SEO for restaurants
Be the menu, the star rating and the 'book a table' button Google shows before someone has even clicked a result.
01 / Why restaurant SEO is different
Diners decide inside the search results, not on your homepage
Most restaurant traffic never lands on your site. Someone Googles your name plus 'menu', or 'italian restaurant near me', and Google shows them your hours, your star rating, three photos, a menu snippet and a 'book a table' button, all inside the results page. Half of your future customers decide based on what Google pulls from your site, not what they see when they actually visit it.
That means restaurant SEO is a job of making the invisible visible. Menu schema so courses and prices show up. Review markup so the stars render in orange. Opening hours, cuisine type, service options and booking links all clearly declared so Google has no reason to guess.
We build restaurant sites with every one of those layers baked in, then keep them accurate. The menu changes in November, so does the one on Google. You close on a Monday in January, Google knows before the disappointed regulars do.
02 / What you get
Built for how diners actually book
Six things that decide whether a restaurant site wins covers or just sits there. We build all of them in.
Menu schema that lands in rich results
Courses, dishes, prices and allergens marked up so Google shows your menu in the results page itself. People decide whether to book before they click, and that is where you need to win them.
Booking link front and centre
OpenTable, ResDiary, SevenRooms, DesignMyNight or your own form. Whichever you use, the 'book a table' button sits in the header, the hero, the footer, and every menu page. One tap from any search result.
Cuisine and neighbourhood terms, done properly
'Best Thai in Shoreditch', 'Sunday roast in Didsbury', 'date night restaurant near King's Cross'. We write and structure pages for the specific terms that convert, not the generic ones that do not.
Reviews consolidated in one trusted spot
Google, TripAdvisor and press quotes blended on a single page with proper review schema. Earns star ratings in search results and saves first-timers the diligence of tab-switching.
Private dining and events pages that rank
Dedicated pages for private rooms, set menus, Christmas parties, wakes and rehearsal dinners. Each one targeted to a distinct search, each one briefed with capacity, food and price from the start.
Google Business Profile properly linked
Hours, photos, service types, seasonal closures and dietary options kept in sync. When the map pack is where 60% of your covers come from, this is the most important SEO you own.
Inside your portal
Watch the menu page out-rank the homepage
Most restaurants do not realise the menu is their top landing page. We surface that in the portal so you can see which dishes drive views and which search terms are pulling people in.
Weekly visitors
6,272
+14.8%
Top pages
- /menu3120
- /1890
- /book1240
- /private-dining420
Devices
- Mobile62%
- Desktop31%
- Tablet7%
03 / How it works
From first service to live site
Quick chat
Thirty minutes between lunch and dinner service. We learn your covers target, your cuisine, your best-performing nights and which events you want to sell more of.
Design
You see a clickable preview with menu, booking, private dining and reviews mapped to real search terms. Amendments handled by quick message, not a 40-page spec.
Build & wire up
We build, plug in menu schema, connect your booking system, link Google Business Profile and move the domain with no loss of existing rankings.
Live & looked after
New head chef, new tasting menu, December festive menu, wine dinner next Thursday? Message the portal and it is live the same day.
FAQ
Common questions
Does menu schema actually make a difference to bookings?
Yes. Google now shows menu highlights, dietary flags and price ranges directly in search results. Restaurants we have marked up properly typically see a 15 to 25 per cent lift in click-through from local search within a quarter.
We use OpenTable. Do we need a website as well?
OpenTable is a booking engine, not a site. Diners still search your name plus 'menu' or 'reviews' before they commit. A proper site controls that journey and feeds OpenTable with far more ready-to-book traffic.
How do we handle allergen information online?
Allergen flags go on menu items as structured data. We also publish a clear allergens page so front-of-house does not have to field the same phone calls. Updates go through the portal so it is always in sync with the kitchen.
Can you help us rank for 'best restaurant in [area]'?
Ranking for generic superlative terms takes links, press and consistent review flow, not just on-site work. We set up the foundations, then advise on how to earn the rest. Honest answer: niche cuisine and neighbourhood terms convert better and rank faster.
Will it work for a new opening with no reviews yet?
Yes. We prioritise Google Business Profile setup, press pages, sample menu and launch event pages. Reviews follow naturally once you are open and we wire in a review-request flow from the confirmation email.
We have two sites. Should they share a domain?
Depends on the brand. Same-name, same-cuisine sites do best as sibling pages under one domain. Distinct brands get separate sites so local search does not fight itself. We will give you the honest call either way.
Ready for a restaurant site that fills tables?
Plans from £39/mo. Design, build, menu schema, booking integration and ongoing changes in one monthly plan.