5 tips on how search engines learn to love gastronomy websites
Operating your own website takes a lot of time and effort. Once it goes live, the work is done. Or are those statements maybe not quite correct?
Search engines: Google, etc.
Why is it almost always about Google? Because Google clearly leads the way with a market share of almost 84.81% (as of August 2022). If you want your website to be found here, you have to play by Google’s rules. They change from time to time, but the key factor for search engine optimisation (SEO) is: Website visitors must quickly find what they are looking for.
Nevertheless, there are several alternative search engines, for example Bing, DuckDuckGo or Ecosia. The latter is a German search engine that donates a large part of its revenue to nature conservation organisations. For some time now, the focus has been on planting trees in Burkina Faso.
Writing texts, adding great pictures, the menu as a pdf file and perhaps even integrating an online shop – a lot of work goes into a good website. Eventually everything is ready and the site goes live. The work is done? Unfortunately not! Even if nothing changes in the business, the online presence must be constantly updated. Unfortunately, if there is nothing going on, the page quickly slides down in Google rankings and guests can no longer find it. Now what? Keep your website in top shape – and rankings – with these 5 tips.
Tip 1: Update texts and images frequently
A new photo of a exceptionally arranged dish, a fresh text or an updated menu – Google results improve when new content appears frequently on a page. A tool like DISH Website by DISH Digital Solutions updates texts automatically; and it does it in 18 different languages.
Tip 2: Pictures and videos are great – but not too many
If people visit a website while they are on the move, they may have to watch their data volume or they may not always have the best network connection. Too many or excessively large image and video files cause the page to open slowly. Even great professional photos can slow down the page load if the file size is not adapted for mobile internet use. And if the website loads too slowly, the visitor quickly moves on to search for another nice place.
Tip 3: A website must also look good on a mobile device
Most guests look for websites on their mobile phone. That’s why a website must always look good on all (pocket) computers. Responsive is the magic word here. It means that the page display is automatically adapted for all devices and screen sizes. Google loves it when a website looks great on all devices.
Tip 4: Set up a Google Business Profile
Small effort – massive impact. Your own Google Business Profile (formerly ‘My Business’) makes your company stand out even more. Guests can leave reviews here. Answering them boosts customer retention. A good website can integrate and manage ratings from Google and other services such as Foursquare.
Tip 5: Google likes social media
Facebook, Instagram, etc. – it takes a lot of additional work to use all of them effectively; however, nowadays they are indispensable tools that boost business familiarity and make them more discoverable.
Extra tip: Updates protect against hacker attacks
Hackers attack restaurant websites? Unfortunately, yes! And often no one notices it until the page is suddenly blocked. Often the website owner is blackmailed into making a payment. Then the trouble starts, and it takes time to get the site back online. Good programs are constantly updated. This is the best way to protect a website against attacks.