantages:

• Reach the top of Google results,
• Attract new prospects/customers to your restaurant website,
• Gain visibility on the web,
• Ultimately, to increase your sales.

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How do I get listed on Google?

There are several steps involved: 

1. Create a Google Search Console account: this is a free tool offered by Google that lets you monitor and manage your site's presence in search results. You can submit your site and monitor its indexing.

2. Publish on social networks: share your content on social networks to increase your visibility and attract visitors to your site.

3. Optimize your site's loading speed: a fast, responsive site is appreciated by users and search engines alike. Make sure your site is optimized for performance.

4. Create a website compatible with cell phones. More and more people are using mobile devices to browse the web. Your site therefore needs to be mobile-friendly to provide a good user experience.

5. Create a Google My Business page: this is a free tool offered by Google to showcase your business on Google Maps. You'll get great visibility and reviews.

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How to do SEO?

Local SEO is essential for restaurateurs who want to attract more customers to their point(s) of sale and increase online orders. SEO is a complex process that requires time and patience! 

Here's a quick guide to help you get started with SEO:

1. Create your restaurant website

Based on the various criteria (see above), optimize your site for search engines. Make sure your site is well structured and that its content is of good quality. 

Use appropriate HTML tags (such as title tags, description tags, etc.) and integrate relevant keywords into your content.

To create a website that's well optimized for SEO, you need to combine the 3 pillars of SEO: quality content / user experience / SEO techniques. With these 3 elements, you'll have every chance of achieving good SEO results!

2. Share as much content as possible

Once you've created your website, it's time to bring it to life! Add quality content regularly: Add interesting and useful content to your site on a regular basis.

Google's algorithms like dynamic sites with new, regularly updated content. It's important to note that SEO on Google is an ongoing process, and that consistency is essential. Keep improving your site with these best practices in mind! 

👉 Going further: 7 reasons to create a website for your fast food restaurant

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3. A few essential tips

On your website, you must respect certain criteria to be highlighted by Google:

• You need to structure your page with Hn: your title in H1, subtitle in H2, etc.
• Your page title should be between 50 and 60 characters long and include the keyword
• The description is essential: it must include the keyword and be between 150 and 160 characters long.
• Put images you've photographed
• And behind each image, an alternative text must be included.
• If you can include internal and external links, that's great.

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Be listed on catering platforms

Specialized directories and online platforms have transformed the restaurant industry, giving restaurants greater visibility and consumers greater convenience in finding a restaurant and having meals delivered on demand.

TripAdvisor: TripAdvisor is a travel platform where users can search for restaurants, read reviews, view photos and book a table. Restaurants can create an establishment page, respond to reviews and update their information.

Yelp: Yelp is a review platform where users can find and rate restaurants. Restaurant owners can create a business page, respond to reviews and provide information about their establishment.

Deliveroo: Deliveroo is a meal delivery platform that allows restaurants to connect with couriers for delivery. Customers can order meals via the Deliveroo app or website.

Ubereats: Uber Eats is an on-demand meal delivery platform. Restaurants can register with Uber Eats to expand their delivery service and reach a larger audience.

Company delivery platforms: You can also deliver meals to your company during lunch breaks. There are plenty of platforms to choose from: we tell you all about them here! 

👉 To find out more: Online ordering: 9 reasons to do without platforms for your restaurant

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Did you like these tips? Don't hesitate to consult our other articles on our blog to help you develop your business!

Innovorder is the leader in digital solutions for commercial and institutional foodservice. Our team supports restaurateurs in their digital transformation with a complete ecosystem.