Restaurant SEO & You — Talking With the Experts

For better or for worse, SEO can make or break your online presence. Whether you're trying to rank your website locally or nationally, it's crucial that when people search for you online, they can find you— after all, that's what the basis of "Search Engine Optimization" is. 

Thankfully, you don't have to figure this out on your own. Experts at Incentivio and Marqii have gotten together to give you a crash course on the intricacies of SEO in the restaurant space.

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Understanding Common SEO Mistakes

Understanding common SEO mistakes is akin to understanding SEO basics. If you avoid these mistakes, you'll already be ahead of the crowd. One of the most prominent mistakes restaurants can make is simply neglecting their local SEO. Restaurants are inherently local businesses, and optimizing for local search should be a top priority. 

This includes claiming and optimizing Google Business Profile (GBP) listings, getting consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) citations, and encouraging customer reviews. Your GBP is going to be your key to improving your local ranking and will have a significant effect on maximizing your Google Maps ranking as well. You'll want to follow the same process for your Apple Business Connect as well— it functions the same for helping businesses get found on Apple Maps, Apple Wallet, Siri, and more. 

Another mistake is not having a mobile-friendly website. Most people look up restaurants on their phones, whether to check menus, read reviews, or find locations. If a restaurant's website isn't optimized for mobile, they're missing out on a huge chunk of potential customers. 

"One of the big mistakes we see many restaurants making is overlooking the importance of reviews. Responding to reviews has a big impact on your SEO—not just negative reviews, but neutral and positive ones too. Even a simple ‘thank you’ on positive reviews shows search engines that you’re actively engaging with your guests, which can boost your visibility online.” -Avi Goren, Marqii Founder & CEO

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Easy Wins for Smaller Franchises

A popular misconception is that SEO is incredibly complicated and requires an entire team. While the depths of SEO are nearly endless, there are plenty of small steps smaller businesses can take to boost their SEO performance. 

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Creating SEO-Friendly Content

An easy win is to start a blog. Share stories, recipes, and behind-the-scenes content. It helps with SEO by adding fresh content to your site and engaging your audience. Using relevant keywords naturally within your blog posts can boost your search visibility. This doubles as an opportunity to develop you and your restaurant's persona— write about or offer insights that no one other than you would have. Talk about your cooking experience, what makes your cuisine special, or even tips about how home chefs can create restaurant-quality food. 

"At the end of the day, everything is just storytelling. Focus on content that tells your story," says Trace Mannewitz, head of content marketing at Incentivio. "Whether it's the history of your restaurant, the inspiration behind your dishes, or the people who make it all happen, storytelling creates a connection with your audience and can naturally incorporate keywords that enhance your SEO." 

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Taking Easy Technical SEO Steps

One of the most overlooked steps that restaurants can take is to organize their on-page SEO better. On-page SEO helps Google's web crawler know what it's looking at to categorize your pages better and serve them to relevant audiences. Here are three steps that everyone can do to optimize their on-page SEO.

1. Title Tags and Meta Descriptions: Craft compelling and keyword-rich title tags and meta descriptions for each page on your website. These elements are crucial for search engine rankings and click-through rates.
2. Headers and Subheaders: Use headers (H1, H2, H3) to organize your content and make it easier for search engines to understand the structure of your page. Include relevant keywords in your headers.
3. Alt Text for Images: Add descriptive alt text to all images on your website. This helps search engines understand what the images are about and improves accessibility.
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Digging Deeper into Advanced SEO Strategies

When Google shows you a webpage, they want to show you the webpage of someone you can trust. But what indicators does Google have regarding whether a site is trustworthy? Reviews from other humans! 

User-generated content, such as your customers' reviews and social media posts, can significantly boost your SEO. Each of these functions as a vote of confidence that this website or business provided the expected service. Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews and share their dining experiences online. This not only enhances your online reputation but also creates fresh, authentic content that search engines love.

Backlinks from other websites function in a similar way. Building high-quality backlinks from reputable websites can greatly improve your search rankings. For restaurants, this can be achieved by getting featured in local food blogs, collaborating with influencers, and participating in community events. Quality backlinks signal to search engines that your website is trustworthy and authoritative.

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Leveraging Social Media for SEO

Social media plays a crucial role in SEO. Social media platforms are powerful tools for driving traffic to your website. Share your blog posts, promotions, and events on social media to increase visibility and engagement. Additionally, social signals, such as likes, shares, and comments, can indirectly influence your search rankings by driving more traffic to your site and increasing brand awareness."

Ensure your social media profiles are consistent with your Google Business Profile listing and website information. This consistency helps build trust and credibility with both search engines and potential customers. Use location-specific hashtags and geotags in your social media posts to improve your local search visibility.

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A Collaborative Approach

Optimizing SEO for restaurants involves a blend of technical know-how, strategic content creation, and a keen understanding of local search dynamics. SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. Start with the basics, keep learning, and adapt to changes. Your online presence will grow stronger over time.

“SEO shouldn’t be intimidating—it should be accessible and approachable for every restaurant, no matter the size,” say Marqii founder & CEO, Avi Goren. “This can be as easy as completing all of the information on your Google Business Profile, or adding a few new photos every month. With the right strategy, even small tweaks can make a big difference in how many guests find you when they search.”

Curious about how you can take your SEO efforts even further? Get in touch with our friends at Marqii today! 

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