Restaurant Websites Builder - Effective restaurant website design

Oct. 11, 2011 - PRLog -- Effective restaurant website design should be simple and stylistically clean. Many restaurant websites are too Flash intensive, which turns potential customers away. Customers want to find information quickly and easily, while getting a sense of their potential dining experience. A clean design accomplishes this, putting people in the intended restaurant instead of on competitors' websites.

The primary goal in building a good restaurant website is to remember what customers are looking for. Hours of operation, telephone number, menu with pricing, e-mail, and directions. After these are addressed, some things to consider may include:

1. A mobile site. Many customers are on the go, and search from their mobile phones. If a mobile site is implemented, be sure that all sites run from a single Content Management System (CMS). WordPress is a good option.

2. Atmosphere. The colors of the website should reflect the restaurant; earthy tones for a "homemade" theme, black for an upscale operation, reds and oranges for a spicy menu, etc. The colors should not sharply contrast or be distracting, again the idea is simplicity.

3. Music. Not a good idea. While it contributes to a relaxing ambiance in the restaurant, it has the opposite effect coming from computer speakers.

4. Social Media. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and many other sites are very important for business today. Incorporate the Facebook "Like" feature, for example. Word-of-mouth marketing is extremely valuable. If social media can create revolution in the Middle East, it can certainly be effective in restaurant promotion.

5. Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This would appear to be obvious, but is sometimes forgotten in restaurant website design. People have to find the location to patronize it.

6. Reviews. Don't link to third-party websites, implement a moderated review process directly on the restaurant website. This disallows inadvertently linking to reviews that may be profane, or have nothing to do with the business at all.

7. Study competitors' designs. It will be easy to see what works and is tasteful, pun intended. It will also be easy to spot problems, and will help in avoiding them.

8. Domain Name. Choose one that is easy to remember, ideally the restaurant's name. The .com domain is no longer the only top-level domain, and while it is the most preferable, other domains can be used. If the .com domain is an absolute necessity and the restaurant name is unavailable, choose a name that is closely associated with the business name.

9. Staff. Make sure to include pages for hiring and restaurant staff. Potential customers may be interested in the cooks, wait personnel, and other indirect functions of the business.

10. Indicate any special events or services, such as valet parking or menu specials. Cross linking with other business websites is also extremely important. Linking options should include local cultural centers, nearby amusement parks, nightclubs, etc.

These tips are by no means comprehensive, but they're a good start in ensuring that the website is successful. Good restaurant website design is merely good web design, for restaurants.

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