The Anatomy of a Great Restaurant Website-Featured.jpg

The Anatomy of a Great Restaurant Website

With 90% of guests researching restaurants online before visiting, it’s become more important than ever before to have a modern, professional restaurant website.

These days, restaurant websites need to have advanced features customers need to meet their demands and expectations. Here are a few of the key features every restaurant website needs.

9 features every great restaurant website needs to have

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#1. Mouth-watering images of your food

Your images are the thing that will stand out the most on your website, and they are the first thing your visitors will see when they visit your restaurant online. It’s critical that you use professional, high-quality images of your food.

Prior to the pandemic, food was just one of many factors people considered when choosing a restaurant. The food needed to be good, but the atmosphere also had to be right for the occasion and the service had to be friendly and fast.

These days, though, customer service is a lot more hands-off and the only atmosphere most people are experiencing is their own dining rooms. Your food is the real star of the show, and it’s important to give it justice with great images.

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#2. A detailed menu

Giving visitors a glimpse of your dishes is a great way to entice them to learn more about what you have to offer by checking out your full menu.

You need more than just a link to a PDF of your menu. You need a detailed menu page, complete with quality images and descriptions of each dish.

Keep the style of your digital menu consistent with the physical menus in your restaurant, including the colors and typography. Consider including prices on your menu so diners know what to expect, especially if you are offering online order.

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#3. Easy-to-find business information

Before someone makes the decision to order online or visit your restaurant, they’re going to want to know a few things, like where you’re located, your hours of operation, whether you offer carry-out or delivery, how to contact you, etc.

It’s important that all of this business information is easy to find on your website. Ideally, your contact information will be located on the footer of each page, as well as at the top of your homepage. It’s also a good idea to have an entire page dedicated to how to get in contact with you.

Have you had to make changes to your hours or services due to COVID? Make sure that this information is front and center on your website so that your visitors are up to date.

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#4. Eye-catching images of your restaurant

People want to know where they’ll be eating, where their food is prepared and what kind of atmosphere a restaurant offers. Professional, quality images are the best way to show off your restaurant and let visitors know what to expect.

Ideally, you’ll include both interior and exterior pictures of your restaurant, so that visitors can get an idea of your atmosphere and so they’ll know they’ve found the right place when they visit. However, if your exterior needs work, interior images will be perfectly acceptable.

It’s especially important to include images of the interior of your restaurant if you’re offering in-person dining either outdoors or on a limited basis indoors. People want to know where they’ll be eating and that they’ll be safe.

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#5. Simple online ordering

When someone decides they want to place an order for carry-out or delivery, you should make it as easy and convenient as possible for them to do so. That means giving them options.

Not everyone wants to place an order over the phone and would prefer to do so online. Some people are so opposed to the ideal of placing an order on the phone that they’ll choose another restaurant!

Make it easy for your customers to place orders however they prefer by offering simple, straightforward online ordering.

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#6. Videos

There are so many reasons to showcase videos on your restaurant website. Video can help improve your organic rankings on search engines, help your website stand out and help you make a lasting impression on visitors, just to name a few.

You can use video in so many different ways, too! Showcase your happy customers with video testimonials. Engage your visitors by letting them see how their favorite dishes are made. Let your customers get to know your team by giving them a glimpse behind the scenes. Show off your restaurant with a video walkthrough.

Best of all, the video content you create for your website can be shared in ads, on YouTube, on social media and beyond.

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#7. An “About Us” page

Chances are, there are other restaurants in your area that offer the same style of food or have a similar atmosphere. People want to know why they should choose you instead of your competition. Your About Us page is the perfect place to reinforce what it is that makes you unique.

While the quality or creativity of your dishes, your atmosphere and the service you provide all help to set your restaurant apart, your story is often what truly makes you unique.

Your About Us page is your opportunity to share your story with your audience and highlight what sets you apart from the other restaurants in your area. In essence, it’s where customers can learn what makes your restaurant tick.

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#8. Restaurant reviews

Did you know that 93% of diners read online restaurant reviews? Every restaurant will claim to be the best, but thanks to restaurant reviews, consumers no longer have to take their word for it. Now, they have the option to hear directly from real customers.

It’s important to your restaurant’s online reputation that you take an active role in requesting and responding to reviews. And, you can use those reviews to your advantage by displaying them right on your website!

Highlighting real customer reviews or testimonials on your website is a great way to build trust and harness the power of social proof. One great way to do this is with a reviews widget, ensuring that you’re always displaying your latest reviews.

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#9. Social media buttons

Your website is your restaurant’s main hub online, but it’s not the only aspect of your digital marketing strategy. More and more, social media has become a key place for consumers to find local businesses, like restaurants.

Your website and social media profiles should be two parts of a cohesive marketing strategy, and each one should be used to support the other. That means that you should have a link to your website on your social profiles.

You also want to make it easy for website visitors to connect with you on social media. The easiest way to do this is by including buttons to your social profiles on your website.

Does your restaurant website have all of the features you need to succeed? If not, consider building your own with Websites 360®.

Websites 360 offers a library of beautiful, professional restaurant website design templates, an easy-to-use website builder, expert support and more, making it easy to build your own restaurant website.

Get started by choosing a restaurant design template.

Originally published on 12/9/20