The Guide to a Successful Restaurant Website41886

The Guide to a Successful Restaurant Website Contents Introduction Chapter Building a New Website Invest in Responsive Design What Should My New Website Include? Will a New Website Be Expensive? Chapter Taking a Great Food Photograph Use Your Smartphone Clean Your Plate Light It Up Make Sure You Focus Say No to Filters 12 Chapter Adding Video to the Mix Don’t Be Intimidated Set the Mood Storyboard It Let the Magic Happen 16 Chapter Understanding Your Analytics Who Were My Visitors? What Did They Do When They Visited? Where Did They Come From? When Did They Start Arriving? How Did They Spend Their Time on My Site? Why Did Visitors Stay or Leave My Site? 21 Conclusion rewardsnetwork.com Introduction Things have changed Can you feel it? Think back to twenty years ago, before you had a smartphone, before Twitter and Facebook … before the Internet was everything to business Pretty wild, huh? The entire world has turned upside down, but one thing hasn’t changed – people still want to experience incredible food With dining out at restaurants in the United States now outpacing grocery store purchases, savvy customers have a lot of options at their disposal Being ready to stand out in a crowd is more important than ever, and savvy restaurants that by being more accessible online But what if your restaurant website is driving customers away? A few facts to mull over: Desktop computer ownership has dropped by 10 percent in the last five years for adults under 30, with younger consumers opting for more mobile formats like laptops, tablets, and smartphones.1 68 percent of all American adults — and 86 percent of adults under 30 — now own smartphones.2 And 65 percent of smartphone owners search regularly for nearby restaurants.3 That desire for more immediate information about you could translate into more views for your website — and more new and repeat customers over time How you that? By making sure your website is built to provide exactly what your customers need “Technology Device Ownership: 2015” http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/10/29/technology-device-ownership-2015/ Ibid “What percentage of restaurants have mobile websites or standard websites?” https://www rewardsnetwork.com quora.com/What-percentage-of-restaurants-have-mobile-websites-or-standard-websites Chapter Building a New Website Times have definitely changed And how you position your business on the internet today can have a lasting and positive effect on your sales When it comes to making their dining decision, customers no longer wait to sit down in your restaurant to see what you’re serving that day In fact, nearly two-thirds of consumers are less likely to choose a restaurant if they can’t read the menu on their mobile device.4 Three out of every 10 will abandon your website altogether if it’s not easy to view on a mobile device.5 So why have smartphones and tablets become so important to diners on the go? It’s because mobile devices are ideal for consuming content, more so than any desktop computer Mobile devices are personal Consumers have come to think of their smartphone as an extension of themselves, with them wherever they go and reflecting their personal style Mobile encourages sharing Consumers can talk to anyone anywhere in the world with a click of the button, but that also translates into deeper connections with people close to home — people who may also frequent your restaurant Mobile is all about accessing information Quickly locating timely information is at the root of every smart website developer’s strategy And asking information about restaurants is among the most common queries for consumers on the go “New Research: Mobile and Web Search Leads to Action for Restaurants” www.singleplatform.com/blog/2013/04/17/mobileand-web-search-leads-to-action-for-restaurants “50 Must-Know Mobile Commerce Statistics and Facts” http://resources.mobify.com/50-morewardsnetwork.com bile-commerce-stats.html Website developers no longer talk about web strategy and mobile strategy as different things; users are making their device choices not by type of content, but by personal circumstances With their smartphone at their fingertips, consumers don’t generally think, “I’ll save this website/ article/search for when I get home tonight” anymore It’s now or never for their interest Your next new customer is searching for you this very moment … and they want to make their dining decision on the spot So, how can you make that moment really count? Your next new customer is searching for you this very moment and the size of your photos all adjust based on the device being used, without any extra clicks or separate sites The content moves around and increases or decreases size to accommodate the size of screen it’s being viewed through Responsive websites are more streamlined, easier to maintain than separate desktop and mobile websites, and better looking than a website built only for the traditional desktop With websites built based on responsive design principles, you are only loading the absolute bare essentials on smaller platforms like smartphones, while more visual content can expand for larger platforms like desktops and laptops Why does this matter? Because the more items your website needs to load when someone visits, the longer it will take (especially for mobile devices) The longer it takes, the less likely a visitor will wait around before seeking out another option Invest in responsive design Since most consumers today own multiple devices for accessing the Internet, it’s difficult to predict which device your customer will be using to visit your website Responsive web design has only one set of code that adapts (or “responds”) to the type of device it’s being viewed on With responsive design, the way items are arranged on the screen, the size of your text, rewardsnetwork.com The basics of any great restaurant website include: In other words, when load time goes down with responsive design, visits go up – visits to your website and, hopefully, visits to your restaurant What should my new website include? How can you make sure that potential customer wants to stick around your new website long enough to turn their experience into a meal? How you seal the deal? There are a few basics when it comes to building a successful restaurant website Above all, make sure it matches the look and feel of your overall brand Your website could easily be the first impression a new customer has of your establishment, your food, and the overall experience of dining with you You want the website to be equal parts accurate and attractive Enticing Photos The basics of any great restaurant website include: Enticing photos Nothing sells your menu to a potential diner like high quality photographs The Internet is a uniquely visual medium Take advantage of that! Your menu Make sure your menu is in a format easily read on a mobile device Just posting PDFs or JPGs of your menu can strain the eyes or are difficult for smartphones to load, so include your menu as live text Your Menu Video! Website visitors are 10 times more likely to engage with a video than other forms of content.6 Your phone number Calling your restaurant is still an easy way for guests to order directly from you, ask questions, and check your hours of operation Video Your Phone Number “Why Online Video Is Vital For Your 2013 Content Marketing Objectives” http:// www.forbes.com/sites/seanrosensteel/2013/01/28/why-online-video-is-vital-for-your-2013-content-marketing-objec- rewardsnetwork.com tives/#1fc18f2c29a3 6 Your website doesn’t need to be complicated It just needs to answer your customer’s questions in as simple and elegant of a way as possible Less is more For every page on your website, just ask yourself: What my customers need… right this very second… exactly where they are… with what they have at hand… to make a decision to dine at my restaurant? Will a new website be expensive? Maybe It depends on how many visitors you expect, how many bells and whistles you need, and how adept you are at building your own site from a template The wide range of website hosting and design costs could end up being the majority of your marketing budget or it might be a minor expense It depends on what fits your business’ marketing needs More complicated doesn’t always mean better, but simpler doesn’t always mean cheaper, either Make a plan for a new website that’s easier to read, more engaging, and will drive more customers through your doors Investigate different options — from building your own site through SquareSpace or GoDaddy to hiring a web design firm to build a site for you — to decide what feels right for your level of interest and ability And once you have that new website, start thinking about what to fill it with First stop? Enticing photographs! rewardsnetwork.com Chapter Taking a Great Food Photograph Simply put, photographs drive interest like nothing else online But hiring a professional photographer and food stylist to take that perfect photograph of your dishes — the face of your restaurant, really — can be completely out of budget for most businesses The alternatives are limited: Downloading images from the internet is illegal Stock photos feel fake And images of anything other than what happens between the four walls of your restaurant could leave the wrong impression with customers The solution seems simple But can photos you take yourself really sell your menu to the casual internet browser? While it’s never been more important to have high-quality photographs readily available for potential diners, it’s also never been easier Technology has progressed with the consumer desire to see, do, and feel as much on the internet as they would in real life So today, the average person already has in their possession everything they need to take stunning photos that can be shared with the world With just these few tips in mind, you’ll be taking amazing photographs of your equally amazing dishes in no time — without costing you a fortune in the process The answer is yes! rewardsnetwork.com Use your smartphone There’s an entire industry out there waiting for you to spend money on equipment and do-dads that promise the most perfect photograph in the world Except you’re not a professional photographer who has the time and dedication to learn how to use all that equipment You’re a restaurant operator and have an entirely different job to Unless you have an amateur passion for the still image and happen to love cameras and everything camera-adjacent, we recommend pulling your handy-dandy flip phone? Odds are you have a server or sous chef who would be happy to lend you a hand — and their technology — if asked nicely Clean your plate smartphone out of your pocket and giving it a try before spending any hard-earned cash on professional camera equipment The last two versions of the iPhone (5 and 6) have both featured superior cameras that take better photos than a lot of traditional SLR (single lens reflex) cameras The same is true of Android models and other modern smartphones in the market Still rocking a Literally There’s nothing more unappealing to a potential customer than drips, drops, and residue hanging off the side of a bowl or plate After you plate your dish, wipe all the edges with a clean, damp cloth, leaving no streaks or smears behind Replate if necessary, taking care to slowly pour or position food into place Be deliberate, but gentle Do all of this at the site of your photograph if carrying an already plated item (like soup) without sloshing or sliding is too difficult When you set up your photographic scene, isolate the plate of food and try not to have too many extraneous items in view Remove water glasses, silverware, napkins — everything except the food and the plate rewardsnetwork.com it’s served on You don’t want anything to distract from the main course! But if you are going to leave utensils or glassware in the shot, make sure they’re clean and unscratched, and not reflecting the camera in the final photograph Indirect, Natural Light Light it up Whenever you photograph a plate of food, indirect, natural light is best Light from the sun is going to give you the most even tone and best clarity of color Keeping it indirect (or diffused with translucent shades) will also prevent harsh shadows from running across your image It’s alright to have some dramatic shadowing — and can even produce a strong visual effect — but you’ll want to avoid having sharp lines diverting attention from the main focus of your image No matter what, however, never use the flash on your camera It will flatten your subject, blow out key details, and produce a very unflattering effect on the food itself You also want to avoid photographing under tungsten or fluorescent light bulbs as much as possible The light from these bulbs will produce a yellow or green cast over your food that is impossible to fix, even with the best Photoshop skills If you absolutely can’t shoot with natural light, swap out your bulbs with daylight-balanced (blue-toned) ones, available at any hardware store The difference will be extraordinary Harsh Light, Flash In-Focus, Sharp Make sure you focus We know this seems self-explanatory, but bear with me It’s important that the focus on your photos is sharp People want to see the details of the food you prepare Unlike the customer experience in your restaurant, which is formed through sight, taste, smell, touch, and maybe even sound, the photograph you’re taking only has one thing to offer: a visual experience Just by looking at this photograph of your food, the customer needs to be able to imagine the amazing smell and mouthwatering taste Out of Focus, Blurry And that only happens if the photo is crisp and in focus Keep your grip steady (use an inexpensive tripod and timer rewardsnetwork.com 10 Instagram filters are tempting if you have jittery hands) and tap the center of the food on your smartphone screen to align the focus if it’s not doing so automatically If you can’t get the focus to appear on screen, you may need to move back a touch You can always crop (in camera, even) later on Say no to filters Instagram filters are tempting They make everything more fun More funky But they rarely give food the natural, appetizing look that you really want What’s great for nostalgia-inducing selfies will leave your restaurant feeling old, washed-out, and fake If you aren’t getting the quality photograph you really want, filters are not the way to go Instead, try a different location Get an employee or friend to help you out (a different perspective can sometimes go a long way) But they rarely give food the natural, appetizing look that you really want Or move on to another dish It could be that the plate of food you feel is so enticing just needs more than a flat photograph to exude all its charm There’s nothing that says every item on your menu needs to be in pictures Pick your battles and put your best foot forward Showcasing five incredible photographs is better than 15 so-so ones in every case Great photographs are only one part of making your restaurant launch or relaunch a success In our next chapter, we look at adding video to the mix of content on your restaurant website! rewardsnetwork.com 11 Chapter Adding Video to the Mix Today, if you have something — anything — to say, the world wide web has a platform ready for you YouTube is free to use and directly integrated into Google searches, and consumers are drawn to video as a source of information and entertainment in greater numbers than ever before With video editing software included on most new laptops and tablets (and relatively easy to use), the barriers to producing something eye-catching and memorable are falling away left and right And most business owners have all of the equipment they need to make a high quality video right in their pocket: their smartphone At this point, video has completely overshadowed blogs, text-only posts, and still photographs In fact, today’s internet users are 10 times more likely to engage, embed, share, and comment on videos than any other form of content online.7 Highly shareable and searchable, video is an ideal form of marketing for any small business looking to attract customers, especially restaurants Want to get started right away? Here’s what to keep in mind: Don’t be intimidated The most common barrier for most people marketing themselves or their business is that they don’t want to look cheap We can all tell the difference between TV commercials that are shot by professional film crews and actors, and those made by a lawyer over a weekend with his brother-in- “Video Content Marketing: Elements of An Effective Strategy” http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2014/05/02/optimal-length-video-marketing-content-short-possible/ rewardsnetwork.com 12 law’s camcorder help The fear of looking low brow is understandable But your video doesn’t need to be motion picture quality for YouTube Consumers who go online to get a sense of the restaurant experience just want a genuine take on what you have to offer Being authentic trumps being cinematic natural light, make sure the area you’re shooting gets as much soft light as possible and experiment with your camera app’s settings to get the best results Set the mood That said, you need to make sure viewers can actually see what you have to offer Having adequate light, sound quality, and stability in your video is critical Luckily, it’s not as difficult as it may seem A video shoot using natural light can produce a beautiful, high quality image that makes both people and your food look better Shoot near a window or in your outdoor dining space to take advantage of the natural warmth of the sun If the light is too harsh, soften it with an umbrella or translucent shade to avoid hard shadows across your subjects’ faces If your restaurant interior does not have sufficient Sound can be challenging to manage, particularly if your establishment is located on a high traffic street, near a train, or adjacent to another business Shooting in off-hours (early morning for the light) can help diminish the extra noise, but once again, give yourself a little room to experiment It also can help for both noise control and stability to set your smartphone or camera up on a tripod or otherwise steady surface to avoid the hand shake (and any sniffles or throat-clearing) of the person behind the camera Your viewers won’t know to thank you for shooting steadily, but they’ll be sure to comment on it if you don’t rewardsnetwork.com 13 Storyboard it Another thing that can vastly improve your shoot (and the end product) is to storyboard your video in advance Without proper planning, your video could end up dragging on much too long (Internet viewers tend to favor videos as short as possible8) or not giving enough meat to make it worth a viewer’s time A bit of fun can be attractive for users online looking for an experience to remember for their next meal You don’t need to be an amazing artist (or even draw), but describing frame by frame what you have in mind for the end product will help you stay organized and on brand, and can help you identify needs or pitfalls in advance of the day of the shoot Write out a script that your actors can practice beforehand You can even draw panels like filmmakers to set up each scene, if you like No matter what method works for you, just having a road map for your video is going to help you execute faster and with less hang-ups when you finally yell, “Action!” Let the magic happen On the other hand, just because you’ve made a plan doesn’t mean you can’t adapt on the fly If someone goes off script and it seems to work, let it happen Don’t hold so tightly to your initial vision as to let something better get away from you Doing multiple run-throughs on your video — even before shooting footage (although these days, it’s not like we need to be concerned with the cost of film or developing) — can generate fresh ideas that may feel more natural for the people or food you are featuring And even if you get what seems like a perfect shot, try it a second time Maybe even try something a little goofy or off the wall You never know! As long as it doesn’t completely counteract your restaurant’s brand, a bit of fun can also be attractive for users online looking for an experience to remember for their next meal “The optimal length for video marketing content? As short as possible.” http:// thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2014/05/02/optimal-length-video-marketing-content-short-possible/ rewardsnetwork.com 14 Collaborate! Don’t ever think you need to it all alone, either Ask for help Get your staff involved They may see it as a fun project that brings a little positive disruption to their normal routine — and bring ideas to the table from a different perspective than yours After all, who knows why guests come dine with you better than the employees who serve them? Watch out for opportunities to team up with other groups or individuals in your community that share a common goal Are you a restaurant specializing in farm-to-table preparation? Reach out to your local farmers market organizers to see if they’d be interested in sharing costs (and messaging) on an online feature Does the yoga studio next door bring your coffee shop a lot of traffic? Talk to them about promoting each other in a video so you can both drive more online customers to your neighborhood! Most importantly, however: watch to see how well your efforts are performing for you There’s no sense in investing a lot of time (and money!) into something that isn’t generating any interest And that’s where Google Analytics comes in rewardsnetwork.com 15 Chapter Understanding Your Analytics Did you know that 90% of the data on Earth was generated in the last years alone?9 No wonder business owners get overwhelmed at the thought of analyzing their website — especially on top of the hustle and bustle of everyday service But if you have a plan for how to use that data to improve your restaurant, you’ll find that keeping an eye on your website’s performance may be a game-changer for your business Google Analytics and other website measurement programs can help you find meaning within this flurry of information You just need to ask the right questions What are our goals? This may be an oddly difficult question to answer for your business Of course, the immediate answer may be: to increase the amount of money coming in the door However, figuring out how to that with a single tool — your website — is not always easy Narrowing the expectations for your restaurant on paper can help Really think about the limits and possibilities of what can be done with your website If it makes sense, include management and staff in your brainstorming Ask yourself, is there anything in particular your current patrons ask about that would be great to have online? Is there an untapped “What is big data?” https://www-01.ibm.com/software/data/bigdata/what-is-big-data.html rewardsnetwork.com 16 audience that your website can uniquely capture and turn into frequent diners? Is there something you feature that no one else does that can earn you credibility online? What you want your website to do? is that none of them reflects the quality of engagement happening on your website, only the quantity And if a metric is not actionable — that is, if it can’t lead to a change in the way you business — it’s probably not worth measuring Where are we today? If you’ve established what you want your website to do, the next step is to determine where it’s falling short Website owners, particularly those in the Business to Consumer (B2C) space, usually have a long list of these items Sort through your top priorities — no more than three to start — and identify what a reasonable improvement would be over the next four seasons If you take reservations directly through your site, one of those three goals should be an increase in that area Reservations translate into dollars, and an increase in that measurement will likely lift your spirits immediately But, like weighing yourself every day when on a diet, checking your analytics too frequently can be frustrating Check in once a week at most Remember, improving your website is a marathon, not a sprint What is the right metric to measure success? When you open up Google Analytics for the first time, three numbers will be front and center for you: Visits, Unique Visitors, and Pageviews You might also call these “hits.” You’ll find that keeping an eye on your website’s performance may be a game-changer for your business The key to success with your website is acquiring information that helps you create a plan of action and also reflects deeper interaction between you and your customers Real insight comes from the overlap of analytics and the type of feedback you can get from online reviews, user testing, and just hearing what customers think about your website So, what’s next? No matter what you are measuring or what goals you have for your website, the most important next step is that there is one! Now let’s narrow the field by suggesting six simple questions that can get you started on the right foot: The problem with all three of these metrics rewardsnetwork.com 17 WHO were my visitors? Are all of your web visitors local? How many are first-time visitors versus returning visitors? What types of devices did they view your site on? All of these questions can inform how you write and the type of content you may want to focus on If too many of your visitors are coming from outside your metro area, consider mentioning local events and information more often to attract customers who can actually dine with you Audience –> Behavior –> New vs Returning WHAT did they when they visited? How many pages did your average customer look at and for how long? What percentage of visitors looked at only one page and then left immediately? just needed a phone number or address), but bounce rates for menu pages probably should be much lower — around 40% or lower High bounce rates (the percentage of users who visited one page and left) can be worrisome, but only if you aren’t digging into the data A bounce rate of 75 percent from your home page is OK (maybe the visitor The problem is, if you are looking at your total website bounce rate, you won’t get this kind of nuance Drilling down on the data — also known as segmentation — is important in determining what is working and what isn’t Behavior –> Site Content –> All Pages rewardsnetwork.com 18 WHERE did they come from? Looking at the traffic sources for your most visited pages is a good way to decide where to spend time and money to improve your website Do most of your customers simply type in your web address directly? What percentage of your visits comes from search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo) versus referral (through a link on another website)? Of the referral traffic, where are visitors coming from? What can you to build on that relationship with the other site — or make your content even more attractive to that demographic? Acquisition –> All Traffic –> Channels WHEN did they start arriving? Did a particular day or week show a huge spike in pageviews on your analytics report? Remember: it’s not the quantity of hits that’s important, but the difference between two numbers — your percentage increase — on a specific day or time that can be helpful Maybe even actionable What happened on the day of the spike? Was it tied to an online event (a new blog article, opening reservations, a bonus offer) or an offline one (something in the news about you, the opening a new location)? Is it something you can repeat? Behavior –> Site Content –> All Pages rewardsnetwork.com 19 HOW did they spend their time on my site? What are the most popular items on your website? Are pdf downloads or views of your menu really popular? Do you have more visits to one section of your drop down menu than any other? If so, it may be time to add more material to those sections It’s also a good idea to place strong calls to action on the pages that get the most visits (such as a button that leads customers directly to the reservation page or to your menu), so visitors will have a reason to keep reading Intelligence Event –> Overview WHY did visitors stay on or leave my site? This one is super tricky If we knew the answer for sure, most of the above questions would be moot Looking closely at funnel reports on how visitors move from page to page on your website will probably give you a good sense of what attracts your loyal customer to your website Is there a particular place in the reservation process where customers frequently drop off and leave? What part of that page seems difficult or could be improved? What’s Next? Audience –> User Flow Consider making three changes based on the data you look at per season, and think about ways to address problems that seem to be popping up with your customers online You probably can’t address everything all at once, but if you stay committed to improvement, you’ll start to feel more in control of your success.  rewardsnetwork.com 20 Conclusion We live our lives online It’s true, isn’t it? We make friends, go on dates, run businesses, and publish books, all with the aid of a world wide web connecting us with people near and far But when it comes to online word of mouth, social media and restaurant rating sites can be your best friends — or your worst enemies “Technology plays a huge role,” says Arezou Hooshiarnejad, Marketing Manager and Event Coordinator of Rewards Network program restaurant Darya Restaurant in Santa Ana, CA “That’s how people get connected How they find out about things that are happening in their area, the restaurants, and what specials they have Before it was just word of mouth Now it’s on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter Social media has expanded that word of mouth.” And being easy to find is only half the battle Review sites like Yelp, GrubHub, Eater, and TripAdvisor have changed the landscape for restaurant-goers significantly in recent years Anyone can find consumer comments about your restaurant at a moment’s notice And like much of Internet commentary, it’s not always pretty But consumer dialogue is part of the reality behind having a business open to the public If you’re doing your job right and providing the best food and service you can, the rewardsnetwork.com 21 occasional bad review will be a learning experience and not a major problem The problem comes when one side or the other is no longer being truthful Most online commenters are going to have the ability to remain anonymous, to one degree or another Guests may not use their real name or photo in association with their comment They may even have multiple accounts and review your restaurant under different user names If they’re doing a good job, good for them, but we always want to better And if there’s something that needs to be addressed then we address it When a restaurant joins Rewards Network, our members are encouraged to leave a review after every visit to that establishment To all outward appearances, the reviews are anonymous, represented only by the first and last initial of the member’s name and their city and state But the difference between this and other review sites is that every Rewards Network review is tied to a specific visit to your restaurant Only diners who have actually paid a check that results in rewards from one of our many loyalty dining programs can leave that feedback It’s word of mouth that was too good for Hooshiarnejad to pass up “We utilize the data to better ourselves I share it with management and management is aware of what’s happening All of the reviews are shared monthly in management and employee meetings If they’re doing a good job, good for them, but we always want to better And if there’s something that needs to be addressed then we address it “I think it’s a great opportunity to bring in new faces, new eyes, and new palates The more accessibility, the more of a presence you have, the more easily you’ll be able to be found.” rewardsnetwork.com 22 To learn more about how Rewards Network can finance your restaurant’s website improvements and increase your sales today: CONTACT US TODAY: Cheryl Parsons Vice-President of Marketing, Rewards Network 312.291.5830 parsonsc@rewardsnetwork.com RewardsNetwork.com ... program restaurant Darya Restaurant in Santa Ana, CA “That’s how people get connected How they find out about things that are happening in their area, the restaurants, and what specials they have... dedication to learn how to use all that equipment You’re a restaurant operator and have an entirely different job to Unless you have an amateur passion for the still image and happen to love cameras and... than any other? If so, it may be time to add more material to those sections It’s also a good idea to place strong calls to action on the pages that get the most visits (such as a button that