Try this right now: pick up your phone and search for your restaurant's name on Google. What comes up? If the answer is "not much", "wrong information" or "only a marketplace page", there is a silent problem costing you customers every day. The good news is that it can be fixed, and much of it is free.
Google is your first front door
Before deciding where to eat, people search: "restaurants near me", "best burger in [city]" or your name after a friend mentioned it. The first impression is made there, before anyone steps into your dining room.
The foundation: your Google profile
Your business profile (the card with photos, hours, address and reviews) is free and is the most important piece of your online presence. Make sure it has:
- The right name, address and phone number.
- The right opening hours, including holidays. Nothing turns people away like arriving to find you closed.
- Good photos of the space and the dishes.
- The right category, to show up in relevant searches.
- A link to your ordering site.
Reviews are your reputation
The more good reviews you have, the more Google trusts the restaurant and the higher it shows it. Three habits:
- Ask for reviews, with a QR code on the bill or a card in the bag.
- Reply to all of them, good and bad.
- Treat criticism as an improvement plan, not an attack.
Found nearby, ordered on your channel
Someone searching "restaurant open now" is deciding where to spend money in the next few minutes. Showing up at that moment means arriving at the right time. The order button and link on your profile can lead to your own channel, so you keep the relationship with those customers. Marketplaces remain a good shopfront; Google also serves people who already look for you by name.
Your website counts too
A website of your own, with your name, location and menu, gives Google more reasons to show you. And that traffic is yours.
How GetFoodies helps
It gives you the ordering site to point Google to. And with Get Social, your Google profile stays up to date and every review gets a reply, so you show up when people look for somewhere to eat nearby. It is one piece of your restaurant's 360° marketing, next to the ordering channel.
Do the test today
Search for your restaurant through a customer's eyes and note whatever is wrong or missing. Also search "restaurants near me" in your area. That list is your first action plan, and much of it can be fixed in an afternoon.