News for the Hospitality Executive |
By Emily Ditman
May 22, 2013 Restaurant industry sales in 2013 will total more than $660.5 billion, a 3.8 percent increase from 2012 (National Restaurant Association). As restaurant-industry sales continue to climb yearly, it is crucial that a restaurant maintain an online presence in order to communicate with current diners, attract new customers, and build loyalty among patrons. According to AIS Media, 89 percent of diners research restaurants online before visiting in person. A study conducted by Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration found that approximately 50 percent of respondents stated they make restaurant reservations online, and about 40 percent of those completed the reservation on the restaurant’s own website. In other words, the restaurant website, its online presence and corresponding digital marketing efforts have become the main point of contact with would-be patrons. And yet, many restaurateurs who willingly spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on décor and furnishings suddenly become cost-conscientious when the restaurant website is concerned. They also completely ignore digital marketing to prospective patrons. Many restaurateurs are mistakenly led to believe that not investing in their restaurant website redesign or optimization will save money. Wrong! Not investing in your website will lead to serious damage to the restaurant’s bottom line. The restaurant website – its design, content, SEO, functionality and interactivity – should be the logical first step for any restaurant marketer. Outlined below are ten website functionality and action steps for successful website design and the marketing of your restaurant website. 1.
Invest in Your Restaurant Website: First and foremost, your
restaurant website must be “in excellent health”
in order to comply with 2013 best practices and new website technology
requirements.
A restaurant website should evoke the atmosphere of the establishment before the guest steps foot in the restaurant. Matching the website’s style and scheme with that of the restaurant ensures diners come in with proper expectations. Also, when creating an online presence for a restaurant, it is important to understand the unique attributes that make restaurant websites effective and user-friendly. Restaurateurs need to upgrade their website technology to the next generation of Content Management System (CMS) to enable management of desktop, mobile and tablet website content within the framework of Responsive Design on Server Side (RESS) and via a single dashboard. For example, HeBS Digital’s CMS Premium is one such fully RESS-enabled content management system. Today's restaurant website needs fresh content, rich media and current promotions. Post Restaurant Specials and Upcoming Events: In addition to viewing the restaurant’s menu and location, a potential diner should easily be able to locate restaurant specials and upcoming events. Happy Hours, Trivia Nights and special dinner menus are great potential draws for individuals deciding on a restaurant. The restaurant’s daily and weekly specials and promotions need to be marketed across the three screens – desktop, mobile and tablet - and social media profiles. 2.
Invest in Your
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Strategy: Being well
positioned in organic search
engine rankings is vital to capturing new and
returning visitors to the website. According to Forrester Research,
potential
diners predominately click on the first four listings. It is extremely
important to rank high in organic search for the keywords most relevant
for the
restaurant. Best practices state a restaurant’s goal should be to
appear in
searches with geographic terms. For example, ‘Times Square restaurant’
or
‘Times Square Italian restaurant’.
The ongoing Google Panda algorithm updates have made many old restaurant websites completely obsolete and have generally raised the bar for new restaurant websites, demanding a new type of website technology and architecture, faster download speeds, and website copy that is not only deep and relevant, but also fresh, unique and engaging. All of the fresh content in the form of descriptive copy, photos, specials, promotions, events and happenings, updated menus, wine lists, cocktails, photos, etc. is an essential requirement of the latest Google “Freshness” algorithm update, which punishes websites with stale content. Restaurants should claim and optimize their local listings, including Google + Local, Yahoo! Local and Bing Local. In addition, a restaurant should claim its listings on Yelp, Urbanspoon, Citysearch and other local dining and business directories. 3.
Clearly Place
Restaurant Location, Hours and Menus:
Although the ability to make a reservation is important, the main focus of a restaurant website should be the restaurant’s location, hours and menus. Making this information highly visible to visitors is key. 4.
Add a
Reservation Widget: In order to capture the 40 percent of diners
who make reservations
online via a restaurant’s own website, implement a reservation widget
that is
easily accessible on the restaurant’s homepage. A variety of
reservation
services – including OpenTable, RezBook, SeatMe, UReserv and more – are
available.
5.
Showcase
Professional Photography: By displaying professional photographs
of the décor and dishes, a
website allows potential guests to get a taste for the restaurant. This
allows
visitors to experience the restaurant’s ambiance and explore the
cuisine.
Professional photography ensures dishes will be presented in an
appealing
fashion. Additionally, food photography is a great way to generate buzz
and
create social engagement.
6.
Incorporate
Reviews on the Website: According to an AngelSmith study, 22.8
percent of diners looking
for a new restaurant consult consumer generated website reviews on
sites such
as Yelp, Zagat and Urbanspoon. These sites provide great platforms for
diners
to post restaurant reviews, but these sites can potentially result in a
potential guest being led away from your restaurant profile to that of
a
competitor. To avoid this risk, include user-generated reviews on the
restaurant website. In addition to providing valuable information for
potential
guests, updating this content regularly will trigger search engines to
crawl
the website and improve its organic search ranking.
7.
Add a Blog to Your Website: In addition to keeping diners
up-to-date with
the latest restaurant specials, a blog provides the opportunity to
display
current news and happenings. This is a great place to highlight the
following:
o New menus o Awards o Signature dishes and recipes o Special events o Staff Profiles A blog also helps to boost a website’s organic ranking through Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Google’s ongoing Panda and Freshness updates dictate that a website should showcase unique, engaging and continually updated content. That said, once a blog is established on the website, it is important to keep it updated with new and interesting content. A stale and stagnant blog could deter potential diners. 8.
Engage on Social Media: Dining out at a restaurant is a social
experience. Therefore, social media is an excellent platform to create
buzz and
generate interaction while connecting with guests.
9.
Build loyalty with SMS Marketing: SMS Marketing is a relatively
inexpensive
way to reach a very targeted and qualified market. Mobile phones are a
highly
personal form of communication and individuals only give their numbers
to a
restaurant or brand to which they are loyal. Accordingly, SMS marketing
tends
to lead to very high conversion rates. Below are a few tips to follow
when
planning an SMS marketing campaign:
When launching
a mobile site it is essential to follow the same best practices as your
desktop
site, including clearly placing the restaurant’s location, hours and
menus.
According to Google’s Mobile Search Moments study, 45 percent of
searcher’s are
‘goal-oriented’. It is therefore
important for a user to be able to complete a reservation on the site
via a
reservation widget or click-to-call phone number.
As
overall restaurant sales and online
reservations continue to increase year-over-year, it is vital for a
restaurant
to have an optimized and user-friendly desktop and mobile website
following the
industry best practices outlined above. Once the restaurant’s website
is live,
it is critical to market it. Since potential diners interact with a
variety of
different channels and devices (desktop computer, mobile phones, social
media,
tablet devices, etc.) on a daily basis, utilizing all available digital
marketing tools will yield greater results. By creating a presence on
these
multiple channels, a potential guest will have a greater chance of
being
exposed to the restaurant and deciding to visit.To get started, partner with an agency that is experienced in restaurant website design and digital marketing. About the Author Emily Ditman is an Account Supervisor at HeBS Digital, the hospitality industry’s leading full-service digital technology and marketing firm (www.HeBSDigital.com). |
Editorial Contact: Mariana Mechoso Safer HeBS Digital Phone: 212-752-8186 Email: [email protected] Web: www.hebsdigital.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/hebsdigital Twitter: twitter.com/HeBS_NYC LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/hospitality-ebusiness-strategies |
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