Restaurant Strategies to Attract Customers to Your Website You Need Right Now

Have you just launched your restaurant website and have no idea how to get people on it? Do you have an old website that doesn’t seem to be getting the traffic you were hoping for? The key is restaurant website promotion.

Below, let’s delve into ten restaurant strategies to attract customers to your website and boost online ordering sales.

Restaurant Strategies to Attract Customers to Your Website

We recommend you try out all the restaurant strategies to attract customers listed here to see maximum results.

1. Link it on your social media

Your restaurant website and your social media profiles should be interconnected for your online marketing strategy to work. That means linking your social media on your website, but also the other way around.

Related: Why Restaurants Need Social Media

Most social media platforms allow you to add your website to the description. For example, on Instagram, you can add a link redirecting customers directly to where they can place an online order.

Read more about promoting your restaurant website on Instagram and other Instagram marketing ideas for restaurants here: Instagram for Restaurants: How to Successfully Promote Your Business

On Facebook, linking your website becomes even easier due to the platform’s functional call-to-action buttons. The Facebook Start Order button is perfect for restaurants that offer takeout and delivery services.

All you have to do is copy the link to your delivery menu and paste it into Facebook’s Start Order CTA button. That way, whenever users click on it, they’ll be redirected to your ordering page without having to leave your Facebook profile.

Read the full instructions on How to Take Restaurant Orders on Facebook with Our Facebook Ordering System.

2. Update your Google Business Profile

After adding your restaurant website to social media, the next step is to edit your Google Business Profile (GBP) profile and add the URL. Google Business Profile is your chance to control what potential customers see about your restaurant when they come across it on Google.

This tool must be a part of your restaurant strategies to attract customers. It allows you to add:

• Your website’s URL;
• A link to your menu or directly to your ordering page;
• Your updated working hours;
• Exact address;
• A variety of photos of your menu and restaurant décor;
• Updates about your restaurant.

Here is everything you need to know about optimizing your restaurant Google Business Profile.

3. List it on third-party websites

Third-party review websites like Yelp and TripAdvisor are an essential part of all restaurant strategies to attract customers. They are a way to attract new customers and nurture online reviews without breaking a sweat.

If your restaurant isn’t listed on these websites, you can:

• Add them yourself: Fill in your profile with relevant information, including the website URL.
• Claim your restaurant: it may happen that someone else has already added your restaurant, in which case all you have to do is claim the business as your own.

Add and claim your restaurant as soon as possible, and take control of your image online. Otherwise, you run the risk of others painting a false picture of your business.

Another one of the many benefits of claiming your profiles on third-party websites is that you can reply to reviews. Reviews are crucial for the livelihood of your restaurant. To show customers you care, reply to all of them, particularly negative ones.

Read more: 10 Restaurant Review Sites You Need to Be on Right Now

When responding to negative reviews, do your best to apologize, solve the problem, and be available for further communication.

4. Share it in a newsletter

Do you send regular newsletters to your email subscribers or at least a welcome email when they provide you with their email address? This is another opportunity for you to implement efficient restaurant strategies to attract customers.

Here are a couple of ideas for newsletters:

• Briefly present what they can expect when they visit your website.
• Highlight the advantages of ordering food on your website instead of via a third-party app. Customers want to support restaurants they love, so they might switch to your website if given the opportunity.
• To sweeten the deal, offer an exclusive discount code that they can use for their first order on your website.

Additionally, when people sign up for your newsletter, clearly state the benefits of doing so. For example, the text on the form could read “Sign up for exclusive offers and discounts every week,” and the CTA button can be “Get offers.”

You might also like: Ultra-effective Email Marketing Ideas for Restaurants

5. Print it on flyers at your restaurant

While most restaurant strategies to attract customers focus on the digital world, let’s not forget about offline marketing ideas for restaurants. One of the old-school ways of promoting your restaurant is to print flyers and tape them around the restaurant and the neighborhood.

A considerable number of the people who visit your restaurant do it because they got a recommendation from someone or saw it while walking around. That means most of them might not know you also have a website and that you also deliver.

Let people in your location know about the new feature by:

• Taping a poster featuring your website URL and the services you provide on the front door, so passersby can also see it;
• Adding a tabletop leaflet stand on every table with the same information.

To create your flyer, enter your restaurant name at the top of this page and click on “Get Started” to use the restaurant flyer maker included in our free online ordering system.

Read more: 10 successful restaurant flyer ideas to help you sell more

6. Add it to flyers in takeaway bags

Takeaway bags are another chance for you to promote your restaurant website to as many customers as possible. If you have orders incoming from third-party apps like GrubHub, add a flyer in the bags informing people they can also order directly from your website.

Flyers added to takeaway bags can also help you say thank you to customers with a unique discount code or a freebie.

Read more: How Do You Say Thank You to a Restaurant Customer: Tips & Tricks

Make sure your flyers contain all necessary information such as your address, opening hours, phone number (or other contact info), as well as restaurant branding elements such as your logo and catchphrase.

7. Use a QR code for dine-in

Triggered by both the digitalization of restaurants and the COVID19 pandemic, QR code menus have become a staple element in most restaurant strategies to attract customers.

The greatest things about having a QR code menu are

• It is easy to use for customers;
• It minimizes wait time and person-to-person interaction.

You can include a QR code on your takeaway flyers that customers can scan to place an order on your website.

However, you can also use QR codes for dine-in menus. When scanned, these codes will redirect customers to the menu featured on your website, making them aware that you have one.

Related: How to Set up Contactless Ordering at Your Restaurant via QR Code

In the video below, you will find step-by-step instructions on creating a free QR code menu for contactless dine-in ordering.

8. Hand out business cards at food festivals

If you’re looking for restaurant strategies to attract customers from the local community, food and music festivals are an excellent place to start. That’s where local restaurants can shine, impress people with their food, and gain repeat customers.

Look for local festivals where you could participate and serve your dishes. However, come prepared with more than dishes:

• Print some business cards that feature your restaurant website URL and inform people they can access the website to place an order.
• Better yet, include a simple QR code of your online menu on the card. The convenience of having your card at the ready when they’re hungry will persuade more people to enjoy your dishes in the comfort of their own homes.

9. Organize contests and giveaways

Another way to increase traffic on your restaurant website is to create a contest or a giveaway exclusive to that platform. Then, publicize it on social media and encourage people to visit your website to enter.

You can even take it one step further and offer a coupon code or a gift card for online orders placed on your website as a reward for the winners. That way, they’ll come back to place the order and maybe become loyal customers.

Are you in need of some inspiration? Check out these 21 Restaurant Competition Ideas to Gain Visibility and Attract Customers.

10. Partner with influencers

Finally, here’s one of the best restaurant strategies to attract customers to your website: strike up a partnership with local influencers or micro-influencers. Their following could be just what you need to bring more people to your website.

You can find influencers using a tool like Heepsy or checking social media posts tagged in your area. Get in touch with food influencers that catch your eye and propose a mutually beneficial deal.

What will you get from that? You will expose your food, your services, and your website to their audience. You can ask them to promote your food in some of their posts and link to your website with a message like:

“Tonight’s dinner? This bacon cheeseburger with a side of curly fries. The diet can start tomorrow. Did you know that you can now order your favorite dish from [restaurant name] at home? Just go to [restaurant website] and place an order.”

Read more: How to Invite Influencers to Your Restaurant for a Successful Collaboration

Final Words

To boost online ordering profits, you need a holistic promotion strategy for your restaurant, which starts from your website. To increase website conversions, you need to implement restaurant strategies to attract customers to your website first.

Follow the tips above to promote your website online and offline to as many people as possible. Your sales will speak for themselves.