The reality is that over 80% of takeout and delivery orders start on Google. It’s the first place your customers go to find your restaurant.
Sadly, it’s all too common that when someone types in the name of your restaurant, the first result they see is not your website. That’s because companies like Grubhub and DoorDash have spent decades gaming the system. They’ve perfected techniques that get them to the top of Google’s search results for individual restaurant name searches, often displacing the actual restaurant itself.
These giant tech companies essentially stop customers on their way into your restaurant.
Imagine someone standing outside the door, grabbing your customer, taking their order, and then charging you to fill it. That’s what they’re able to do. These companies will even pay Google to get customers to click on them first, knowing they can immediately charge you a premium commission.
And it’s not just paid ads.
For any restaurant search, a potential customer will likely see the same 5 or 6 sites - Grubhub, Seamless, Eat24, Allmenus, Menupages - all owned by Grubhub. In addition, if a customer uses Yelp, their order is filled by Grubhub.
When it comes to search, Google is playing a different game, and they keep changing the rules.
But don’t let that stop you from playing, because the more you play the game, the easier it is for customers to find you. There are simple strategies you can deploy, including managing your GOOGLE MY BUSINESS listing, having a good WEBSITE, and activating GOOGLE FOOD ORDERING.
