4 ways to convert website visitors into customers

Brian Casel

You’ve designed a website for your restaurant, which is great, and you’ve got tons of visitors to your site. Imagine if all of those website visitors actually dined in your restaurant. So, how do you go about turning those online visitors into offline customers?

Here are some simple, yet highly effective tips to consider.

1. Make the most of reviews. Consumers like to read reviews before they actually purchase. Reviews help to give a good synopsis of an experience, and when a review is glowing, you stand to increase your customer base.

Create profiles on review website, such as Yelp. Don’t forget to include a link to your website so that people who visit the review site can easily access your restaurant’s website. Also, make sure that you include the same glowing reviews from the review site on your own site.

2. Go mobile. More people are using their mobile devices than their desktop devices to search the web, especially when it comes to locating local businesses.

What does this mean to a restaurant owner? It means that you need to make your website mobile-friendly. When your site is mobile-friendly, people who are looking for a restaurant to dine in will be able to easily access your site from their smartphones and tablets.

When making your site mobile-friendly, make sure that visitors can easily access your menu, your address and other pertinent information about your restaurant from their mobile devices.

3. Provide an online ordering function. People are in more of a rush than ever before, which means that they are looking for fast and convenient service.

Include an online ordering option for to-go orders from your website. You can make the process as simple as possible by including a complete menu on your website and setting it up so that ordering and paying are as quick and easy as the click of a button.

Don’t forget to quote a time for when the order will be ready to pick up. And it’s especially important to follow through and ensure that those orders are ready to go as soon as customers arrive to pick them up.

No-hassle, quick online ordering will definitely help to increase your customer base.

4. Offer incentives. Encourage online visitors to become diners by offering incentives. Simple techniques include providing a coupon code on your website for a discount when website visitors sign up for your newsletter or when they like you on Facebook.

Another idea is to offer a loyalty program, which visitors can sign up for on your site. This tactic kills two birds with one stone: It encourages those who are already visiting your site to become customers, and it helps to further spread the word about your restaurant.

With these super simple tactics, you can turn those website visitors into customers in your restaurant, increasing your sales and your success.

Brian Casel is the founder of Restaurant Engine, a website design solution for restaurants. Get your free Restaurant Website Checklist available now on the Restaurant Engine Blog. Email Brian directly at [email protected].