The year 2020 showed us how excruciating and ruthless some force majeure circumstances could be – due to the global lockdown, millions of businesses around the world have suffered a sharp drop in profits and customers. The restaurant business has always been one of the most vulnerable, and many establishments, which relied more on the physical presence of clients than delivery, could not overcome the crisis caused by pandemics, unable to act quickly in those times of crisis.
These days it is almost impossible to imagine a food chain, a cafe, or a restaurant that would not have a website. It is no longer a question of whether you need a website; the question is how much you need to invest in one to keep your business running. At the present blog, we will talk about creating a comprehensive website for your restaurant and what features and things you need to keep in mind if you want it to fully serve your purpose.
Where to Start
Almost every project looks almost the same at the first stage, and the restaurant site is no exception. You need to conduct market research to collect data about the market and competitors, trends, and target audience from the very beginning. During it, you need to come up with a comprehensive concept. It will be a great idea to add a blog for SEO purposes.
However, don’t forget to add new posts at least 2-4 times a month to make it work. If you don’t have a big budget for a 100% custom website, you can always use one of the restaurant WordPress themes, which will greatly facilitate the development circle. All these themes already contain all the necessary tools, such as the WooCommerce extension or fast integration with social networks, so you just need to come up with a bright design and attractive content that will help you communicate with your proposal in the most tempting way.
What You Need to Keep in Mind
The website of the restaurant is very similar to any other website, but there are also a number of features you need to keep in mind:
- For instance, a restaurant menu has to be specified in the actual printed text. If you decide to use jpeg or downloadable pdf files, some visitors who use a cell phone to access your site may encounter some problems with the graphics files. Apart from it, your website has to be indexed by Google, and it is essential to use actual letters and numbers.
- Also, you need to create an understandable and easy to use a form for online orders. And don’t forget to provide your clients with concrete information about the delivery time; this small effort will increase the client’s loyalty and contribute to the image of your brand.
- Custom photo shoots of dishes, drinks and treats are a must. Let’s face it, it may be a hard task to make high-quality photoshoots of all offered dishes, but it is pretty affordable and has to be done. Make sure that your photos feature a logo or some other piece of brand identity to emphasize the effect. Avoid using food photos from stock at any means.
- Leverage your client base via social media. You need to make an account on every popular social media and keep them updated. When it comes to the restaurant business, most customers tend to look for feedback and information on social networking sites. The most important communication channels for business owners are Instagram and Facebook.
- Don’t forget about promotions and limited offers. In order to keep your business afloat, you need to innovate it all the time. Customers frequently enjoy such promos as happy hours. Also, make several limited offers. For instance, a special burger that will be served only during December. And, of course, tell all the world about this delicious burger via your social media!
Add hours of work, contacts and an easy-to-navigate map. It is easy to integrate a map ad with your website, as there is no pre-build extension yet. Make sure that this section is easy to find, easy to read, and features all the necessary details. In most cases, these sections are located in the footer. However, you can place your address and contacts at several places on your website as well.