SEO for Restaurants: An operator’s guide to free website traffic

seo google business profile for restaurants

What is SEO for restaurants and why should you care?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a complicated topic and is often oversimplified as the act of getting your website to the top listing on Google—but, that's not the full story. More accurately, SEO is a collection of best practices that increase the likelihood that your website shows up when hungry guests search for "restaurants near me" or "best pizza in Chicago." SEO is an ongoing process with many moving parts. This guide will focus on the most important steps you can take to optimize your website and make it easy for guests for find you.

SEO is a complex topic and there's too much information for us to cover everything. Instead, this guide will focus on the most important steps a restaurant can take to optimize their website for Google.

Does SEO really matter for restaurants?

Higher search engine rankings ultimately translate to more sales for your business. With technology playing such a foundational role in our day-to-day lives, everyone's attention is limited—including your guests'. Every opportunity you have to get in front of a user (earn an impression) is invaluable for your business. The more people see your restaurant, the better your odds of converting those impressions into orders, and the more opportunities you have to turn first-time visitors into lifelong fans.

Of course, there are several ways to generate impressions for your restaurant, including social media, paid advertising, and influencer deals, but SEO is so powerful because:

It’s free.

It easily provides the largest audience for your business.

Again, it’s free.

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Let’s dig a little deeper into some of the fundamentals every restaurant should know to improve their search rankings.

How can your restaurant’s website sit at or near the top of search rankings?

There’s no guaranteed way to land your restaurant the #1 spot on Google—anyone promising otherwise isn’t being honest. Search results are influenced by countless factors, and quick fixes rarely work long-term. Instead, restaurants should use ongoing best practices that steadily improve visibility and drive more traffic over time. In fact, Google has been known to penalize websites that take advantage of exploits.

On-site SEO best practices for restaurants

Your own website providers the greatest opportunity to influence where you show up on search pages. At its core, SEO success depends on user experience—if visitors find your website engaging and informative, Google is more likely to rank it higher. The good news? Many of these best practices should already be covered by your website provider (assuming you’re not still using the site your cousin built in 2007).

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What to look for from a website provider

Before focusing on content, make sure your website is built for performance. A great restaurant site doesn't just look good—it needs to be fast, secure, and easy to navigate for both guests and search engines. A quality website provider should have these essentials built in because cutting corners on SEO will cost you in lost traffic and sales.

  • Fast-loading pages: If your site is slow, guests (and Google) will move on. Every second counts.

  • Clear, descriptive URLs: Your pages should be easy to read and understand. Instead of random characters, use URLs like yourrestaurant.com/menu to boost SEO.

  • Optimized photos: Images should load quickly and adjust to any device without losing quality.

  • Built-in security: Your URL should start with "https" (not "http") to show Google and visitors that your site is safe. Look for the lock icon next to your web address.

  • Accessibility matters: Ensure everyone can use your site. That means including alt-text for images, avoiding PDF menus, and following accessibility best practices. See the Website Accessibility Guidelines for more details.

  • Mobile-friendly design: Most guests will visit your site on their phone. Make sure it's easy to navigate on any screen size.

Bottom line: A strong technical foundation = better rankings, more traffic, and more orders. Invest in a site that's built to win on search engines.

The importance of keywords on your restaurant’s website

Keywords are words or phrases that match what people type into the search bar and are a crucial part of how Google connects your restaurant to potential guests. For example, if someone searches “Malaysian street food,” Google is going to look for websites that include that phrase.

But choosing the right keywords is only half the battle—how you use them matters just as much. Avoid stuffing keywords randomly into your website; instead, place them naturally in key areas like your homepage intro, about page, and menu descriptions.

Take Phat Eatery, for example. Their homepage features phrases like “Malaysian street food,” “James Beard Award Semifinalist,” and names of their most popular dishes—exact terms a hungry customer might search for. By weaving these keywords into their content, they boost their chances of showing up in front of customers with an intention to place an order.

A restaurant’s most powerful SEO tool

Your menu is your restaurant’s best asset when it comes to communicating with customers and search engines. Just as it tells guests what you serve, it’s a data-rich, keyword-filled page that tells Google what your restaurant is all about, helping match your business with the right searches.

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To understand the importance of your online menus, you first have to understand the value of a "long-tail search." This is a phrase that includes four or more words and is often used by customers actively looking for somewhere to eat. The more pages you have with specific content for Google to consider, the better your chances at showing up for high-intent searches. That's one of many reasons why it's important to have a dynamic menu.

Unlike PDFs or static text menus (which Google sees as just one page), dynamic menus create unique, search-friendly pages for every dish. This helps Google understand exactly what your restaurant offers and show your site to more potential guests. So, when someone searches for "Best burger near me," instead of just seeing a generic menu page, they get your burger's dedicated page—increasing the chances they'll choose your restaurant.

These menus also include all of the information a customer needs to know if they want to dine with you, including high-quality dish photos with alt-text, customer reviews, and the ability to place an order directly from your website (say "Goodbye" to third-party commissions). With dynamic menus, your restaurant isn't just easier to find, it's easier to choose.

Off-site SEO for restaurants: 3 key strategies

While on-site SEO is critical, off-site SEO—the actions you take outside your website—also plays a role in improving your rankings. These strategies help increase visibility, drive traffic, and build credibility with search engines.

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Link Building

The more reputable websites link to yours, the better. Make sure your restaurant is listed on platforms like Yelp, Tripadvisor, OpenTable, and DoorDash—and always include a link to your website.

Del Bar email mockup and Popmenu client

Marketing Engagement

While marketing doesn't directly impact rankings, consistent activity through social media, email, and text messages drives more traffic to your site, which helps! Regularly engage with your customers and include links to your website whenever possible.

Influencer Partnerships

Collaborating with local influencers is a great way to reach an audience that’s more likely to visit your restaurant. A well-placed post can boost brand awareness, generate search interest, and drive more visits to your site.

Local SEO

Keeping your Google Business Profile up to date and engaging with reviews helps boost your local search presence. Posting events, specials, or promotions can increase your chances of appearing in search results.

While off-site SEO takes time, these efforts increase your restaurant’s visibility, drive organic traffic, and improve your rankings over time.

Let's prove it!

How to measure your restaurant’s search engine performance

Tracking your SEO success doesn’t have to be complicated. While tools like Google Analytics can provide deep insights into organic traffic and keyword performance, most restaurant owners don’t have the time (or technical expertise) to dig into that data. That’s why it’s best to work with a website provider that includes built-in performance tracking and SEO best practices.

Here are key metrics to monitor:

Track how many visitors come to your site and what percentage come from Google searches. Keep in mind that traffic fluctuates seasonally, so look at trends over time.

L$L Hawaiian Barbecue's website traffic stats and Popmenu client

Understand how long visitors stay on your site and which devices they use (mobile, desktop, tablet). If you offer online ordering, a longer session time is ideal, while a restaurant focused on reservations may want quicker site interactions.

restaurant website tracking

Where do visitors go next? Are they clicking your phone number, heading to your reservation platform, or checking out your Instagram? These insights help you understand what information guests are seeking when they visit your website so you can optimize your site layout for better user experience and conversions.

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By tracking these insights, you can refine your SEO strategy and turn more visitors into paying customers.

Now for the easy part

Now that you have the key steps to optimize your restaurant’s website for search engines, it's time to put them into action. The good news? You don’t have to do it all manually. The right restaurant platform can automate the heavy lifting and make everything else as easy as possible. (Cough, cough… Popmenu does this best.)

Want to see how your restaurant can rank higher on Google and attract more guests? Schedule a call with one of our experts—we’ll show you how.

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About Popmenu

As a leader in restaurant technology, Popmenu is on a mission to make profitable growth easy for all restaurants. Digital marketing, online ordering, and on-premise technologies headline a powerful product suite infused with artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and deep data on guest preferences. The company consolidates tools needed to engage guests, serving as a digital control center for more than 10,000 independent restaurants and hospitality groups in the US, UK, and Canada. For more information, visit popmenu.com. 

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