If customers can’t find your online restaurant menu, you are automatically losing business, regardless of how it sounds. When anyone searches for “best Italian takeaway near me” or “healthy lunch options,” your restaurant should be visible on the search results.
Your restaurant’s menu ranking on Google is not as easy as combining a few keywords and hoping it works. Untangling your website is much more difficult than it sounds because hungry customers and search engines need to be able to read and navigate through it seamlessly. Remember that from the online menu design to the takeaway menu printing, everything matters. To attract more visitors to your restaurant, we will outline the steps necessary to enhance visibility and, consequently, increase orders.
1. Ensure Your Menu is Readable to Customers and Google
Google would not promote a messy animation-filled menu PDF. Customers prefer text formats and serve them to their users. A Google-friendly strategy for designing your menu involves using HTML to separate starters, mains, desserts, and drinks into easily accessible sections. Menu design online is possible and can help your restaurant menu look better on mobile phones and desktops.
Helpful Pointers:
- Implement H1, H2, and H3 tags for distinct menu sections.
- For every photo included, provide accompanying text for each meal, rather than just including images.
- Refrain from using PDF documents; Google’s OCR tools are ineffective with them, and they are tedious to access on smartphones.
2. Integrate Keywords in Your Menu Descriptions Seamlessly
Individuals do not look up “pizza” alone – rather, they try searching for places like “an authentic Italian pizza restaurant in East London” or “the best vegan burger in the area”. It’s vital to capture such terms in the description of the menu items, but not come off as phoney.
Replace with:
Margherita Pizza – Eagerly awaits fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil.
Try this Instead:
Margherita Pizza – Our signature Neapolitan pizza, with fresh mozzarella, succulent San Marzano tomatoes, and fresh basil. A must-have for anyone looking for a delicious Italian pizza in East London.
Your menu items become more unique, and at the same time, it helps the restaurant gain visibility during important search queries.
3. Use Photographs Of Your Food That Are Of The Best Quality
Wonderful pictures of food can stir up appetites, but if their resolution is too large, it will decrease your website’s performance. A slow website results in losing clients. Ensure that image file sizes are decreased so that the images can be displayed more quickly, and remember to take advantage of relevant words when setting alt attributes.
For example:
Alt text: “A Margherita pizza served at a pizzeria in East London, which won an award.”
This aids Google in knowing what is situated in the image and improves your rankings.
4. Improve Your Menu Visibility with Local SEO
The majority of those wanting to dine out usually do it in close proximity. Aid in making them discover you by:
- Adding your menu to the Google Business Profile.
- Synchronising the name, address, and telephone number of your restaurant on all branded profiles.
- Incorporating phrases such as “best Thai food in Shoreditch” into the menu description to target its location.
5. Ensure That Your Menu is Mobile Compatible.
The highest percentage of your customers will view your menu on their mobile devices. They will not hesitate to abandon the site If they need to zoom in and out to see it. Keep the design and print of your menu mobile-friendly by:
- Applying responsive design for all devices.
- Utilising easily readable fonts and colours that contrast.
- Including clickable menus for ordering out or reservations.
6. The Use of Reviews and Restaurant Awards Will Give You Greater Visibility.
If you won a restaurant award or appeared in a food blog, boast about it! Be sure to state it on the site and prompt food bloggers to critique your menu. Great reviews, coupled with quality backlinks, help your site rank better.
7. Leverage Schema Markup for Additional Attention
With schema markup, Google can display star ratings, price ranges and even cuisine type information on its search result pages. It enhances your listing and encourages people to click.
FAQ
- Why doesn’t my restaurant’s menu show up on Google?
It may not be displaying because it is not correctly structured. Ensure your menu is in HTML format, not a PDF, and include relevant keywords within your dish descriptions. Additionally, ensure that you claim your Google Business Profile.
- Is it possible to optimise an online ordering menu for SEO?
Absolutely! Use keywords such as ‘takeout menu’ and location-specific keywords in your descriptions. Don’t forget to ensure the menu is mobile-friendly.
- Do images aid in SEO for menus?
Yes, but only if they are optimised. Ensure they have appropriate file names that relate to the image, include relevant keywords in the alt text, and are compressed for faster loading.
With these tips, your restaurant’s menu will become more visible, increase customer engagement, and boost order numbers!
