When it comes to marketing strategies, options are numerous if we don’t want to say countless.

Restaurants often overlook the search engine optimization (SEO) though. 

Why is it important not to overlook SEO?

Because online presence isn’t an option anymore. It became the biggest part of marketing and an important way for hungry diners to find you. 

Whenever customers feel hungry, they rush to search for places online and on different platforms. 

In this case, and if you wish to continue doing a successful business, your restaurant should appear in their search even if they are physically going to the restaurant and not just making an online order. 

What is SEO?

The search engine optimization, which is a set of practices designed to improve the appearance and positioning of web pages such as google and yahoo in search results for terms related to your business. A good SEO strategy is essential for improving the quality and quantity of traffic to your website leading to more potential customers. 

For instance, if you own a coffee shop in Beirut that offers coffee and prepared sandwiches, you need to have your website optimized for certain terms such as “best coffee shop in Beirut” or “quick bites in Beirut”…

The terms should change depending on your target market. 

If your website is optimized for the terms people use in their search, then you should appear on the first page of the search engine leading them to click on your website. 

How to rank your website at the top using SEO?

Location 

Your location is essential because most of the times, you are visited by your locals and the other times, by customers that specifically visit your location to enjoy what you have to offer. 

In both cases, location is crucial here. 

As google placed up the search with locations, diners will likely find you depending on your location even if they didn’t mention it in their search.

This also works especially if some of your restaurant’s words mentioned in your name are used by other restaurants. 

Meaning that beside your restaurant’s name, an addition of the location is essential to target local searchers. 

Optimise your online presence

There are different platforms and you need most of them for higher search ranking.

The information available on different platforms should be consistent. 

Your website and different pages should have clear information about your hours of operations, menu, contact info and links to other platforms.

Posting fresh content on these platforms is the key here. 

This content can be: 

• Photos and videos:

Pictures that you post of your customers eating at your restaurant or enjoying their ordered food at home. 

It might be pictures of new dishes or new offers. 

Google loves good pictures and it rewards pages with good and attractive pictures that are constantly updated. 

• Reviews:

Being present in reviews is also a good way to appear in people’ searches. 

Ask your customers for feedback and encourage them through contests to post this feedback online. 

Have an influencer review your restaurant also for a higher ranking. 

• Blog: 

Writing a blog whether weekly or bi-weekly helps your search engine optimization. 

Write about your events, recipes, origin of certain platters or anything related to your restaurant. 

It will help you increase your website visitors and reach a higher rank. 

The keywords planning

When planning your keywords, you want to specify the terms that your website will be ranked for. 

Start with the broad terms such as “best restaurants in Beirut”. 

Then, use terms that are more specific to what your restaurant offers such as famous burrito restaurants in Beirut” or “ladies night restaurants in Beirut”, “family restaurants in Beirut”, “Mexican family restaurants in Beirut”…

It all depends on your target customers. Families use terms different from younger crowds so make sure to use keywords to attract both parties or your targeted audience in your website and platforms. 

Bottom line, use descriptive titles that are mostly used by customers to find you because google will find the best match of terms used in people’ searches to the keywords used in your descriptions.

Don't ignore the Meta description 

The few lines of description under the title should never be overlooked or ignored. It provides more details about your business that are used by customers to find a place to eat. 

It should include all the information people might want to see when looking for a restaurant online. 

If written properly, it can increase traffic and click through rate even if it’s not a direct SEO ranking factor.

Use no more than 160 characters and not less than 150 in the meta descriptions so Google can pull out the information included when a search is made. 

Online orders

If you offer online orders and delivery, make sure you mention it in your website and different platforms so people who are looking for “online ordering” can find you easily. 

Keywords like delivery, pickup, online orders should be strongly present in your website and platforms and in the description of your used pictures as well. 

Online world has no limits and marketing is no longer related to TV or radio commercials.

Enhance your online presence and benefit from SEO to increase your customer base.