Picture the storefront of your restaurant. You likely put in a lot of effort to make sure the sidewalk is free of debris, your sign is in good condition, and your windows are cleaned daily. This is because you want your business to make a good first impression on potential customers.
Now picture your restaurant’s website, and think of it as your digital storefront. It’s where the majority of your customer base will get their first impression of your brand, and plays a key role in the decision-making factor when choosing to order online, or even dine-in. A great website can convert a casual visitor into a lifelong customer. A powerful website will also rank your business higher in SEO, to keep you top of mind when visitors search keywords such as “restaurants in my area.” Before you dive in, there are several best practices to keep in mind when building or revamping your restaurant’s website.
Keep Mobile In Mind
In early 2021, 54% of all Internet traffic came from mobile devices. That means that over half of your potential customer base will visit your website from their phone rather than a desktop computer. Your restaurant’s website should be optimized for mobile in order to ensure this large group of visitors has a good experience. Captain helps restaurant brands develop branded websites that are optimized for mobile browsing, such as irazuchicago.com.
Optimize Website Navigation
When developing your website, create a top-navigation bar or a drop-down menu where all pages of your website are linked (menu, hours and location, gallery, events, etc.) so that visitors can easily find what they need. If you offer online ordering, add an “order online” button to the top header field of your website, and include it in your navigation menus. This will help to make it show up on Google, too.
Include Web Content that Converts
Your restaurant’s website is a great place to include a field for guests to enter their email to sign up for your mailing list. Even if you don’t currently send out emails, include the field anyway with text such as “sign up to stay in touch!” so that you are able to capture customer data and understand who is visiting your website, and when. Your restaurant’s website is also the place to list your business hours, and embed a Google map with a drop-pin locating your restaurant. Contact information should be in an easy-to-find place, such as the bottom banner of your website, and linked in the navigation menu as well.
If the idea of building a website for your restaurant is overwhelming, consider enlisting experts to help. Captain helps restaurants build beautiful, easy-to-navigate websites to help convert customers and drive orders.
