Improve Your Local SEO; does it ring a bell? How do you promote your restaurant today? Who is in charge of your Digital Strategy? How is your restaurant showing in local searches? Do you have a solid Local SEO Strategy for your Restaurant?
If you; as a Restaurant owner, have to think about any of the questions above even just for a second, then this Guide is for you.
Local SEO is without a millisecond of a doubt, the most essential SEO Strategy for your Restaurant when it comes to the competition of hungry guests searching for a local dining option today. Why? Well, if you ever searched for “Restaurant Near Me”, or just “Restaurant” when you are visiting a new city, maybe you get a hint of what Local SEO is all about. It matters, right?
It’s crucial, essentially important, and 100% necessary to know about Local SEO, but fear not if you don’t! We will tell you exactly what you can do to improve your restaurant’s visibility in local searches, and how you attract new guests to visit your restaurant in this Local Seo Guide. For a Swedish version of the Guide; visit Restaurang SEO.
Let’s not waste a second more!
Improve Your Local SEO: Key Factors for Local SEO Ranking Your Restaurant
Let us start with the Key Factors for Local SEO Ranking. Each step needs some action, time, and engagement from you as a Restaurant owner. If you have a CMO (Chief Marketing Officer), a Marketing Team, or an Agency that takes care of your Local SEO Strategy, the Key Factors in this guide will give you enough insights to question if they do enough to make your restaurant show in the search results.
On-Page Optimization
- Why it matters: On-page optimization will ensure that your Restaurant’s website is relevant to what you do and will easily be understood by search engines. Make sure it’s on point with a logic hierachy and easy to navigate for a better User Experience (UX). Improving the On-Page SEO; even with minor changes, will increase your chances of ranking higher in the SERP (Search Engine Result Pages).
- How to execute best practices: Optimize your website’s Meta tags, Headers, URLs, and Content with localized keywords. Don’t forget the Long-tail Keywords! Trying to rank for “Restaurant New York” is a total waste. Better up; “Greek Restaurant New York”. Best practice for Local SEO is Long-tail Keywords; like “Greek Charcoal Grill in Bronx, New York City”. Well, you get the drill. With that said it’s also crucial to provide accurate Name, Address, Phone; commonly called NAP information, and ensure a great user experience and mobile-friendliness. Mobile searches stands for 64% av all searches (Sistrix Analyze in 2021), so the importance of getting your site mobile-friendly can’t be said too many times. Mobile searches matter a lot.
Local Citations and Directory Listings
- Why it matters: Getting your Restaurant’s website in local citations and directory listings helps establish your restaurant’s credibility and authority in local search. This will help boost your visibility to potential guests.
- How to execute best practices: Ensure consistency in your NAP information across all online directories. Be sure to Claim and optimize listings on popular platforms like Yelp, TripAdvisor, and other pages. Don’t forget to encourage any positive customer reviews to your main chosen directory or citations listing!
Online Reviews and Ratings
- Why it matters: Of course you will work with blood, sweat, and tears to give your guests the best dining experience ever. But the guest’s dining experience doesn’t end when they walk out the door! Encourage them to give feedback online and not only spread the word of your restaurant mouth-to-mouth (even if that could be truly powerful as well). Sure they will support their local Restaurant and Bar if they are satisfied. Positive reviews and high ratings enhance your restaurant’s reputation, instilling trust in potential guest’s minds and influencing their decision-making process when choosing a place to dine out.
- How to execute best practices: Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews on platforms like Google, Yelp, and Facebook. Respond promptly and professionally to both positive and negative thoughts. Never be negative yourself! Monitor consistently to manage and build a trustworthy and strong online reputation.
Improve Your Local SEO with Google My Business (GMB) Profile
- Why it matters: Google My Business is an often forgotten resource for visibility. GMB is a powerful tool that directly impacts your visibility in local search results. Try to search on your own restaurant and you get what we mean. Google “steals” a lot of the visibility in the SERP, right? So, if not taking control over and utilizing all features in your GMB Profile, that will be a huge problem. Period. Of course, you need to provide crucial information to your potential guests like opening hours, events, and new products or services.
- How to manage your GMB profile for best visibility and results: Claim and verify your GMB listing. It’s easy to follow the Guidelines from Google but have in mind it will take a while before getting listed. Make sure you have accurate information in the profile. Optimize your GMB profile with relevant keywords, appealing photos of the interior and food with compelling descriptions. Regularly post any important updates, promotions, and events to engage with your target audience. This will enhance your Restaurants visibility. Encourage guests to give reviews on Google too and respond to them in a timely manner. Utilize GMB insights to gain valuable data on your guest’s interactions and behavior. Knowing your guests and Target Audience is essential for successful businesses.
Local Link Building
- Why it matters: Building quality backlinks from local websites and sources signals to search engines like Google and Bing that your restaurant is a trusted and valuable resource in your local community.
- How to execute best practices: Engage in local community events, sponsorships, and partnerships to earn relevant backlinks. Collaborate with some local influencers and bloggers to widen the reach. Also, ask yourself if your restaurant might have an opportunity to be written about in local press or local free magazines?
Local SEO will be a Game Changer for Your Restaurant!
Let us be upright honest. Mastering local SEO will include hard work, engagement, and effort from you. However, being such an essential part of restaurants to thrive in the digital landscape and with a myriad of guests looking for a place to eat; it’s all worth the day-to-day monitoring and hard work.
So, a quick recap of what you have learned in this Local SEO Guide:
- Implementing just minor improvements on your Restaurant’s On-Page SEO will do wonders!
- Leveraging the local citations and reviews you get will build connections, trust, and loyal guests.
- Without a doubt; optimizing and using the full potential of your GMB profile, will increase your restaurant’s visibility and get more traffic to your Restaurant; both digitally and with guests walking through the door.
By building strong local links, you can also simultaneously build your Brand making it a natural choice for your local community and customers.
Remember, consistency and relevance for your target audience, in all your updates and online activity. This will improve your guest’s engagement. Your guests will not only become loyal ambassadors for your Restaurant, but their engagement will also be vital to achieving long-term success in your Local SEO Strategy.
Start implementing these Local SEO Strategies today and watch your restaurant climb the ranks in local search tomorrow!
If you are in any need of SEO Consultancy or would like to know how GastroMedia Group Sweden could improve Local SEO for your Restaurant, don’t hesitate to contact us or leave a comment.
Read and Learn more about in our Restaurant SEO Guides!