Local businesses in all industries face challenges related to search engine optimization. However, SEO also presents businesses with unique opportunities to entice customers. And while generic SEO guidelines are very important, we are going to focus on how restaurant owners can benefit from Google and SEO.
Google My Business
A free tool that companies can use to manage their online presence across the Google platform, Google My Business provides benefits relating to both maps and search engine results. There is information available here about Google My Business, while Google also provides Go-to guides on the topic. These guides will help you gain an understanding of how you can use Google My Business to boost your online presence. And here is a look at some of the recent features that have been added to Google My Business, and how restaurants can benefit from those features:
Google Post
Google Post is ideal for sharing daily promotions or specials with customers. Restaurants can use this feature to highlight discounts, special dishes and other offers that may entice local customers to come into the restaurant or order for delivery/takeout. It is also a great way to promote restaurant events, tell customers about your top products, and provide information on new dishes or features. More details about Google Post are available here.
Quick URL’s
Google recently put out an update to Google My Business, which allows businesses to add additional links to different pages on their sites. It is now very easy for restaurants to add links to their menu, online reservation or ordering pages, and other informative pages.
If such details are located on third party sites, you can also add those URLs. This feature is useful for restaurants that may be partnered with an online menu, reservation and/or online ordering websites.
Q&A Feature.
The recent question and answer feature on Google MY Business is a terrific addition. It allows users to ask questions, and it places answers to those questions within results pages on mobile searches and Google Maps searches. It is vital for restaurants to monitor these questions and answers, to ensure that accurate information is being put out about the restaurant.
Placing Your Menu on Search Results Pages
It is amazing how many restaurants are ignoring this feature, despite its obvious benefits. Now users can get all the information they need about a restaurant’s menu on the right side of their search results page. The menu provides information by splitting dishes into different sections while indicating prices, descriptions, and photos of each item. Business owners can tweak the description of their dishes, and add photos where appropriate.
Thanks to the Google my business API, restaurant owners can easily tweak how their menu appears to users, and the results of these tweaks are instantaneous.
Structured Data Markup and How it Impacts Restaurants
Business owners who are experienced with SEO will already know about the Schema markup and how it works. There are now more features available to restaurant owners, who can use these Schema markup codes to create a structure for all the information that is listed on a restaurant menu.
The changes and additions to the Schema markup will benefit restaurants, bakeries, cafés, coffee shops, bars and other businesses of this nature. Aside from items on the menu, information such as business hours, location, type of business and special features can be included within the scheme. More information about the scheme markup can be found here.
While you may be engaging in generic SEO strategies for your website, it is important to take a specific approach if you want to succeed ahead of your competition. These tips for using Google My Assistant as a restaurant business should help you take your restaurant site to a whole new level.
