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The digital revolution has changed the way we dine, with restaurant websites being a primary tool in this transformation. However, many restaurants often fail to capitalize on their website due to a lack of knowledge about how it can be used as a sales engine for their business. This article will provide you with an overview of what information every restaurant should know before launching their website and 5 tips that are guaranteed to help increase your online sales conversion rates by 10x+.
For firms in the foodservice sector, having a website is essential. It allows your restaurant to be found online, offers menus and basic information to customers, and acts as a platform for accepting online bookings and orders for pick-up or delivery. All you have to do now is choose a content management system (CMS), a template, edit your template, and publish your site.
In five simple steps, here’s how to make a restaurant website:
1. Decide on a Content Management System (CMS)
The first step in creating a website for your business is deciding which site builder to employ. This is a crucial choice that determines how simple (or difficult) it will be to design, create, launch, and administer your website, as well as how much it will cost. You won’t run out of possibilities, from WordPress to more user-friendly site builders like Squarespace and Wix.
The finest platforms for creating a restaurant website are as follows:
- Wix: The best all-around website builder for restaurants, featuring a simple and user-friendly site editor. It comes with everything you’ll need to get discovered, make online bookings, and take online orders.
- Squarespace; is the best choice for businesses who want to sell food and products online since it offers the most economical online selling options and food ordering capabilities built-in.
- GoDaddy: It features industry-leading booking capabilities and an event ticketing system, making it a great alternative for restaurants that serve as event venues, whether they conduct events often or provide spaces for private use.
- Webnode: The best bare-bones solution for restaurants on a small budget that simply need a basic and informative website to keep their internet presence up to date.
- WordPress; is ideal for huge restaurant chains with a large number of websites. With the best web hosting services, such as Bluehost, which costs $2.95 per month, you may host several sites for one cheap set monthly fee.
You’ve undoubtedly heard that WordPress is the most popular content management system. It’s best to avoid it if you’re new to web design and don’t have the time (or inclination) to learn. WordPress not only has a high learning curve but also requires regular maintenance.
To save you time and difficulties, we’ll utilize Wix instead, which is a low-maintenance and simple-to-use site builder. It’s also the greatest website builder for restaurants in general.
2. Register for an account
Shortcut: Wix > Click “Get Started” > Sign Up > Click “Get Started” > Input “Restaurant” > Select Site Features
The next step is to go through your favorite provider after deciding which CMS to use to develop your site. Go to Wix and click the “Get Started” button, for example. After that, you’ll be requested to create an account. Click the “Get Started” option on the next page, and then specify that you’re creating a restaurant website. Finally, you’ll be asked to choose the restaurant features you want in your design.
3. Choose a Restaurant Design Template
Shortcut: Select “Choose a template” > Browse > View > View Full Demo > Edit
You’ll then be asked if you want Wix to develop your site for you or if you want to choose a template. You can use either, but we’ll go with “pick a template” for greater design flexibility. Following that, you’ll be taken to the template library, where you’ll see templates that match your requirements depending on the information you provided in the previous step.
Here are some pointers to consider while selecting a template for your restaurant website:
- Match the template to your company’s identity.
- Check to see whether it includes the tools you’ll need.
- Test the template to see how it affects the user’s experience.
Take your time looking through the templates, and when you find one you like, mouse over it and pick “View” to try it out. Click “Edit” to access the site editor if it meets your demands and the design style you choose.
4. Make Your Template Your Own
Shortcut: Click on an element > Edit
It’s now time to start personalizing your restaurant website, which includes adding your own logo, modifying the header and footer, adding and deleting pages (such as your locations, hours, and menu), and integrating any connections (e.g., OpenTable). Wix is a highly user-friendly site builder, but it will take some time to get to know how to use it.
The following are the main aspects to personalize:
- Header
- Footer
- Pages may be added and removed.
- Pages may be customized.
Personalize Your Header
Because your header will be shown on every page, it’s critical to have a well-designed header with easy-to-use navigation for future site visitors. Simply click inside the header area to make changes. You may then edit the navigation, add your company’s name or logo, change the colors and fonts, and update any components, such as a call-to-action (CTA) button (e.g., online ordering or online reservations).
Because many people will come to your site to see what your restaurant has to offer, including your menu in your navigation. As a result, making it as simple as possible for users to discover your menu can improve the user experience on your site.
Personalize Your Footer
After you’ve finished creating your header, go to the bottom of your website and look for your footer. You may then personalize it by selecting any piece and customizing it. You may also use the left-hand choices to add any more items to your footer, such as a CTA button, text, contact form, or extra site navigation (just click “Add” and pick the element you want to add to your footer).
Add & Remove Pages
Next, add and remove any web pages. To add a page, navigate to the left-hand menu and click the first option, “Menus & Pages.” From there, scroll down to the bottom and click the “+ Add Page” button. Finally, update the page name. To remove a page, navigate back to “Menus & Pages” and hover over the page you want to remove. Click the “…” to the right and select “Delete” from the list of options that appear, and confirm that you want to delete the page.
Pro tip: Try to keep the number of pages to a minimum and concentrate on the most important ones. This will help you prevent clutter and make it simpler for your visitors to traverse your site.
Pages may be customized
The next step is to personalize each of your website pages. Customizing pages is similar to customizing your header and footer in that you may edit and move any page element to a new spot or resize it. You may also use the left-hand vertical navigation to add items to your website (e.g., photos, videos, text, buttons, contact forms, menus, online store, restaurant integrations, and so forth).
Always utilize high-resolution images of your restaurant’s food and drink. If you don’t have any good images, hiring a professional photographer is a good investment. However, you may utilize Wix’s free stock photographs in the meanwhile.
5. Review & Publish Your Site
You’re nearly ready to publish and go live with your website. Before you do so, double-check that everything on your site looks and performs correctly. Examine each web page, click on each link, and make any necessary changes to the content. Also, click the “Preview” button in the upper right-hand corner to see how your site appears on mobile, and then change it to mobile by clicking the mobile symbol in the upper left-hand corner.
When you’re ready, click “Publish” in the top right corner, and then “Upgrade to Premium Plan” in the pop-up that displays. This will allow you to link your own domain, as well as take online payments (both of which are required for any professional website). Choose the best plan for you and finish the checkout procedure.
What’s Next: Boost Your Site’s Online Visibility
Of course, this does not imply that the task is finished. You’ll need to make sure your restaurant website can be discovered online now that you’ve developed it. To do so, you need to perform the following post-launch tasks:
- Learn how to set up online ordering if you haven’t already done so in the previous phases.
- To be discovered in local search results, create a Google My Business account.
- To increase your chances of being discovered in searches, submit your URL to Google.
- Learn how to connect to Google Analytics with ease.
- To boost your site’s Google rating, use search engine optimization (SEO).
- Include the URL to your website on your social media pages.
- Add your website to online business directories that are relevant to your industry (e.g., Yelp, Tripadvisor, and so forth).
Most Commonly Asked Questions (FAQs)
Squarespace versus Wix: which is better?
Squarespace and Wix are two popular website builders that make creating a professional website simple and inexpensive for almost anybody. While Wix features a genuine drag-and-drop editor, it may be clumsy, and the creative flexibility can lead to uneven (and bad) design. On the other side, Squarespace is well-known for its high-quality templates and professional design.
What is the best way to include reviews on my restaurant’s website?
The answer to how to embed reviews on your site will depend on the platform you used to build your site (e.g. WordPress, Squarespace, or Wix) and the platform you use to collect reviews (e.g., Google, Trustpilot, or Tripadvisor). If your site is built with WordPress, your best bet is to use a plugin. To find one, go to Plugins > Add new, and search for the reviews platform you’re using (e.g., Google Reviews). Learn more about how to embed Google reviews.
Which online reservation systems are the most effective?
If your restaurant takes reservations, you’ll need an online reservation system. ResyOS, Tock, Yelp Bookings, EatApp, SevenRooms, and GloriaFood are the finest overall systems, whether you only require the capacity to accept and manage reservations via your website or you need more complex capabilities like the ability to collect prepayments or send SMS notifications.
Conclusion
Building a website for a restaurant does not have to be complex or costly. It’s really lovely and economical, thanks to an all-in-one website builder like Wix, with options beginning at $14 per month and no startup costs. You may also use Wix for free to get started (no credit cards required).
