If so, you may have already enjoyed the process of compiling and designing your professional new menu. But have you considered how to optimise it for SEO purposes?
What Is SEO?
For many, this might be the first question on their mind.
As Moz explains, search engine optimisation (SEO) is ‘the practice of increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search engine results’.
The ultimate goal of following SEO best practices is to increase the chances of your restaurant ranking higher in search results. In the long run, this will benefit your business by bringing in:
- Increased website traffic
- Increased online orders and reservations
- Enhanced brand awareness
- Growth in customer base
- Rise in profits
While SEO is a beast in itself to tackle, there is a variety of factors that come together to influence your restaurant’s SEO ranking – which you can read more about here:
- Keywords
- High-quality content
- Backlinks
- Mobile responsiveness
- Site speed
- Site security
- Local factors
- User signals
- Domain signals
- Social signals
Today, we’ll be concentrating on keywords and how to incorporate them into your Menuzen menu creations.
Keyword Planning
To understand what keywords to implement in your menu, keyword planning needs to be carried out. Start off by asking yourself: what would my customers be searching for?
While these search terms can be single words (e.g. ‘paella’), they are more likely to include a minimum of two words (e.g. ‘best paella in Melbourne’).
As such, there are three main keyword groups to base your research on:
- Broad Keywords – While these appear to be generic, they almost always take geographical location into consideration.
For example: ‘Restaurants in Melbourne’ or ‘Where to find Paella’
- Niche Keywords – By being more specific and narrowing down your list of search terms, you can target your ideal customers. Niche-specific terms also help to weed out the competition.
For example: ‘Italian restaurants in Melbourne’ or ‘Best paella in Melbourne’
- Brand-Related Keywords – The best example of a brand-related keyword would be your restaurant’s name.
For example: ‘Bella Rosa Italian restaurant’ or ‘Bella Rosa Melbourne’
Once you’ve compiled a list of search terms relevant to your business, you’ll need to verify that customers are actually using them. You can do this by using one of the following keyword planning tools:
- Google Keyword Planner (free)
- SEMrush (30-day free trial)
- Ubersuggest (free)
- AnswerThePublic (free version)
By using the correct target keywords, you can optimise for them accordingly and make your restaurant easier for customers to find online.
Optimising Menuzen For SEO
Once you’ve identified your target keywords, these are the following areas in Menuzen you can weave them into:
Item Manager:
- Item Name – Does your restaurant serve Greek food? Is it best known for its loukoumades? If so, ‘Loukomades (Greek Donuts)’ is a fitting name for this menu item. If you can, apply this same concept to as many menu items as you can that align with your target keywords.
- Description – If your menu item has sought-after ingredients or can be catered to specific dietary requirements, don’t be afraid to make this known! Customers these days are on the hunt for diet-friendly options, and putting it out there is favourable for SEO.
For example: ‘Greek dough balls deep-fried to crispy perfection. Can be made vegan upon request.’
My Business:
- About Your Business – As one of the most text-heavy sections on your menu, your business description is valuable real estate. Wherever possible, be sure to include the most vital keywords. Just don’t force it!
For example: ‘As one of the most reputable Italian restaurants in Melbourne, Bella Rosa has been dedicated to serving classic Italian cuisine for generations.’
Apart from text, ensure that you take optimise your menu items by attaching high-quality photos.
In terms of mobile responsiveness, there’s no need to fret. Luckily, our menu design templates have been effectively designed with mobile responsiveness in mind – meaning you can focus your attention on perfecting your actual menu.
Learn More About Menuzen
To learn more about Menuzen and how it’s revolutionising menu management, click here.
For more tips and tricks to get the most out of Menuzen, you can browse our other articles here!
