SEO for restaurants – more guests with search engine optimization

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Local SEO for restaurants & gastronomy

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 an Italian restaurant or a currywurst nearby and not at the North Pole. I myself live in Friedrichshain and the results I see are mainly within walking distance.

Comprehensive local SEO for restaurants 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 restaurant to Google and thus boost its visibility in 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 users to provide basic information such as contact details and business hours. In addition, users can upload images 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 restaurants and other gastronomic businesses.

Keyword research for restaurants

In keyword research for restaurants, search queries for general terms such as “restaurant” after the specialization such as “Italian restaurant” and dishes such as “eat pizza” are particularly interesting.

Optimize for tripadvisor.de and similar

Another aspect of restaurant 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 restaurants 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 restaurants

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 restaurants, the regional aspect is also very important. For example, it is (usually) of little use to a Berlin pizzeria 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 restaurants 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.

The key is to have an optimized site structure that specifically targets common search queries. This involves using keyword research to identify the terms potential customers commonly use and, ideally, systematically incorporating them into 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.

Contact Information & Contact Forms

A point that is often forgotten: As a restaurant, you want to be contacted more often through SEO. That is why contact details should always be visible in the header, footer or sidebar of your website.

Contact forms with an auto-fill function help to improve the conversion rate of users to specific inquiries as 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 business. The coordinates can then be matched 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 restaurants can also break down the services into structured data. This is just as possible as storing 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 9,419 restaurants.

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 restaurant'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 restaurants

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 restaurants as a one-time service or as part of a monthly SEO management plan. We’ll discuss the specifics and scope during an in-depth preliminary consultation.

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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."

Request Appointment

1. Get in Touch: You can contact me by phone, email, or through the form.
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 restaurants

Is SEO Necessary for Small Businesses?

The short answer is: Yes! Working with an SEO specialist is always a good idea if you’re using search engine traffic for commercial purposes. It’s basically the same as asking whether you should hire a tax advisor 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.