4 Reasons Why You Should Focus On Local SEO For Restaurants
Restaurants are among the most popular businesses in any given area, and with so much competition, it can be tough to stand out. That’s why restaurants need to have a local SEO strategy in place to ensure that potential customers can find them easily online.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO is the process of optimizing a website to appear in local search results. The goal is to make it easy for people in the local area to find the restaurant and learn more about it. This can include optimizing the website’s content and metadata, building local citations and managing online reviews. This will lead to increase local traffic, brand awareness, and foot traffic.
How Does Local SEO Work?
Local SEO is based on 3 ranking factors which are location, relevance, and ratings.
Location: The distance between your restaurant and the user searching for food. The shorter the distance the better.
Ratings: How well-known your business is is determined by the number and quality of google reviews
Relevance: How relevant is your business to the user’s search inquiry?
It’s important to take these 3 ranking factors into consideration when you’re strategizing because you can target specific keywords to help boost your rankings. One way to boost your local SEO ranking is Google My Business
Google My Business is a free online marketing tool that tremendously will help with your local SEO. Creating a Google My Business Profile will help you appear on Google’s Local Search Results otherwise known as the Local Map Pack. Google My Business will use these 3 ranking factors to determine where you will appear on the local search results.
Why Do Restaurants Need a Local SEO Strategy?
1. Increased Visibility
Having a local SEO strategy can help restaurants increase their visibility in local search results. Remember that location plays a huge role in determining where you will populate on the local search rankings. When potential customers search for restaurants in their area, to eat then it’s most likely your restaurant will populate if it’s within their vicinity.
Location is only one factor. The restaurant with the most effective local SEO strategy is more likely to appear at the top of the search results. This will include your online reviews, and how relevant your restaurant is to the search inquiry. An effective local SEO strategy can help increase the restaurant’s visibility and ultimately drive more traffic to the website and physical location.
2. Targeted Marketing
A local SEO strategy can help restaurants target the right audience. One major difference between local SEO and SEO is the target audience. SEO is still incredibly powerful and valuable, however, it serves a broad audience. Compared to local SEO, it targets a specific audience in a specific location.
By optimizing the website for local search terms, local citations, and backlinks restaurants can ensure that they are reaching people who are most likely to be interested in their services. This is why focusing your efforts first on local SEO can move the needle in your business because you’re targeting potential LOCAL customers. For example, a restaurant that specializes in vegan cuisine in Los Angeles can optimize its website for local vegan-related search terms to attract customers who are interested in this type of food.
3. Increased Trust
Your website and Google My Business profile will be major influences in building trust. A task that many restaurants fall behind in is attaining online reviews. Prominence is the second most important ranking factor in local SEO so it’s critical for restaurant owners to receive online reviews. Reviews easily influence potential customers to give your restaurant a chance or not. In fact, 68% of consumers are more inclined to visit a local bar, hotel, or restaurant if it has positive reviews.
Attaining reviews is just as important as managing online reviews. Positive reviews from customers can help increase trust in the restaurant, and negative reviews can be used as an opportunity to improve the business. According to a Trip Advisor survey, 78% of consumers feel that a business cares about its consumers more if they respond to online reviews than if they do not. Responding to reviews in a timely and professional manner can help show potential customers that the restaurant cares about its customers and is willing to make changes to improve their experience.
4. Cost-Effective Marketing
Local SEO is a cost-effective marketing strategy for restaurants. Unlike traditional marketing methods such as print or TV ads, local SEO can be done with a relatively low budget. Local SEO is relatively more This is especially important for small businesses that may not have a large marketing budget.
In Conclusion
Restaurants need a local SEO strategy to increase their visibility, target the right audience, increase trust, and engage in cost-effective marketing. With so much competition in the restaurant industry, having an effective local SEO strategy can make a significant difference in attracting new customers and building a successful business.
