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Restaurant App SEO: Getting More Downloads, Organically

Will your potential customers find your restaurant if they search for it?

Search engine optimization is an important part of restaurant marketing, just like marketing for any other area. It guides customers through your restaurant information and hopefully encourages them to make a reservation or visit your store. With the dramatic increase in the use of smartphones to search for anything and everything on the Internet, businesses, even restaurants, are now investing time in search optimization. 

65%  of smartphone users looking for restaurants do so to be able to get to your in-house hotels’ marketing within walking or driving distance of their current location at that time. 85% of people who search for restaurant information on the Internet continue to purchase their services – either by booking online in advance, by calling in advance, or by showing up on foot. Typically, 6% of searchers convert to clients within an hour. And these are just moving metrics; More and more people are looking from their desktops or laptops at home or work for a place to eat for lunch or their next special occasion. 

What exactly is SEO?

Search engine optimization is the process of increasing the visibility of your website on the Internet. Google is the most popular search engine! When we search for something online, we usually type a query or keyword into the Google search bar and see what happens. Search engine optimization makes it easy for Google to identify our website. Therefore, it is important to make sure that your website is technically sound and contains relevant information that satisfies the searches of potential customers. Search ranking is a collection of factors that determine how well your in-house hotel marketing ranks your hotel on a search results page. Factors include how close the content on your site is to what searchers are looking for, how interested users are in the content on your site, and how close your site appears to be. 

Keyword research and page creation

Creating good content on your pages that matches searches will make your site more SEO-friendly. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to identify niche keywords your customers are likely to search for. You can then find natural ways to incorporate these terms into your content. To make your menu easier for customers to find, include it in a copy of your page and make it available online instead of just keeping it as a downloadable PDF file. You can use your search terms as a starting point for building niche pages and content, but you don’t have to create a page for every keyword. 

Types of Restaurant Keyword Brand Search

First, consider the types of searches that might bring customers to you. Customers can search for you using your brand name if your restaurant name is well known, so make sure your restaurant name and contact details are correct on your website. 

Finding Locations 

Customers can also use the geographic search to find a restaurant near them in a specific location, such as a restaurant in a city/neighborhood. With this in mind, you will want to be very clear about the location of your catering establishment. In addition to a complete and accurate address, be aware that remote homeowners may not be familiar with specific distractions or the local neighborhood. 

Search by Cuisine 

When customers are looking for a particular cuisine, they are likely to perform a search that matches it with where they want to eat. Thai restaurants, gourmet restaurants, gourmet hamburger restaurants, etc. 

Niche Survey / Research 

Sometimes diners may search for something very specific and will use a more specific search term. This is your chance to catch the attention of specific demographics if you cater well to them. Here are a few examples:

  • Location family restaurant 
  • Location Vegan Restaurant 
  • Restaurant gluten free menu location
  • Analyze Which Search Keywords to Use to Target Restaurants 

The goal of SEO is to appear on Google. It is, however, only useful if your website appears in relevant search results. To make a successful strategy, you must first create a list of keywords that you want to target on Google search engines. You can then devise a strategy for each of them. Many of the keywords you want to target will be quite evident—they will be related to the type of food you serve at your restaurant and the area in which you operate.

A continental restaurant in New York, for example, will target keywords such as 

  • Downtown Continental Restaurant Restaurant in New York
  • New York’s best Continental restaurant
  • Continental restaurant New York

Once you’ve compiled this initial list, there are several methods for locating additional search terms. The simplest method is to enter one of your keywords into Google. The search engine’s auto-fill feature will then suggest relevant terms to target. If you press enter, you’ll see some more suggestions in the related searches section at the bottom of the page. Repeat the same for each of your keywords, making a note of the most relevant ones to target.

Restaurant SEO: Competitor Analysis

Another strategy for keyword research is to look at what your contenders are ranking for on search engines. You can do this with any keyword explorer tool. These are the terms you could target for search engine optimization if you were a competing in-house hotel marketing in the area.

Examine the Search Engine Volume

Once you’ve compiled a list of keywords, you should look into the search volume for each one. This will display a list of key focus terms that you can incorporate into your restaurant’s website. To develop your restaurant SEO strategy, you can use the Google Ads keyword research tool. To use the tool, go to Google Ads, create a free account, and then select “Get Search Volume” from the “Keyword Planner” tool. This will give you an idea of how many searches one keyword receives each month. The disadvantage of the Google search feature is that the ranges might be quite large.

You should now have a list of keywords as well as the search volume for each of them. You can use this information to determine which terms to prioritize. Keep in mind that some hyper-specific keywords with low search traffic may be more useful than broader terms with higher search volume. They are also typically easier to rank for in search results.

Examine the Search Engine Result Page (SERPs)

Now that you’ve determined which keywords to focus on, it’s time to look at the SERPs. This will demonstrate the strategy to be used to target each keyword. Conventional SEO strategies call for websites to create unique content and build links to rank on Google’s first page, but this can be a time-taking process.

Furthermore, popular sites such as Tripadvisor, Yelp, and local or national publications dominate many restaurant-related searches. This makes ranking a local restaurant website for all but the most specific terms difficult. Your restaurant’s website will appear even for competitive google searches if you optimize your Google My Business listing or get your restaurant listed on platforms like Yelp.

Carry out Website Outreach

If you recognize a publication has a page that ranks for a search query you want to target, it might be worth contacting them and notifying them about your in-house hotel marketing. For example, if the journal is writing an article about the finest continental restaurants, there’s a chance they’ll mention you. Some publications have clear guidelines for restaurants or venues interested in being featured on their website. For smaller publications, it may simply be a matter of contacting the head editor and sending them a press release. Any link building you do will also aid in the next restaurant SEO step.

Making content 

When deciding what should just go on your website pages, try to create a favorable experience for visitors, just as you would in your restaurant. You need a copy, but photos, videos, and other resources will enhance your visitor’s experience. A mobile-friendly website that loads efficiently and simply is also required. A home or about us page that narrates the tale of your restaurant, where it can be found geographically, what cuisine it serves, the entire food menu, discounts, and information on how to book should all be included on your site. 

6 Easy Ways To Start Link Building Restaurants

When other sites link to your site, the search engines know that others find your site useful or interesting. However, not all links are created equal and those obtained from high-quality sites such as articles are more likely to gain trust and thus help increase your rankings. Additionally, links from sites that contain spam can hurt your search rankings. 

As part of growing their online presence, many in-house hotel marketing teams choose to work with  digital marketing partners to help them build their site link profile, but there are some simple things  to do. . Here 

Connection with a supplier 

If your after-dinner cheese board includes mouth-watering products from a local dairy, the company may want to mention this on their website and include a link to your website. This is an important link because their loyal customers will want to know where they can benefit from the product. 

Sponsorship and Charity Links 

If you sponsor a local sports team or donate to a charity, information about team events, progress and donations can lead to media coverage and potential connections and traffic to your site. 

Local Press 

Whether it’s new menu launches, renovations, or cooking classes, be imaginative and you can create great press connections and positive public relations. Being nominated or winning an award for a restaurant and a business can be quite beneficial for link building. This is because they are likely to get links from the people hosting the awards, as well as media coverage both online and offline. 

Blogger and Influencer Marketing 

Since diners frequently search for reviews online, it can also help ensure that enough reviews and other influencer content are available to inform their dietary decisions. You don’t have to follow a review format to get coverage, and transforming your scope will likely allow you to create more meaningful content. Consider hosting a storytelling night or cooking class to demonstrate your skills. Before you start, make sure you are familiar with the rules of influencer marketing. 

Directory in your area 

Is your restaurant listed in local directories, such as travel websites or newspaper directories? If you are not sure, you can use tools like Moz Local to find out. Make sure your business is mentioned and linked on relevant websites, and update your hours of operation, address, and contact details. 

Optimization of Google Business Pages 

Is your Google My Business page operational? This tool is completely free, great for local SEO, and will push your restaurant to the top of organic search engine results for its name. Follow Google’s setup instructions to get a listing for your business. You will be asked to clarify relevant data such as your opening hours, what to do to contact you, and how to book a table or restaurant for events. You will need to decide what type of restaurant you want to be, so consider your target audience and what they are likely to be looking for when making your decision. 

In your listing, you must include a link to your website as well as a link to your menu, as well as behind the scene pictures such as photos of your dishes and videos of chefs at work. Add a link to a website or booking widget so guests can book a table with you in seconds. This is especially useful if your restaurant does not have a website. Some of Google’s more recent updates include showing your busiest days and longer-than-usual wait times to help searchers plan their visit. As an added benefit, Google is more likely to show your page to searchers if a large number of people spend more time viewing the page, as this would be interpreted as an indication that the site is both useful and interesting. 

Finally, if all this is not enough for you, your restaurant reviews will be displayed directly below the restaurant information via the Google Reviews function. This helps customers decide if they want to dine with you, so keep an eye on your notes. When these features are combined, they form one of the most powerful internet resources for your restaurant. The best part? The installation is completely free. Once you’ve started driving traffic to your Google My Business page and website, it’s time to convert your website visitors into real customers. Adding your in-house hotel marketing to multi-channels for booking tables or reservations is a great start.

Final Thoughts on Restaurant SEO

Ranking on Google is an effective way to ensure that your in-house hotel marketing efforts bear results and appear when people search for specific terms. The first step is to set up your local SEO and Google My Business listing. After that, you can fill out your accounts on social media and various portals. After that, you can start optimizing your website to appear in search engine results for specific targeted search terms related to your restaurant.

Hotel Speak
Hotel Speakhttps://www.hotelspeak.com/
Hotel Speak provides actionable hotel marketing and revenue management strategies from hospitality industry experts.

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