What every restaurant website needs: a 12-point checklist
A restaurant website doesn't need to be complicated, but it does need to answer a diner's questions in seconds. Use this checklist to see how your current site measures up.
The essentials
If your website does nothing else, it should do these well:
- 1. Your menu as a web page, with prices. Not a PDF. PDFs are slow and fiddly on phones, and search engines struggle to read them.
- 2. Opening hours, including today's. Keep them identical to your Google Business Profile, and update holiday closures in one place.
- 3. A booking button on every page. Diners shouldn't have to scroll to find it.
- 4. Your address, a map and parking notes. One tap should open directions on a phone.
- 5. A tap-to-call phone number. Plenty of people still prefer to ring.
- 6. Allergen information. In the UK, food businesses must be able to tell customers about any of the 14 major allergens in their food. Showing them on your online menu helps, as long as you also ask guests with allergies to speak to your team.
Things that win more bookings
Once the basics are right, these make the difference between a site that informs and one that sells:
- 7. Great photos of the food and the room. Real photos of your dishes beat stock images every time.
- 8. Your story. A few lines about who you are and what you cook make you memorable.
- 9. Reviews. Showing recent Google reviews builds trust quickly.
- 10. Gift cards. A gift card shop brings in money all year, and new guests later.
The technical bits that matter
You don't need to understand these in detail, but your web designer should:
- 11. Built for phones first, and fast. Most restaurant searches happen on mobile, often on patchy signal.
- 12. Found on Google. That means page titles and descriptions written for your area and cuisine, restaurant and menu data Google can read, and a Google Business Profile that matches your website.
Common mistakes we see
Out-of-date menus and prices, booking links that go to the wrong place, opening hours that differ from Google, and leftover template text are the most common problems we find when checking restaurant websites. Each one can quietly cost bookings, and most are quick to fix.
If you want a second pair of eyes, get in touch and we'll take a look at your current site.
Quick answers
Should my menu be a PDF?
No. A PDF is hard to read on a phone, slow to download and difficult for search engines to understand. A menu built into the page is better for diners and for Google.
Do I need online booking?
If you take reservations, yes. Many people book late in the evening when you can't answer the phone. You can link your existing system or use a commission-free one.
How often should I update my website?
Whenever your menu, prices, hours or events change. That's why being able to edit it yourself matters.