The 9 Reasons Your Restaurant’s Success Is Tied To Having An Updated Website
Updated: May 7
If you own a restaurant, you know how important it is to attract and retain customers. Day-in and day-out you’re tasked with showing potential customers why your restaurant fits their needs better than others in your area, which, depending on your market, can be no easy feat.
But did you know that having an updated website can make a huge difference in your success? A website is not just a digital brochure for your restaurant; it is a powerful tool that can help you grow your business and stand out from the competition.
In this blog, we will explore 9 reasons why every restaurant (yes, even yours!) needs an updated website in 2023. Whether you want to acquire more customers, provide more convenience, update your menu easily, or another reason, this blog will help you find out how you can achieve your goals.
For convenience sake, we’ve divided the 9 reasons why your restaurant’s success is tied to having an updated website into 3 categories: Customer Experience, Winning Business Practices, and Adapting to the Digital Age.
To view, click the drop down menus.
Elevated Customer Experience
An Updated Restaurant Website is Convenient and Inviting
Perhaps one of the most notable reasons for having an updated website for your restaurant is that it’s by far the easiest way for a customer to obtain information they’re looking for. This information can be as simple as hours of operation, location, and telephone number; and while all these things may not have changed in the past few decades, your customer doesn’t know that.
Another convenience that an updated website can provide to a customer is high-quality photos of menu items, your restaurant, and the staff that makes the whole operation run smoothly. Transparency is inviting and a customer wants to know what they’re getting out of your restaurant even before they place an order. Your restaurant offers quality in many ways, make sure your customers know that.
An Updated Restaurant Website Makes Menu Updates Even Easier
No two restaurants in the world are the same, but every restaurant has one thing in common: they all a menu to order from. One of the biggest advantages of having an updated website is having an updated menu that can easily be adjusted for new dishes, special offers and seasonal changes.
This also means that you can easily update your menu whenever you want, without having to print new menus or change your signage, saving you money in the long run. In a post-COVID world where physical menus are less common anyway, an updated menu is all that more important for your restaurant’s success.
An Updated Restaurant Website Increases Positive Customer Feedback
An added benefit of having an updated website for your restaurant is that it can provide customers with a platform to leave feedback about your restaurant. This means that customers can share their opinions, experiences, and suggestions with you and other potential customers, by leaving reviews, ratings, comments, or testimonials on your website. While feedback can be intimidating, it can also help you improve your service and quality, as you can learn from your customers’ feedback and make changes accordingly. Having an updated website has the added bonus of increasing your credibility and trustworthiness by showing that you value your customers’ opinions and that you are willing to listen and respond to them.
Winning Business Practices
An Updated Restaurant Website Is the Perfect Canvas for Your Brand Strategy
A brand strategy is like a roadmap for your restaurant's distinctiveness, values, mission, vision, and objectives. It's how you convey your identity, purpose, and passion to your customers and the market. And trust me, for some customers, this the most important thing.
Now, if you really want to impress your customers even before they step into your restaurant, make sure your website speaks volumes about your style, theme, and personality. A cleverly updated website can help you create a killer first impression, stand out from the crowd, and keep your customers coming back for more. Think about all the times someone will buy a bottle of wine just because the label design looks cool. This is pretty much the same thing.
An Updated Restaurant Website Will Save You Money
Sure, it’ll cost you some money to update your online page, but did you know that a spruced-up website can actually save you some serious cash? That's right, not only will it make your business look sharp and up-to-date, but it can also have a major impact on your financials. Think of it as a one-time investment that keeps on giving - it'll help you reel in more customers and boost sales without breaking the bank on advertising.
And not for nothing, but an updated website will not only save you money, but it’ll save the planet from all the printing you won’t be doing. Rather than put your money toward brochures, invest that money into a website.
An Updated Restaurant Is The Ultimate Customer Acquisition Tool
Be it no surprise that one of the biggest advantages is that it can help you attract more customers. Customer acquisition is a critical process that involves converting potential customers into actual ones. By updating your website, you can make your restaurant more visible and accessible online. This means that you can rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) when people search for restaurants near them.
In the past several years we’ve been introduced to the largest game changer for restaurants: online ordering. Online ordering is becoming more popular among customers, especially during the pandemic, as it offers convenience, safety, and flexibility. The numbers don’t lie, either. According to some restaurant statistics, 81% of diners have used a restaurant’s website to place an order online. Moreover, 46% of consumers expect restaurants to have online ordering. This shows that having an updated website with online ordering capabilities can help you attract and retain more customers who prefer to order food online rather than over the phone.
Adapting to the Digital Age
An Updated Restaurant Website Increases Your Online Presence
Your online presence is all about how visible and reputable your restaurant is on the internet, and having an updated website is a great way to achieve this. It helps you connect with a wider audience who are searching for restaurants online, and you can even customize your website to target specific customers based on their location, preferences or needs. By integrating your website with other online platforms like review sites or delivery services, you can reach even more potential customers.
An Updated Restaurant Website Boosts Your Organic Traffic
Updating your restaurant website can help you rank higher in SERPS, and by ranking higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), you'll attract more organic traffic - aka visitors who find you without clicking on paid ads. And let's be real, organic is always better, right?It'll boost your online visibility, credibility, and authority, which can only mean good things for your restaurant. Plus, a well-optimized website can help you cater to potential customers' search queries and keywords, making it easier for them to find and fall in love with your establishment.
An Updated Restaurant Website Is Guaranteed To Be Mobile Friendly
If you're running a restaurant and don't have an updated website yet, you might as well be serving your customers cold soup. Here's why: Over 80% of people use their smartphones to look for restaurants, so you need a website that looks and works great on mobile. You want your website to be fast, responsive, and user-friendly, so your customers can easily find what they need. Plus, with features like click-to-call, maps, directions, and online ordering, your website can make it easy for customers to become regulars. And let's not forget about SEO - a mobile-optimized website can help you climb the ranks on Google and Bing.
Updating your restaurant website, or even building one for the very first time can be a majorly daunting task. But you're not alone. Trailblaze PVD has been building an upgrading restaurant websites for the past several years and we know exactly what to do to get you to the finish line. Contact us today to get started!
When was the last time your restaurant's website got an upgrade?
In the past year
In the past couple of years
Not for over five years
It's never had an upgrade