Along with everything that goes on from front to back of house, running a restaurant today also involves building a digital storefront — your website! When so much of hospitality success comes down to discoverability and first impressions, your website matters more than ever. A well-designed website not only enhances your venue’s online presence but also simplifies the booking process.
Keep reading as we walk you through the essential checklist for a restaurant website, best practices that boost bookings and mastering the critical touchpoint that get customers through your doors.
Why Your Restaurant Website Matters
- Restaurant discovery: 77% of diners check a restaurant’s website before visiting. A well-optimised website ensures it’s easy for guests to find information such as location, menu, opening hours that will help them make dining decisions. They might also use cuisine or location search queries to help inspire their next meal, which means you’ll be in the radar of potential new customers.
- Increased bookings and revenue: With guests able to get in touch quickly and directly, your website can be an excellent revenue driver. Take instant bookings, promote events or special offers, or even sell merchandise and gift cards. Integrating with a commission-free online booking system is key here.
- Improved customer relationship: A website allows your restaurant to build credibility and trust with customers and establish a connection with them before they even step into your restaurant. It’s an opportunity to tell customers your story and showcase what sets your venue apart. Help them get to know you better by sharing reviews, stories about your team or even recipes.
Best Practices for Creating Your Restaurant Website
1. Choose the right domain name and hosting provider
Your domain name should be easy to remember, spell, and reflect your restaurant’s name or cuisine. You want your domain to be the first thing that comes up when customers search for your venue.
Tip: Think about what customers know your restaurant as!
Don’t skip out on a reliable hosting provider. Nothing drives customers away faster than an error page so prioritise options with excellent uptime and customer support.
2. Design with your brand in mind
For many guests, your restaurant website will be the first time they experience your brand. Keep in mind that it should mirror your restaurant’s story, atmosphere and food. Use high-quality images of your dishes, interior, and exterior. Choose colour scheme, fonts, and styles that align with your brand identity.
Now Book It venue Lulu Bondi stands out with their custom bold brand font in an unmistakable red, and visuals of mouthwatering pan-Asian fare in the background.
3. Integrate instant booking and ordering systems
Increasing revenue with your website is easy with the right tools. Integrate with an online booking system that allows customers to make reservations directly, and online ordering systems that can facilitate delivery and takeaway orders.
Now Book It’s reservation system not only offers a seamless booking widget built into your with no per cover fees, but also offers additional revenue-driving features such as the ability to sell gift cards and experiences.
Tip: Making integrated systems look and feel like a part of your website is key to creating a holistic booking experience.
Take a look at this example of Now Book It venue 1800 Lasagne – the entire booking process happens seamlessly on the same page, and the widget is designed to pop in their brand colours.
4. Optimise for local SEO
Designing an intuitive website begins with an easy search. Identify terms that your potential customers are using to find restaurants like yours. Incorporating these keywords into your website content can help guests find you quickly.
We can’t discuss SEO without talking about optimising your Google Business Profile. If you haven’t already claimed your listing, do so! Matching your website information with what you put on an optimised Google Business Profile will help boost your searchability by miles.
Local SEO helps you appear in search results when users look for dining options in your area. For example, if you’re a pizza parlour in Newtown, these could be “best pizzas in Sydney” or “Newtown’s favourite pizza place”.
Today, well over 80% of customers look up restaurants on a mobile device. You also want to ensure your website is mobile-responsive to improve the experience and climb up the search rankings.
5. Give guest the information they want
Don’t make hungry customers look any further! Make it intuitive for visitors to find vital information like your menu, location, opening hours and booking options.
More often than not, guests are looking for a menu on your website. Design your online menu with detailed descriptions and images, highlighting popular dishes, special offers, and dietary options. While it can be a lot of work updating menus in multiple places, make sure to keep your website up to date with the latest version to stay relevant.
You can (and should!) share the story behind your business. A personal touch on your website can help customers feel closer to you, creating a connection that continues when they dine in.
6. Don’t sleep on analytics and customer data
Venue can often lose out on bookings because of an obscure button on the website or a faulty link. Monitoring your website using tools like Google Analytics can provide pointers on what you’re missing. For instance, if people visiting your site but not clicking the booking button, you may want to explore some updates.
Tip: Make sure your booking button is
- Is visible and stands out with bright colours
- Has a clear call-to action like Book Now, Book a Table, Reserve Here
- Leads directly to the booking widget or reservations page. Less clicks means it’s more likely that a customer will complete the booking!
Similarly, leveraging customer insights from your online reservation system can guide your strategy, such as creating targeted marketing campaigns or bringing back a popular menu item to boost bookings.
Building a Restaurant Website that Converts
Creating a website that converts and encourages guests to place an order, book an online reservation or purchase a gift card is no walk in the park, but it’s certainly well worth the effort. A great website only improves your visibility but also drives more bookings and leaves a memorable impression with guests.
Found this helpful? Download the cheat sheet below for a quick review of these actionable tips.
To learn how Now Book It can help elevate the reservation experience on your website, book a demo.
