SEO for cafés – more guests with search engine optimization

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Local SEO for cafés

Google Maps & Business Directories

Google Maps is a core Google service for search queries with a local component. As you’ve probably noticed many times yourself, Google sometimes even displays a map directly on the search results page (SERP).

The reason for this is that people usually look for a café nearby and not at the North Pole. I myself live in Friedrichshain and I mainly get results within walking distance. However, small changes to the search can lead to different results.

Comprehensive local SEO for cafés also includes entries in business directories. This generates visibility and often traffic as well.

Referencing also creates so-called backlinks. These signal the relevance of a particular café to Google and thus strengthen its visibility in the search results.

Tracking local rankings, in turn, allows you to analyze these rankings. With the right methods, even small or new providers can therefore enter already competitive markets very successfully.

Rank Tracking and UTM Parameters

You can monitor a local service provider’s rankings for specific keywords using the appropriate tracking tools. I personally use https://localranking.com/.

Here, I’ll show you some examples of my profile’s rankings as an SEO freelancer on Google Maps. I have this checked automatically for myself—and, with the necessary adjustments, for various clients—on a weekly basis. My location in eastern Berlin serves as the focal point.

This type of rank tracking is generated by simulated queries from different geographic coordinates. In my case, I use a 9×9 grid with a 3-mile spacing—that covers the area from my location in Berlin to practically the city limits of Potsdam.

You should then analyze the clicks and impressions using UTM tracking parameters. To do this, create a link with the appropriate parameters and add it to your Google My Business profile. You can then analyze the data separately in Search Console. You can use this tool I’ve created for that purpose.

Google My Business Optimization

Google My Business is a service that allows businesses to actively manage their profiles on Google Maps. It enables businesses to provide basic information such as contact details and hours of operation. In addition, you can upload pictures and short videos.

But above all, depending on the business model, you can also showcase services and products. In doing so, many providers make the big mistake of using terminology based on their own internal perspective.

However, potential customers often use other keywords. Accordingly, customized names for services and products are crucial for the success of SEO for cafés.

Keyword research for cafés

Keyword research for cafés is primarily about localization. For example, the keyword “café in Berlin” is a blunt search term given that there are around 5,000 cafés, restaurants and bars in Berlin. Google then processes such a query with the help of linguistic models and in combination with other signals such as the location of the person searching.

But even a keyword such as “café in Friedrichshain” still offers a lot of leeway given that the district covers an area of around 9.8 km². A keyword like “Café an der Frankfurter Allee” is a much more precise choice.

But Frankfurter Allee is a central axis of Berlin and about 3.6 kilometers long. You probably don’t want to walk from Samariterkiez to Lichtenberg station for a cappuccino.

Especially in densely populated areas, keyword targeting for cafés & coffee shops is therefore not entirely trivial and always depends on the individual case.

Optimize for tripadvisor.de and similar

Another aspect of café SEO is the systematic optimization of portals such as tripadvisor.de. It is estimated that around 28 million users currently visit this website every month to find cafés on the internet, among other things.

The optimization of profiles on such portals is part of a holistic SEO strategy for gastronomic businesses. Especially if you already have the necessary image and text material for Google My Business or your own website, for example, then this field can also be worked on very efficiently.

Regional link building for cafés

Google and many other search engines incorporate numerous signals into their rankings. In addition to content relevance and technical status, these include backlinks in particular.

When it comes to SEO for cafés, the regional aspect is also very important. For example, it is (usually) of little use to a café in Berlin if the company is listed in a business directory for Braunschweig.

Website Development & Optimization

CMS, Text, Images, and Video

The best way to create a website for cafés or coffee shops is with a widely used CMS such as WordPress. Mainstream products have the advantage that practically all possible problems have already been answered in forums. If difficulties arise, you can quickly research the solutions.

An optimized page structure to specifically address common search queries is then crucial. This involves using keyword research to pick up on the common wording used by potential customers and, ideally, systematically utilizing it as part of a keyword map.

To design the homepage and landing pages, you need content. Text and images are especially important. Good videos can be a huge asset.

Both written and visual content require targeting for suitable keywords. Otherwise, it can easily happen that even high-quality content is never actually visible to potential guests.

Structured data Local Business

With “structured data”, the major search engines cooperate to offer fantastic script formats for local companies, among others. This can be used, for example, to store GEO coordinates of a restaurant in the source code of a website.

This gives Google & Co the exact location of a café. The coordinates can then be compared directly with the IP of a search query. This in turn increases the chance of being prominently displayed in this Google Map feature.

In addition, SEO for cafés and coffee shops can also break down the services in structured data. This is just as possible as adding contact details, image links, descriptions, profiles in industry portals and much more.

Here is an example of an abridged excerpt that I, as an independent SEO freelancer, use on this website.

To create structured data for your local business and its related services, you can use this tool I’ve created:

In my blog, I have published statistics on structured data from local businesses in Germany. As part of the evaluation, I also analyzed the websites of 5,657 cafés.

In this SEO analysis of more than 100,000 websites, I summarized possible alternatives in categories. In this way, I was able to capture relevant structured data for local companies in a very comprehensive approach. Due to the growing importance of videos, I also took their use into account. Here you can see the values and alternatives used:

Here you can see in brief the overview for this segment and the obvious potential in the area of search engine optimization. I would be happy to advise you in detail on the specifics of your industry.

Web Performance & Core Web Vitals

Last but not least, a café's website should be very fast. In addition, there should be no shifting of content when loading. Google has summarized the key metrics for Core Web Vitals:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) >: Load time for the largest image
• First Input Delay (FID) >: Time to interact
• Content Layout Shift (CLS) > Layout shifts that occur while content is loading

My SEO services for cafés

With these services, I help my clients achieve a place in the search engine sunshine. Strategically clever and consistent in implementation, I support my clients in achieving their corporate goals.

I usually agree with my clients to work on specific topics within the framework of individual hourly packages up to a certain point in time. This is followed by invoicing and, if necessary, discussion of the next package.

If required, I can also provide monthly SEO support.

My Hourly Rates and Flat Fees

I can offer SEO for cafés as a one-off service or as part of monthly SEO support. We agree on the type and scope in a detailed preliminary discussion.

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My references

"Wolfgang Reinöhl is a SEO master strategist with an excellent understanding of structured data. He is totally based and I love his bias towards action. Always a pleasure."

"I used to work with Wolfgang Reinöhl in a large SEO agency. I value him as a safe bank and we also enjoy working together as freelancers."

"Wolfgang Reinöhl is one of the best SEO freelancers in Berlin. Professionally an ace, personally top and a great colleague for many projects."

"I was Wolfgang Reinöhl's first SEO team lead. Even as a junior, he developed his own SEO solutions and really impressed me."

"Wolfgang Reinöhl is a weapon and achieves more with his side projects than many teams with large SEO budgets. Honest, direct and mercilessly effective."

"I know Wolfgang Reinöhl from our time together as SEO team leaders in a large full-service agency. You can always rely on him."

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2. Discuss Project: I will first take a thorough look at the project, and we will then discuss the technical and business situation in detail.
3. Written offer: Based on this meeting, I prepare a written offer with a detailed list of the planned measures.

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Frequently asked questions about SEO for cafés

Is SEO Necessary for Small Businesses?

The short answer is: Yes! Working with an SEO specialist is always advisable if you’re using search engine traffic for commercial purposes. In principle, it's like asking whether you should hire an accountant to prepare your annual financial statements.

In addition, small companies in particular have an operational advantage over large providers: they are very flexible, and the number of people involved in a project is small. This simplifies coordination. Large companies, on the other hand, usually take months just to approve even a short piece of text.

Here are a few examples of small businesses that can benefit from search engine optimization.