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How To Do Local SEO For Restaurants

  • Digital Tokri
  • May 20, 2024

You have taken the exciting journey to business ownership by opening a restaurant of your own. Congratulations! The real challenge you will face is transforming your restaurant and passion into a sustainable and profitable business. You might have the perfect ambiance, a menu with all the mouth-watering delights, and a team of experiential hospitality managers to ensure all your customers get the best service. Despite all of it, you are not getting the desired result. So, how would you ensure that you get enough footfalls, that your tables are full, and that the kitchen is busy with online and offline orders? How do you attract more customers to your restaurant and turn them into loyal customers?

The answer is simple and easy: implement Local SEO ( Search Engine Optimization) in your restaurant.  You must already know that every business today has to thrive, and restaurants are no exception. In this blog, we are going to understand how you can implement local SEO to help you run your restaurant successfully.

Why Local SEO For Restaurants in Important?

Before we dig deeper into how we can implement Local SEO into your restaurant’s page. Before that, let us understand why the restaurant industry needs local SEO.

Unless you have a Michelin chef or a celebrity chef running your restaurant, it might be difficult to stand out among the crowd.  The crux of marketing restaurants is you need to be there when one is looking for a place to eat. According to PYMNTS, 62% (if not more) of consumers discover restaurants on Google.  So, what happens? Let’s say a hungry person, A, is sitting at his with his friends and wants to go out. His or her first intuition would be to search ‘restaurants near me,’ and if they want something specific, they can search for ‘Chinese restaurants near me’ or something like that.

So, what did you understand from this? Local SEOs help your restaurant:

  • Increased Visibility
  • Targeted Traffic
  • Competetive Advantage

Now that we have made this clear let us see how to implement Local SEO for restaurant.

Implement Local SEO for Restaurant

Do keyword Research

Previously, we mentioned how a person might check for a ‘Chinese restaurant near me.’ Here, the keyword is ‘‘Chinese restaurant near me. Keywords are words that people type on the Google search bar when they are browsing something. You can use tools like Google Keyword Finder to find the keywords that are best suited for your restaurant.  

For example, if your restaurant specializes in Indian food, you would want to know what terms people are searching on Google. By knowing these keywords, you make sure that your restaurant’s website shows up first on the Google page.

Optimize is your Google My Business Page

Your Google My Business page is the front page of your business.  It is the first thing people look at when they search for your restaurant online. Optimizing your Google profile is important to ensure that your restaurant appears at the top of the Google List. Though this includes a lot of technical SEO, your goal can be achieved by ensuring your page is up-to-date with your restaurant’s name, address, phone number, hours of operation, and website URL.

You also will have to add high-quality photos of his dishes or ambiance to give potential customers a taste of what to expect. Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews, as positive ratings can improve your visibility in local search results. You will also have to regularly monitor your Google page to check for reviews and to continuously optimize it. This will significantly boost your restaurant’s visibility and credibility. 

Create locally relevant content.

Developing content that resonates with your audience strengthens your restaurant’s online presence. Start by creating stories about your restaurant’s journey, highlighting special events or promotions, showcase your chef-recommended cuisine.

Consider creating blog posts, videos, or social media posts that celebrate local festivals, traditions, or ingredients. By engaging with the community, you can build trust with your customers and attract new ones. Remember, authenticity is key to building trust and loyalty among your local audience.

List Your Restaurant on Local Websites

Local citations are another way to get your restaurant noticed. Local citations are online mentions of your restaurant’s name, address, and phone number or various website directories and social platforms. Consistent and accurate citations across the web will help potential customers find your restaurants and also signal to search engines that your business is legitimate and trustworthy. 

List your restaurant on platforms like Swiggy, Zomato, TripAdvisor, or any other websites that are relevant to your website. Mentioning it is one job; another thing to be remembered here is your business name, contact details, or any link that will help your audience to order food. Mentioning these details is one thing, but it is also necessary to be responsive on these platforms. That increases the responsiveness and credibility of your website. You will also have to make sure that all the information is accurate across all platforms. Building a strong network of local citations can improve the restaurant’s visibility in Google search results and drive more footfalls to our restaurant.

Mobile Optimization

The next step included in implementing local SEO in your business is mobile optimization. Today, people rely on phones to do most of their searches on their phones as they are easy, reliable, and fast. Ensuring your restaurant is optimized for mobile phones is essential to capture the attention of on-the-go customers.  On-the-go customers usually make last-minute decisions, so the search for a restaurant happens in real time, and it is important your Google business page and website are optimized for it.  

To make sure your website is responsive on mobile, you should start by choosing a responsive UI that automatically adjusts to fit the different screen sizes or optimize it accordingly for different sizes. While you are at it, it is also important to check the website’s loading speed.

Along with all of these, it is important to ensure that your website is easy to navigate on phones; it also should have call-to-action buttons for anyone visiting the site to take the desired actions. These could include call buttons, booking a dining section, or even adding a review section. By prioritizing mobile optimization, you can make it easier for potential customers to find your page and engage with it.

Final Thought

Those mentioned above are just some of the SEO implementation methods we have listed to ensure your restaurant’s success.  In today’s dynamic landscape of the restaurant industry, SEO is no longer just an option but a necessity for success. Implementing these strategies will help you elevate your restaurant’s digital presence and attract more local customers. This is an era where people rely on search engines to find the slightest of things. Implementing effective local SEO strategies and constantly monitoring your Google business page will help you increase your restaurant’s visibility. One thing to keep in mind here is that these steps are only effective when they are monitored continuously and are optimized to the best of your business’s interest. 

Grow Your Pune Business Online With Digital Tokri

Unleash your brand’s potential in the bustling digital landscape of Pune! At Digital Tokri – a leading Digital Marketing Company in Pune with a proven track record of success for over 200 clients. Our team of passionate experts offers a comprehensive suite of digital marketing services, including targeted PPC campaigns, building a strong SEO foundation, and creating a captivating social media presence. We don’t just generate clicks; we cultivate genuine connections that drive results. Partner with Digital Tokri to watch your brand flourish in Pune’s vibrant digital space.

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