10 website tips to bring more clients to your restaurant

The website is one of the most important tools in a restaurant's digital communications strategy, and you need to give it top priority to ensure that visitors to your site get a good first impression. But that's not all! Having a website is also very important for your online visibility.

If you'd like to check the visibility of your establishments in advance, we recommend you take stock with the Malou Diagnostic below! It pinpoints any potential errors and generates tailor-made advice for promoting your restaurants!

So how do you create a website for your restaurant? What templates should you use? What are the best practices for attracting customers?

Design is not enough: your website must also be useful, practical and easy to access.

Here are our 10 tips for making ergonomics a source of customer generation for your restaurant.

Why create a restaurant website?

"Having Instagram is enough, isn't it?"

If you have said this sentence, you've come to the right article!

Having a website is essential for several reasons: ‍

• Getting your restaurant to the very top of Google results. That's what we call SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
• Inspiring Internet users to visit your venue. Just like your shop window, a website gives an image of what to expect in your restaurant and will convert Internet users into customers;‍
• Making booking made easier and faster;‍
• Conveying a professional, legitimate image. Having a website reassures potential customers and sends a positive signal to search engines.

Today, 8 out of 10 people use the Internet to find a restaurant. Search engine optimization, particularly local search engine optimization has become the name of the game for restaurants.

With local SEO, you want to make sure your restaurant appears in the top 3 results when people search for related keywords such as "brunch Upper East Side" or "Indian restaurant close to me".

Among the best practices for improving your SEO, having a website sends a positive signal to the Google algorithm.

Having a website legitimizes the existence of your establishment, is proof of seriousness, accessibility, reinforces the idea that you're up to date, and so on.

Interested in SEO? You should read this  : how to make your restaurant's website SEO-friendly.

👉 To find out more, get our SEO Guide for restaurant owners! 

Which website to choose for a restaurant?

It doesn't have to be complicated! A website for a restaurant needs to be as simple as possible , basically like abusiness card. No need to spend a lot of or call in an agency if your establishment is average size.

Our recommended tools:

• Squarespace (very easy, works with "squares" to create and move around);
• Wix (full of templates designed for restaurants);
• Wordpress (slightly more complicated for beginners, but rich in options);
• Shopify (ideal if you also sell products online).

Free versions are available for all these options! For the paid versions, you should expect to pay around $150-200 a month.

10 tips for creating your restaurant website

Include practical details on the first page

No time to lose!

SEO tip : make sure the user get what he wants, fast.

Impatience is one of the main characteristics of scrolling online (especially when hungry).

‍All informations and practical details must be mentioned, and above all highlighted, otherwise the user will leave your site in seconds. 

Include your address, opening hours, telephone number and email address, as well as access (metro, bus...), especially in the footer (bottom part of the design).

You can also display a Google Maps plug-in.

Showcase the best of your establishment with quality photos

Visual content is the first thing that catches the eye. Show beautiful photos of your dishes to whet your prospects appetite, highlight the interior of your establishment to make them want to come and sit!

For example, if you visit the Happy Dock website, you'll see some great shots of the different dishes on the menu.

The same goes for Sardegna a Tavola, which not only presents high-quality photos, but also tells the story of its dishes:

Need inspiration?

To create your restaurant's storytelling , answer the following questions:

• When was your restaurant founded? By whom (family history, friendship);
• In which region? (register in a heritage or tourist area)
• Is there an anecdote linked to the creation of your establishment? Or your name?
• What are your specialties? Why or why not?
• What "little extra" do you bring to the table? (Fusion, home cooking, quality ingredients)
• Where do your products come from?
• Who are your teams (portrait of the boss, etc.)?

Never underestimate yourself: every restaurant owner has a story to tell.

Include reviews or widgets to boost your e-reputation

Tripadvisor offers you the possibility of adding widgets to your website, such as the "Excellence Attestation" or a peak at your best reviews. 

A "widget" is a small application you can add to your site. For example: to display comments, integrate a video, a map...

By adding these widgets to its website, the Happy Dock restaurant is reassuring Internet users. The widgets testify to the trust placed in the restaurant by those who have already visited:

You should always dedicate a whole page of your website to the quality of your establishment with press articles, quotes from customers, labels you've won, etc.

Add social media widgets to grow your audience

 No restaurant can afford to ignore social media strategy.

We highly recommend adding widgets for the accounts you have on social media : Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok... Don't hesitate to mention them, you'll be encouraging your website visitors to follow you on these networks!

Some websites display previews of your Instagram feed which is a great wayto make sure you always haveup-to-date photos online.

Integrate an interactive Google Maps map to make it easier for your customers to find you.

As the Algerian restaurant Le Vent de Sable has done, we recommend installing an interactive Google Maps on your website.

They will help your prospects find out where you are. This precious time-saver may just convince them!

These widgets are also great for local SEO. In fact, by pinpointing this useful information, Google increases the visibility of your website in search results for prospects in the vicinity of your establishment. 

Set up an online booking module to generate direct bookings - commission-free

Today, 1 in 2 people make a reservation before dining out! The figure speaks for itself: it's essential to have an online reservation platform on your website. This platform enables you to facilitate and centralize reservations. It enables your customers to make reservations even outside your opening hours.

Online booking should also help you avoid No-Show with the use of the bank imprint and online waiting lists.

For example, to secure a table at L'enclos de Ninon restaurant, simply indicate the date and time of your visit, along with your contact details on the website form:

Clearly display your offer, menu and prices

The main decisive criterias in choosing a restaurant are menu and prices.

Pro tip : include your permanent menu (not only in PDF).

‍L'Enclos de Ninon gives access to its menu and presents on the same page how its menu works. This way, users are well informed and have no unpleasant surprises when they arrive at the restaurant.

Introduce yourself and your team

Describing the restaurant and its team will humanize the virtual showcase that is your website. Tell the story of your establishment, introduce the members of your team, talk about how you see your kitchen... This "backstage" content appeals to Internet users.

The restaurant La Villa Marx understands this, and presents its chef Thierry Marx and his team:

Make sure the site is responsive

Make sure that your website is "responsive", i.e. that it is equally suited to the screen of a computer, cell phone or tablet.

‍Check that all photos are visible and that the menu is readable on computer, tablet and mobile.

Update your information regularly

Lastly, update your site information regularly.

For example, don't forget to remove the Christmas menu once the festivities are over!

Don't forget to update any changes to your establishment's practical information (changes to opening hours, menu, etc.), so that your prospects aren't misled. 

When searching for a restaurant online, the top result are 3 pins on a Google Map, followed by 3 business listings that correspond to Google My Business profiles (Google Business Profile). Appearing higher on your dedicated keywords will allow you to reach new customers.

Further down, the first links should always be platforms or media (Tripadvisor, The Fork, Eater, etc.), to give you a SEO boost. With this 10 tips, your website should be unmissable!