Do Your Customers Hate Your Restaurant Website?
September 11, 2009
It’s quite possible that they do. Even if they tell you that it’s great, chances are that they just can’t or won’t tell you the real deal.
So I’m going to.
Admittedly I’m treading on thin ice here; the only thing more dicey than pointing out that your website stinks would be to tell you that your pet chihuahua is ugly and annoying. Here I go anyway because, like exercise, immunizations and brussels sprouts, it’s for your own good.
Why would your customers hate your website? It could be because…..
I don’t know where your restaurant is and your website doesn’t tell me. This is a quick and easy problem to fix on almost any website and one that I implore you to remedy today. Put your restaurant’s full physical address and phone number in a prominent place (in text, not as a graphic element) on every page of your website. Don’t make people dig for it and do not assume that the only people who visit your website already know how to find you. A good portion of the online dining searches are performed by tourists who aren’t familiar with your city. Help them. If you are located in a suburb or neighborhood that visitors may not recognize, make sure to relate it to a location with which they will be familiar. For instance, you could say “located 10 minutes north of downtown in the trendy Highlands neighborhood.” Including a map, driving directions and parking information is also helpful and appreciated. The bonus points you get for this one? Adding your address (in text, not graphics) will help your ranking in the local search listings.
I want to see your restaurant’s menu before committing and it’s either: 1) not online 2) out of date or 3) it can’t be read in it’s online form. The very first thing I want to see when deciding whether or not to eat at your establishment is the menu. Please make it easy for me to find, don’t give me the menu from last summer and please don’t make me download it in some obscure file format. Make your menu an actual page on your website and update it regularly; your customers will love you for it and, if the page is optimized, the search engines will reward you with rankings as well.
I want to see your restaurant’s website; I don’t want my time wasted with an intro. You know that really cool video? The one that plays when I land on your web address and requires me to either sit through it or, if available, click the “Skip Intro” link to get to your website? Yep, you guessed it. I hate it and I am probably leaving your website without going any further. Don’t put hurdles in front of your potential customers and the information they are seeking. If it’s an interactive element that you want on your website, integrate it into your homepage. There are many design techniques that allow you to feature some form of video presentation prominently within the main website. A bonus for ditching the intro is that this also improves the search engine performance of your website.
I need a lunch/Sunday brunch/happy hour/late dinner option and I don’t know if you are open. The little brother of this one is not updating the restaurant’s hours, even if they are on the website. Need a real-world example? Recently, I wanted to go to one of my favorite local eateries for lunch. I checked their website and it only listed that they were open from 5 PM to 10 PM. I went to lunch elsewhere only to find out later that they indeed served lunch on weekdays. Bummer. Put the operating hours of your restaurant in a prominent place and ensure the times listed are accurate.
Do I need reservations? Don’t bury your online reservation link and/or phone number and please let me know if you’ve got a first-come, first-served, no-reservations-accepted policy. I may be willing to wait for an hour or more for a table if you let me know beforehand what to expect.
When I search for your restaurant’s name, the website is not listed in search results. I see reviews on Yelp, perhaps some local blog posts but your website is nowhere to be found. Don’t scoff, this really happens and there could be many reasons why. Maybe your site structure impedes search engine indexing, maybe your site is brand new or maybe you don’t even have a website?! Most issues can be resolved by employing basic search engine optimization techniques. If you search in Google, Yahoo, Bing or any search engine and cannot find your own website in the search results, call us at 888.822.5836 or submit our quick form to get a free, no-obligation analysis of your situation.
It’s clear that restaurant website designs are in need of improvement. Online customers are begging for it, even if they won’t tell you that to your face. Even worse, there are hundreds of potential patrons every day that can’t offer their opinion on your website design, because they can’t find it. Harsh, to be sure, but true all the same. How long can your business afford to ignore its web-loving clientele?
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