Every Successful Restaurant Website WILL NEED TO HAVE 5 Key Ingredients
Every restaurant website has one definitive goal which is to attract customers. Frequently, I see poorly designed restaurant websites which are missing the main element ingredients needed to successfully convert visitors to customers.
Do you know the key ingredients in a successful restaurant website? Here are the 5 things that every restaurant website needs to have to maximize its chances of converting website traffic into paying customers.
1. Map and Directions
Don't make it difficult for people to find where your restaurant is located. Instead of only listing the address on your own website, display an easy-to-read map and directions, so that your customers can easily find your restaurant. The easiest and quickest way to display a map to your restaurant is by using Google Maps and embed it on your website.
2. An Accessible Restaurant Menu
If your restaurant website doesn't include the menu with the prices - do it! Your menu is the main marketing tool on your website and your opportunity to make mouths water, so don't forget to include some enticing pictures of one's dishes.
The key thing here is to make your menu accessible. Frequently I see restaurants take the lazy approach and upload a PDF copy of their menu. PDFs take an agonizingly, long time to load, particularly if people are attempting to view your menu from their cell phones. PDFs also provide no search engine optimization (SEO) benefits for your website.
My advice would be to take the extra time to develop a dedicated menu page on your own website. Make sure your menu page includes descriptions of the food, any specials or promotions and appealing photos of your dishes.
3. A Photo Gallery of your Restaurant and Food
People want to see what the restaurant looks like before they opt to eat there. That is why every restaurant website will need an image gallery. Hire a specialist photographer to come during among your restaurant's busy times and capture the ambiance, decor and dishes that produce your restaurant unique. Then display the photos on your website in a straightforward photo gallery.
Pictures are worth a thousands words and great pictures are invaluable for convincing visitors to come to your restaurant.
4. A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE, Restaurant Homepage
Your homepage is the most important page on your website since it makes the first impression. Within minutes of arriving to your homepage, an individual will decide if it is worth their time to look through the others of your site.
So how do you make sure your homepage is engaging?
Firstly, your homepage needs to display a prominent photo of your restaurant. Pick a excellent picture of one's restaurant or perhaps a signature dish and make certain it is the very first thing people see if they come to your website.
You also have to have some well-written copy to check your image. The copy should tell people what your restaurant is approximately and how it is different from other restaurant experiences. Make certain this content is short and compelling. If this content is too long, people only will not take time to read it.
Finally, beside your main image or your marketing copy, you need to include a strong call to action. A proactive approach is a link or perhaps a button that encourages the person viewing your homepage to click to some other page. Types of good calls to actions for a restaurant website will be:
View our delicious menu and weekly specials (links to your menu page)
Have a tour of our restaurant (links to your photo gallery page)
Make a reservation for your next event (links to your contact us page)
5. Reservation Information on Every Page
Every restaurant website needs a dedicated area to make reservations on each page of their website.
If you are in a position to install an online reservation system on your own restaurant website, that might be the perfect solution. Another way to accept reservations online is by using OpenTable.com which is free to use. However, if you don't want to work with online reservations right now, just display a phone number that people may use to make a reservation directly.
The main point here is to help make the reservation information highly visible on every page. The very best place to put your reservation info reaches the top of your website, near your main navigation. https://www.legendhotchicken.com/hawaiian-gardens makes the info easy to spot for your visitors and they'll appreciate you for it.