How Does SEO Work For Restaurants?

Search engine optimization or SEO is an effective content marketing technique that increases your restaurant business’ visibility on major search engines. 

Importantly, consistently engaging in local SEO for restaurants will also help bring in customers who are already interested in what you are selling. The result is increased visibility for your business and more customers. 

But how exactly does local SEO work for restaurants? Let’s examine some key factors that go into an effective local SEO strategy.

Social media

To create an effective social media and SEO campaign for your restaurant, you should focus on customer conversion. Regardless of your target market, your social media campaign should be focused on generating new business and drumming up existing clientele. A clear call to action (CTA) should be displayed on every page of your website to encourage customers to share their experiences on social media. Using social media to market your restaurant can be an effective marketing tool for restaurants, but your campaign’s success depends on your efforts’ creativeness.

Search engines also consider your social media signals(number of interactions) when determining your ranking.  

Link building

Link building is the soul of any effective SEO campaign. When authority links are pointing to your page, you will appear more credible and, hence have a better ranking. 

So you need to take link building seriously if you want your business page to rank well on the SERP. This is especially important since 75% of people never surpass the first seven or ten results.

Photos

While it may not be the most effective way to attract more visitors to most businesses, images can help promote your restaurant. Here are a few strategies to improve your images for SEO. First, avoid using high-resolution photos as they may slow down your website. Next, ensure that your file names include the image’s main subject. Try not to use random letters or numbers. Also, remember to use descriptive alt text in case your image is broken so that screen readers can read it.

Also, make sure to GEOtag your images when necessary. This will allow them to appear on search results when possible. 

Videos

Aside from written content, videos have also been known to attract traffic to a business. If your videos are well optimized for search engines, they could end up appearing on the SERP when people search for terms related to the video. You can also use videos to retarget audiences on social media platforms.

Niche-specific terms

While high-level keywords (such as “restaurant”) are the most generic search terms, it is possible to optimize them to become more niche-specific by selecting the region of the world in which your restaurant is located. By identifying your niche, you can target potential customers who are interested in the particular cuisine you serve or your restaurant’s location. The best way to choose the proper niche for your restaurant’s SEO strategy is to do some research. Suppose you’re unsure what terms to target; consider using your business name or brand name. If you serve customers in many locations, you can try focusing on certain cities in Texas or nationwide.

Google-verified local business

If you’re considering opening a restaurant, it is worth verifying your listing with Google. There are a few steps you should take to get started. First, choose a category for your business, such as “restaurants.” This will determine what kind of customers are likely to find you. After selecting a category, input your business information like phone number and website URL. You can also update your listing with more information, such as your business profile photo, operating hours, delivery area, and any special attributes that are important to your restaurant.

Reviews

One of the most important aspects of local search for restaurants is reviews. These can be incredibly beneficial as they give past customers a voice. Furthermore, they give Google a better idea of the restaurant’s quality. The more reviews your restaurant receives, the higher it will appear in local searches. You can also boost the number of reviews in your listing by highlighting these on your website.

Although you can handle your business’ local SEO alone without needing external help, however, for an effective result, it is always best to allow professionals to handle it. These professionals have the tools and experience to help you grow and rank your business effectively. They will help take trial and error out of the equations and avoid wasting money and time.

Search engine optimization or SEO is an effective content marketing technique that increases your restaurant business’ visibility on major search engines. 

Importantly, consistently engaging in local SEO for restaurants will also help bring in customers who are already interested in what you are selling. The result is increased visibility for your business and more customers. 

But how exactly does local SEO work for restaurants? Let’s examine some key factors that go into an effective local SEO strategy.

Social media

To create an effective social media and SEO campaign for your restaurant, you should focus on customer conversion. Regardless of your target market, your social media campaign should be focused on generating new business and drumming up existing clientele. A clear call to action (CTA) should be displayed on every page of your website to encourage customers to share their experiences on social media. Using social media to market your restaurant can be an effective marketing tool for restaurants, but your campaign’s success depends on your efforts’ creativeness.

Search engines also consider your social media signals(number of interactions) when determining your ranking.  

Link building

Link building is the soul of any effective SEO campaign. When authority links are pointing to your page, you will appear more credible and, hence have a better ranking. 

So you need to take link building seriously if you want your business page to rank well on the SERP. This is especially important since 75% of people never surpass the first seven or ten results.

Photos

While it may not be the most effective way to attract more visitors to most businesses, images can help promote your restaurant. Here are a few strategies to improve your images for SEO. First, avoid using high-resolution photos as they may slow down your website. Next, ensure that your file names include the image’s main subject. Try not to use random letters or numbers. Also, remember to use descriptive alt text in case your image is broken so that screen readers can read it.

Also, make sure to GEOtag your images when necessary. This will allow them to appear on search results when possible. 

Videos

Aside from written content, videos have also been known to attract traffic to a business. If your videos are well optimized for search engines, they could end up appearing on the SERP when people search for terms related to the video. You can also use videos to retarget audiences on social media platforms.

Niche-specific terms

While high-level keywords (such as “restaurant”) are the most generic search terms, it is possible to optimize them to become more niche-specific by selecting the region of the world in which your restaurant is located. By identifying your niche, you can target potential customers who are interested in the particular cuisine you serve or your restaurant’s location. The best way to choose the proper niche for your restaurant’s SEO strategy is to do some research. Suppose you’re unsure what terms to target; consider using your business name or brand name. If you serve customers in many locations, you can try focusing on certain cities in Texas or nationwide.

Google-verified local business

If you’re considering opening a restaurant, it is worth verifying your listing with Google. There are a few steps you should take to get started. First, choose a category for your business, such as “restaurants.” This will determine what kind of customers are likely to find you. After selecting a category, input your business information like phone number and website URL. You can also update your listing with more information, such as your business profile photo, operating hours, delivery area, and any special attributes that are important to your restaurant.

Reviews

One of the most important aspects of local search for restaurants is reviews. These can be incredibly beneficial as they give past customers a voice. Furthermore, they give Google a better idea of the restaurant’s quality. The more reviews your restaurant receives, the higher it will appear in local searches. You can also boost the number of reviews in your listing by highlighting these on your website.

Although you can handle your business’ local SEO alone without needing external help, however, for an effective result, it is always best to allow professionals to handle it. These professionals have the tools and experience to help you grow and rank your business effectively. They will help take trial and error out of the equations and avoid wasting money and time.