A popular saying goes like 'We eat by our eyes before we do with our mouth.' Having a great online experience for your restaurant business is no more just nice-to-have but has become essential and must-have. A website for your restaurant is one of the strong tools that work even better towards attracting potential customers to your restaurant. Once you start using a website for your business, you would find that it is one of the greatest ways to stand out in the crowd. A good web design has become equivalent to good food in a restaurant business if you look to succeed. But, on the other hand, Google has reported that a bad website design forces 61% of visitors return to a responsive mobile page while 40% shift to a competitor's site. So, if you do not have one till now, you should plan and get one done to get the benefits of a futuristic restaurant in the long run. First, let's explore why a website design is something a restaurant needs to worry about for doing better business.
People get attracted to things that they can see; they perceive more by seeing than hearing. With an attractive web design, your customers would feel closer and more attracted towards the dishes offered and to the restaurant as a whole. This is because humans' basic nature gets attracted more towards what entices them visually rather than anything else. While planning business strategies for your restaurant, you need to engrave in your mind that all marketing efforts today have gone digital and social media has become one of the strongest channels that the food industry has channeled itself for business growth.
Before trying out your food taste, every customer begins the journey with in-depth research online to get a fair idea of how the place and its food look where they plan to dine in or take away from. Usually, they pick places that look good food-wise and environment-wise. Also, real-time testimonials and feedback from other users online help your customers take more firm and confident decisions. This is one of the main reasons why in 2021, a responsive restaurant web design has become more than essential. A good Website design goes a long way in informing and educating your customers without much investment. It waives off several physical branding and advertising, which involve higher and recurring costs. It builds an online space where your wisely curated restaurant marketing pictures and videos play a vital role. This makes your potential customers aware of what they would be getting from a connection with your business.
Gaining your customer's trust
An attractive website design for your restaurant is a futuristic investment. This creates a standard of your business in the market and elevates the value and minds of your customers. Not only this, your creative approaches make your customers feel esteemed, and thus they tend to attach loyally with your brand. Therefore, one important part of your planned website includes proper placement of necessary pages and sections like contacts, payments, privacy policy, terms and conditions, and like. This creates a favorable mindset of the visitors and builds trust towards the entity. Moreover, studies reveal that customers trust visually appealing websites more than those with a dull web presence.
Creating Brand Identity
The public behavior towards your brand depends a lot on the appearance that you showcase through your physical and digital designs. Among other marketing and promotional tools, namely business cards, hoardings, uniforms, and advertisements, website, and its design, responsive app and its design play a crucial role in creating a mark from other restaurants in the line. With a design that is easy and catchy to the eyes, the brand identity is easily built. The dispersal of necessary information becomes easy with just a click on the page. Logo, a vital part of the design elements of a website, goes far in establishing your position independently in the competitive market, which is the same for any business. A unique and attractive logo creates an urge that is the driving factor for your sales.
Increase in conversion chances
It takes just 60 milliseconds for humans to perceive any idea or create an impression. This proves how impulsive human beings are. From this, only you can estimate the importance of your website design in the process of creating a positive impression on your visitor's mind. Also, it takes 0.05 seconds to build a judgment on your website, which implies that you only have 50 milliseconds to impress your potential customer with your web design. Therefore, usability and the user interface are the two most important components that your restaurant website must take good care of.
Increases employee productivity
When you have all-round and sound marketing support for your restaurant with an updated website and up-to-date web design, your employees also feel highly motivated and pulled into the business's mission. The strong and positive brand recognition of your restaurant develops confidence and happiness among your staff which is reflected in the enhanced service quality and thus sales increase as a whole.
Website designing tips Restaurant?
Now you are assured that your restaurant business is incomplete and lacks business without a properly designed website. Therefore, you need to concentrate on the web design factors in the next process. Below are some of the most effective tips and tricks that would come in handy for your business growth through an attractive online appearance.
Knowing your audience
When you start designing your restaurant website, you need to keep in mind whom you are targeting. Based on your target audience, the entire website will be developed and designed. Your bag will have both existing and new customers in the restaurant business. Here, you need to create your design to the best to engage both categories. Always keep in mind to add content and design on your website that would cater to a wide range of customer base. While designing, not only do you need to be aware of who your customers are, but you need to also understand how they are going to use your website.
Displaying the required information
Today when everything is distanced, restaurant business has survived the crunch hugely because of their online presence. So, your website needs to be the one-stop source of all information that you need your diners to know about your restaurant, your specialties, USPs. So, always keep a vigil on the content that you are sharing on your website. Some key ingredients for your restaurant web design are the Menu, Online ordering buttons, social media buttons, Store map or store locator, feedback button, and about us.
Structuring and designing for usability
Many restaurant websites fail the online mission because they could not design the pages based on user behavior traits. Most websites are designed based on the ability of the designers of the agency. Most of the time, this leads to a website that lacks smooth navigation for clear and easier movement throughout the pages. Straightforward navigation leads to user-friendly access to the website, and users do not visit pages that are complicated and clumsy to handle. You need to also remember that You should place most of your important information above the fold as it catches attention faster. For example, tell a story about your company initially as your visitor might not scroll down.
Generous use of images & videos to convey ideas
A picture speaks more than a thousand words. And when you are a restaurant business, remember your pictures are highly important in speaking about your food and quality. No need to speak unnecessary details. Rather you can use good pictures that would easily catch the attention of your diners and pull them towards the table. No need to start with a big boring paragraph. Rather showcase decently what you are famous for.
Mobile responsive design
It would help if you were sure that not all your customers will be sitting on the desktop and ordering you from your restaurant for a food business person. In today's busy world, you need to think advanced. It would be best if you had yourself available on the go. So, a mobile responsive web design is crucial for a business like food to have firm footprints in the industry. Any and every restaurant website should have a mobile responsive design partnered with catchy images stressing focal issues of your business rather than overloading with boring texts.
SEO of the website
Google, along with other search engines, is the king today. To bring yourself to the search results is another business strategy that you cannot ignore. And a proper Search Engine Optimized web design works for you in creating visibility in an online search. When your website is discoverable to your target audience, it would only get the mileage of a good design. Creating that Google ranking is very important side by side to other website design features.
Consistency between the website design and the theme
A website is indeed the virtual face of your restaurant. This is why you should maintain a balance between the theme of your restaurant and your website design. However, your website does fulfill both your branding and online presence through one single click. Thus your restaurant web design must properly reflect the theme of your brand. One more bonus tip yet very important one is the placement of the business logo. Usually, we see the logo placed on the top left corner of every website. The logic behind such a placement is that usually, humans view from left to right of every page. To create your brand identity, the logo must be visible first.
Features for a great restaurant website
Mostly the primary goal of restaurant websites is conversion. However, if your's is also the same, then here are some features that you need to have in your web design to get your desired results.
Use of high-quality images of the restaurant and food
The emotional factor plays a great role when your customers decide where they are going to dine the next. So, pictures that tickle the emotional aspect of your visitors must be used on your restaurant website. Not only do these photos work towards attracting your potential customers, but they also tell your story much before they might feel to dine in with you. Images, event videos, and social media link-ups also play a great role in making your website reach its goal.
Create the most important yet catchy content for your website
Next comes the content of your website. After pictures and videos, the next important thing that influences your visitors and pulls them towards you is your content, writing, and writing. The homepage should have well-curated information with important things above the fold. Your page should also contain a proper and updated menu along with an informative homepage.
Social proofs and testimonials
Customer is ultimately powerful in today's digital world. Testimonials and feedback from your customers, when shown on your restaurant website, increase the trust of new potential diners and your existing customers. Reviews are very powerful in creating a loyal customer base when its to the food industry.
Notify your upcoming events
If you wish to grow your restaurant business, you should remain updated offline and online. Every upcoming event should be well detailed, and dates and visuals to attract visitors towards the event whenever they visit your website. To know about their favourite events and occasions your customers will come back again and again to your website.
Conclusion
No business is easy, and when it is a restaurant business, you need to be extra cautious about so many things as it is directly associated with the well-being of your customers. While you take care of the customer satisfaction and business sustenance part, your well-designed website is one thing that takes care of your marketing needs as the world we are living in is hugely digital. Your digital appearance will help you survive in the long run when physical distancing is the new norm.
