“Most people just want to get in, get it and get out. For them the web is not a goal in itself. It is a tool.” Usability expert Jacob Nielsen,

We couldn’t agree more. But with the advent of web 2.0 it is all too easy to get sidetracked with the latest internet fads and web trends. Don’t get us wrong, we love innovation and the cool new things you can do online, but we know from experience that many web surfers are frustrated that their basic information requirements are not being met.

Many people use websites in quite simple ways. Often they are just after an address, a phone number or opening hours. So keeping it simple is often better, and if you can cross off the items from our checklist below, then your website visitors will be respond positively to your site. And that means more enquiries and ultimately more revenue – something every business can do with right now!

Once you’ve got the basics right, you can advance to the fancy stuff – that’s if you really need it.

So, here are some of the 10 website basics you need to get right:

1. Put your phone number on your homepage – and make it really obvious. You’ll be surprised at how often people just go to sites for the phone number. Your customers will love you for it.

2. Add your full contact details to your website footer (the space at the bottom of the page – address, email, fax, phone, etc).

3. Your contact page should be one click away from your homepage. We recently heard of a site where it took three clicks to get to the contact page.

4. Have an enquiry form on your contact page and keep it short and to the point. People are busy and don’t respond well to long web forms with endless questions.

5. Have a Google map on your contact/location page and keep it up to date via Google Local Business Centre.

6. Make opening hours really obvious (preferably on the homepage), and then repeat them again on another relevant page.

7. Tariffs and pricing – make them really obvious, especially if you are in the tourism or hospitality industries.

8. Less is often more. People do not want to scroll through screeds of text about how fantastic you are. They want to know the essentials and how it benefits them.

9. Make sure it is obvious what you want your web visitors to do on your site, such as completing a survey or an enquiry form, or joining your mailing list.

10. Keep bullet point lists to 7 or less items. People can only take in 7 items at a time.

So is there room for improvement with your website? Yes? Then give us a call 03 366 3340 for a consultation, or email info@tmlwebdesign.co.nz.

When it comes to finding somewhere to go for dinner or lunch, people are increasingly using the web to find restaurants. Discovering special offers and reading feedback from other diners online seems to be the way forward when it comes to selecting where to eat.

Ensuring your website projects a positive first impression is essential in today’s market. In response, we have developed a web design and online marketing package specifically for the needs of restaurant businesses, and as a result, we have put together a list of our top website tips for restaurateurs.

First up, here are a few quick observations:

1. According to the Google AdWords Keyword tool, during April 2009 there were 14,800 search queries for the phrase ‘restaurant Auckland’ and another 2,400 for the phrase ‘Auckland restaurants’.
2. If you do a search for this phrase in Google.co.nz, only one restaurant website is in the top ten of the Google results. The rest of the results are dining and travel guides.
3. Google Maps are being displayed above the main search results.

So what does this mean for your restaurant website?

1. You must have your website search engine optimised for the phrases people are actually searching for (check the AdWords tool for more on this).
2. It will be difficult, but not impossible, to rank above the dining guide websites. This will require a concerted and ongoing promotional campaign of link building, search engine optimisation and fresh content.
3. If you can’t beat them in Google (the dining sites) then make sure your restaurant is listed on them and keep your details up to date.
4. Your business must be listed in Google Maps. Take full advantage of this listing by optimising your content on it.
5. There is a lot of competition online, so your website must make a great first impression and provide all the necessary details people need to make a decision.

What you should have on your website:

• Opening hours – the days and hours you are open.
• Capacity – how many diners can you seat? What’s the biggest group booking you can take?
• Functions – can people book out the entire restaurant?
• Wheelchair access – how accessible is your restaurant to diners in wheelchairs or with limited mobility?
• Menus – add all of your menus (breakfast to dinner and beverages) onto your website as either web pages or as PDF documents that can be downloaded.
• The telephone number must be highly visible (put it up the top and have it on every page), don’t just add it to your contact page.
• Credit cards – which ones do you accept? Let them know online and avoid that uncomfortable moment when diners realise they can’t pay with their preferred card.
• A location map – preferably a Google Map so people can enter in their address for directions to the restaurant. List all of your locations if you have several restaurants.
• Parking – is there any available or can you recommend a good place to park? Will the customers be required to pay for parking?
• Reservations – make it really clear if reservations are required and how much notice you need (if any). It should be obvious how they can make a reservation. Do you take reservations online? Can diners reserve a specific table?
• Your license – are you fully licensed or BYO?
• Food allergies – is there anything people should know about your cooking methods?
• Special diets – can you accommodate someone who wants to order something that’s not on the menu?
• Add your reviews and diner testimonials. Reviews from local papers and magazines are always great, but the older the review the less credible it’s going to be (anything over a year old is probably losing some of its gloss).
• Specials of the day – don’t just put these on a blackboard, login and add them to your website as well. This will blow people away as practically no one does it.
• Add coupons to your website – one free glass of wine with each main ordered etc.
• List your events or theme nights – do you ever have live music? Is Tuesday steak night?
• Have photos of your food and of people enjoying their meals (your website must convey the experience they will have when dining with you).
• Make sure your content is well written, persuasive and free of typos, spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.

Online Marketing Methods

Having a great website will only get you so far – you’ve got to support it with other marketing methods. Here’s a few to get you started.

Email marketing – this is a relatively inexpensive tool but extremely effective. We know of restaurants that have been able to book out entirely within 36 hours by running a promotion through their mailing list. Step one is to have a great email marketing system (we happen to know of one).

Next you need to make it very easy for your customers to join your mailing list; either get your staff to collect their details at the end of the meal or have a glass jar where people can drop in their business cards. Ideally, you want to get their birth date recorded so you can run monthly promotions around birthdays. Whatever method you use to collect details, make sure you have made it clear that you’ll be adding them to your list.

Have a newsletter sign up form to your website that uses a ‘double opt-in’ function. With double opt-in, the subscriber will get an email asking them to confirm they would like to go onto the list. Give them a good reason to go on the list (‘email only’ offers are very popular).

Social media websites – Facebook is great for restaurants. There are loyal patrons who like to recommend their favourite dining spot. Being able to do this online through Facebook means customers can become a ‘fan’ and ‘like’ the content you add. This is a free and extremely easy way to harness an entirely new and increasingly popular method of word of mouth marketing – all it takes is a bit of time. You may also like to try advertising on Facebook as you can create an advert and target a very specific demographic.

Blogging – blogs rank very well in the search engines and are still something of a secret weapon. However to blog effectively, you have got to publish a steady stream of content (at least weekly). People can subscribe to your blog using RSS and with some email marketing systems your blog posts can be automatically emailed to your subscribers. Ideas for content may include blogging about new wines, how to match wines with food, what produce is in season, interesting new ingredients, new menus and so forth.

Search engine optimisation – make sure your site is fully search engine optimised for your keyword phrases. So if you are a vegetarian restaurant in Auckland then ‘auckland vegetarian restaurants’ is one of your keyword phrases. If you also offer organic meals then another phrase would be ‘organic vegetarian restaurants Auckland’. Basically think of all the different ways you can describe your restaurant and those are your keywords.

Dining review websites – with the advent of user generated reviews and content, it is a fact of life that your restaurant will eventually end up on a review site and will be rated. Good reviews are fantastic and will bring you new business and lots of warm fuzzy feelings. No so good reviews might sting, but wouldn’t you rather find out and be able to put things right rather than live in blissful ignorance? Don’t even consider creating a fake account on these types of sites – people see through these very quickly and it will back fire. Just as you would put things right face to face with an unhappy diner, here is your opportunity to do the same online.

Your next step and getting help
Take a good look at your website and see if there is room for improvement. Check if you can find yourself in the top 20 results in Google.

Need help? That’s what we’re here for. Give us a call and you can speak to one of our consultants. We also have a web design and marketing package designed specifically for restaurants that we can tell you about. Phone 03 366 33 40 or email info@tmlwebdesign.co.nz

Etrusco at the Savoy has been one of the Dunedin’s most well-established, popular Italian restaurants for 12 years.

In keeping with the Tuscan cuisine, this website has a very Italian feel to it, with reds and greens.

Visit: www.etrusco.co.nz

Terra Viva Cafe and Deli is a popular dining spot located in Roydvale Avenue in Christchurch.

Terra Viva were looking for something a little different with the design of the website, one that would capture the feeling of the cafe’s environment with the garden centre next door. Each page features a different background image with the content sitting on a semi-transparent background. TML Web also took the photos used for the site.

Visit: www.terravivacafe.co.nz

Tutto Bene Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria is a popular and authentically Italian dining experience located in Merivale.

The website has been designed in keeping with the Italian nature of the restaurant. It has easy to locate contact details for reservations, and has the full menu for the restaurant online.

Visit: www.tuttobene.co.nz