Elements Your Restaurant Website Needs to Stand Out

Mobile-Friendly, Responsive Design

Most people access the internet from a mobile device, so the majority of your web traffic will likely be from phones. A website not optimized to fit on any device provides poor user experience and will harm your reputation. People will associate your restaurant with being outdated and providing low service.

Responsive web design ensures your website is easy to use on phones, tablets, and computers of all screen sizes. Luckily with the Epos Now Online web builder, responsive design comes standard. You don't need any technical web design skills to build a fully branded, optimised site with Epos Now. Simply choose a beautiful ready-made template, and use our drag-and-drop functionality to build a site that will generate repeat business.

Source: eposnow.com

Accurate Brand Representation

Restaurant websites serve (no pun intended) as a valuable resource for learning about what a customer can expect at the restaurant. In general, your site visitors want to know about the type of food served, the price, the ambiance, and what makes the restaurant unique.

Therefore, a winning restaurant website should serve as its virtual representation. The site's content and appearance should align with the restaurant's style and atmosphere. The branding should be consistent with the restaurant's identity, ensuring brand consistency.

Source: therail.media

Visibility of restaurant information

Having your restaurant's name, address, and phone number listed in an easily visible place on your website makes it easier for your customers to get directions to your restaurant or call in an order. If potential customers have a hard time finding this information, it's likely they will find a restaurant that makes it easier.

Ideally, you want to embed your Google Maps Location on your website, but if you can link your address to Google Maps that is fine as well. This makes it easier for users on mobile to simply click your address and be given directions within seconds. Also, you can utilize the tel: schema to link your phone number as well, which will make it more convenient for mobile users to call you.

Listing this information on your website is also a great way to rank higher in local Google Search rankings. If your NAP (name, address, phone) is consistent across all your listings, social media profiles, and website, Google will reward you with higher search engine rankings.

Source: blog.typsy.com

Menu

Menus help customers decide two things:

Whether they want the food served in a restaurant

Whether they afford it

You will attract the correct type of customers if you include a menu with prices on your website. It's a great way not only to impress prospective customers but showcase popular and unique dishes.

A good menu should be easy to use and elegant. Please stay away from PDF menus as they aren't mobile-friendly. Use HTML instead. Each menu item's price should be included since it influences the customer's decision.

Finally, make sure the prices and items always reflect the current menu at the restaurant.

Source: therail.media

Offer High-Resolution Images

Give guests a taste of your menu offerings by incorporating high-quality images on your site. While you want to limit the number of graphics or images to keep site speeds fast, a few eye-catching design elements can draw customers in before they even look at your menu. If you offer especially unique or photogenic dishes, displaying these on your site can even interest foodies looking to post images of fun foods on their own social media accounts.

Source: webstaurantstore.com

Guest Testimonials

Good reviews and customer comments are an excellent source of social proof, increasing your restaurant's credibility.

When deciding whether or not to visit a new restaurant, customers typically read reviews and testimonials first. While it is true that the vast majority of users put more trust in reviews found elsewhere rather than on the restaurant site itself, it doesn't hurt to have a few positive opinions of your business on the website.

Make the most of the positive comments and ratings on social media platforms and sites like TripAdvisor by adding them to your site as well.

Adding favorable press reviews or awards is also an option. In the minds of prospective customers, they enhance the business' image and generate an excellent first impression. This gives you an advantage over your competitors.

Source: therail.media

Online ordering

Ordering food online is more convenient and faster than calling ahead. The easier you make it for users to order food from you, the more likely they are to buy what you have to offer. 56% of consumers will go online to order food at least once a month and consumers who have already placed an online order before are 67% more likely to visit your restaurant.

Online ordering is also easier for your staff. It frees up they're time so they can take care of customers who are already dining in, while reducing the amount of misunderstandings and mix-ups that may be encountered when ordering over the phone.

Allowing your customers to order online also equips you to compete with big brands that already have this feature readily available. You can also collect customer data, which can come in handy when you are running promotions throughout the year.

One effective way to offer an online ordering option is to place it on your menu. By doing this you are increasing conversions, as you are providing users a more convenient option to order your food.

Source: blog.typsy.com

Restaurant Website Design Conclusion

It's no simple task to create an effective website for a restaurant. Restaurant website design should not be taken lightly considering the huge importance of a strong web presence for a restaurant and the impact it can have on their bottom line.

Using a free website builder, or the cheapest designer, should not be a restaurant owners first choice. A good restaurant website design is an investment that should pay for itself if done correctly.

Does your restaurant need a new website design? Contact us today, we can help!

Source: restaurantden.com