You Can Be Number One! Your Guide to Hospitality and Restaurant SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Nacho Average Way to Get Found Online
So, you’ve got the best tacos in town, the cocktails that make people swoon, and a vibe that keeps customers coming back. But what good is all that if nobody can find you online? Enter the world of Restaurant SEO—where your website meets search engines, and your business gets the spotlight it deserves.
What is Restaurant SEO?
Restaurant SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the art and science of getting your restaurant, bar, or hotel to rank higher in search engine results like Google. When done right, it means that when someone in your area searches for “best tacos near me,” your business is the first thing that pops up, making them drool and hit the directions button faster than you can say “guac.”
Why is Restaurant SEO So Important?
When you want to go to a new restaurant, where do YOU look? You might ask your friends, you might even ask your network on social media… but most people don’t. Most people ask Google.
And it makes sense, doesn’t it? Google responds in milliseconds with the top results for your inquiry. You type in “best pizza near me” and BOOM! Google is there with a carefully curated list of the top places close by. In fact, Google search results provide more NEW customers to ANY business than any other source. And consistently attracting NEW customers is the lifeblood of every business. It doesn’t matter if you are a hotel, bar or restaurant – you need new customers to grow.
Now think of your business. If you own a seafood restaurant in Boise Idaho, you better be in the top search results for the phrase “best seafood in Boise.” Unless you are literally the only seafood restaurant in Boise, Search Engine Optimization is the only way to get to the top of the list. SEO starts with your website, but also includes your Google Business Profile, Google Maps, YouTube, Social Media and outside websites. There are other factors in getting those searchers to actually come into your restaurant – your restaurant photography needs to be great, if you have a restaurant promo video, it needs to look good, your restaurant’s Google reviews need to be positive, and your restaurant branding needs to be on point – but it starts with them FINDING you. If you don’t come up in search, they will never see any of that.
Imagine your website as the digital version of your front door. If it’s hidden in an alley with no signage, nobody’s going to find it, let alone walk through it. That’s where great restaurant SEO comes in. It’s like putting your restaurant on the main strip, with neon lights and a mariachi band out front—impossible to miss.
How Diners Search for Restaurants
When diners are on the hunt for their next meal, they don’t rely on just one source of information. They use a variety of platforms and search criteria to find the perfect place to eat. Here’s a look at how the digital journey typically unfolds:
Key Platforms Diners Use:
- Search Engines: Google, Bing, and other search engines are the first stop for most diners. A quick search like “best pizza in [your city]” can lead them straight to your restaurant’s website or Google listing.
- Reservation Apps: Apps like OpenTable and Resy allow diners to discover nearby restaurants and book a table instantly, making it easy for them to secure a spot at your establishment.
- Review Sites: Yelp and TripAdvisor are popular for reading reviews and checking out ratings. These platforms often influence diners’ decisions on where to eat, especially when they’re looking for specific experiences.
- Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, and even TikTok are increasingly popular for discovering restaurants, thanks to visually appealing content and peer recommendations.
Common Search Criteria:
- Location-Based Searches: Diners often search by city or neighborhood, such as “restaurants in downtown Seattle.”
- Proximity Searches: “Near me” searches are incredibly popular, with “restaurants near me” being one of the top search phrases, attracting millions of monthly searches.
- Restaurant Type: Diners might search for specific types of restaurants, like “family-friendly restaurants” or “romantic dinner spots.”
- Brand Searches: If diners already know where they want to go, they’ll search by the restaurant’s name, often after hearing about it from friends or seeing it on social media.
- Cuisine Searches: Whether they’re in the mood for sushi, BBQ, or vegan delights, diners often search by cuisine type, using phrases like “best vegan restaurant.”
Diners don’t typically rely on just one platform or criterion. For example, a family looking for a weekend brunch spot might start with a search like “best brunch in [city name],” then head over to Yelp to read reviews and look at customer photos. They might also check Instagram to see recent posts and get a feel for the ambiance before making a reservation through OpenTable.
The Role of Google Reservations
In addition to searching, Google has made it even easier for diners to book a table with its Reserve with Google feature. When a restaurant has this set up, a “reserve a table” button appears right in the search results. This allows diners to make a reservation without ever leaving the Google platform, streamlining the entire process and making it convenient for them to secure a spot at your restaurant.
This multi-platform approach to finding and booking restaurants highlights the importance of a comprehensive online presence. By ensuring that your restaurant is easily discoverable and accessible across all these channels, you increase your chances of attracting more diners and filling more tables.
The Benefits of Restaurant SEO:
- Increased Visibility: The higher your website ranks, the more people see it. Simple as that.
- More Foot Traffic: More people finding you online means more people showing up at your door. (Hola, new customers!)
- Targeted Marketing: SEO helps you attract customers who are actively searching for what you offer. Think of it as casting your net exactly where the fish are swimming.
- Brand Authority: Showing up at the top of search results not only drives traffic but also builds trust and credibility in your brand.
Who Does Restaurant SEO Really Well?
Let’s take a look at some rockstars in the hospitality industry who are nailing their SEO game:
- Forking Good Hospitality: Celebrity Chef/Owner Rory Schepisi recently opened her third successful Amarillo TX restaurant. The secret to her success – great food, great service, great live music and an amazing restaurant seo strategy.
Rory’s marketing team has optimized her websites for hyperlocal search terms, ensuring they appear at the top when customers search for the best food, dining, nightlife and entertainment options in Amarillo.
Just do a search for the “best restaurants in Amarillo” and you’ll find The Drunken Oyster. A Google search for the “best steak in Amarillo” will get you to The Western Horseman Club. If you do a search for “seafood Amarillo” you will find her restaurant Sa•vór Tapas Bar at the top of the rankings.
- The Lowell Hotel: Lowell Hotel’s SEO strategy is as cool as their branding. As a top NYC hotel, they focus on location-specific keywords and regularly publish high-quality content on their blog that resonates with their audience, keeping them at the top of search results.
- Crespo Hookah Grill: Bergen County NJ is one of the most wealthy and populous counties in the United States. It has countless restaurants throughout her 70 townships. Crespo is a humble little BYOB establishment featuring the best hookah in NJ. Getting highly ranked on Google for “BYOB Bergen County” was not by accident. Crespo’s marketing team knows what they are doing.
- Prince Street Pizza: A New York staple, and now with locations throughout California, Prince Street Pizza uses Google restaurant reviews and local SEO to stay at the forefront of the pizza scene in the city that never sleeps. With optimized content and strong local citations, they’re the go-to spot for late-night slices.
How to Start Your Own Restaurant SEO Strategy
Ready to jump into the SEO game? Here’s how you can start optimizing your website and get those clicks turning into customers:
- Optimize Your Website: Start with your restaurant website design. Ensure it’s fast, mobile-friendly, and easy to navigate. Search engines love a well-structured site, and so do your customers.
- Focus on Local SEO: Make sure your restaurant is listed on Google My Business and other local directories. Use location-specific keywords like “best burgers in Brooklyn” in your content and meta descriptions.
- Create High-Quality Content: Blogging isn’t just for influencers. Regularly updating your website with relevant, engaging content is a cornerstone of content-driven SEO. Write about your new menu items, upcoming events, or even a behind-the-scenes look at your kitchen.
- Use High-Intent Keywords: High-intent keywords are phrases that people use when they’re ready to take action, like “book a table at a rooftop bar” or “order sushi delivery.” Integrating these into your website content can help drive highly motivated traffic to your site.
- Leverage Technical SEO: Technical SEO is the behind-the-scenes stuff—think site speed, schema markup, and clean code. It’s what makes your site easy for search engines to crawl and index. While not as glamorous as content creation, it’s just as important.
SEO Tips and Tricks for Restaurants, Hotels, and Bars
To really nail your SEO strategy, keep these tips in mind:
- Claim and Optimize Your Google My Business Listing: This is crucial for local SEO. Make sure all your details are correct, including your address, phone number, and hours of operation.
- Encourage Customer Reviews: Positive Google restaurant reviews boost your visibility and credibility. Don’t be shy about asking happy customers to leave a review.
- Use Schema Markup: This is a type of microdata that helps search engines understand the content of your website. It can enhance your search listings with rich snippets, like star ratings or event dates.
- Publish Regularly: Consistency is key in restaurant seo. The more often you update your site with fresh content, the more search engines will take notice.
- Utilize High-Quality Visuals: Great restaurant photography can make a huge difference. Not only does it attract customers, but it also keeps them on your site longer, which is a positive signal to search engines.
What’s a Blog Anyway?
A blog is a section of your website where you regularly post articles, updates, and other content. It’s a great way to keep your site fresh, engage with your audience, and improve your SEO by targeting various keywords and topics relevant to your business. For instance, if you own a seafood restaurant, you might blog about sustainable fishing practices or how to pick the freshest oysters or to promote your restaurant loyalty program.
Your blog should be one cornerstone of your restaurant marketing strategy. It’s a great way to remind your audience about what you have going on. You can promote your blog posts through restaurant email marketing campaigns and your restaurant social media marketing.
What’s the Deal with High-Intent Keywords?
High-intent keyword phrases are search terms that indicate a user is ready to take a specific action, such as making a reservation or ordering takeout. These are gold for your SEO strategy because they attract customers who are further along in the buying process, meaning they’re more likely to convert.
Think of it like this: Someone searching the term “pizza” could be looking for a pizzeria, a pizza recipe, the history of pizza making, etc… but someone searching for “best pizza near me” is probably intending on visiting one of the places that come up in those results so they get their hands on a delicious slice of heaven. That’s ‘high intent.”
And remember – getting to page one on Google for the search terms that you are targeting that work and time. Ranking number one for “best Italian restaurant” is obviously great, but it’s not easy. It would be a lot easier and potentially even better to rank for “best Italian restaurant in Westchester NY.”
It’s important to know your high intent keyword phrases and use them everywhere including your blog posts, restaurant Google Ads, restaurant influencer marketing, and to your
Content-Driven SEO vs. Technical SEO
Content-Driven SEO is all about what you put on your site—blogs, product descriptions, landing pages, etc. It’s the tasty salsa that keeps visitors dipping back in for more.
Technical SEO, on the other hand, is the structural integrity of your site—the foundation that ensures your site is fast, secure, and crawlable by search engines. Both are essential, like chips and guac.
Why SEO is Key to Attracting New Customers
Think of SEO as your digital word of mouth. By appearing at the top of search results, you’re positioning your restaurant, bar, or hotel as the go-to spot in your area. It’s a way to reach new customers who might not have heard of you otherwise, bringing fresh faces through your doors.
Nacho Marketing’s Approach to SEO for Restaurants, Hotels, and Bars
At Nacho Marketing, we’re all about getting you noticed—and not just because we think you’re awesome (though we do). As a top restaurant marketing agency, we take a comprehensive approach to restaurant seo, ensuring that your website is optimized from top to bottom, inside and out. Whether we’re working with your existing website design or creating a brand new site from scratch, our goal is to get you ranking high for the high-intent keywords that matter most to your business.
We don’t just set it and forget it, either. We continuously publish fresh, relevant content to keep your site on the radar of both search engines and customers.
Ready to see your business at the top of the search results? Contact Nacho Marketing today and let’s make it happen!