Basic SEO for your restaurant website
The SEO fundamentals every restaurant needs: titles, meta descriptions, images and content optimised for Google.
A good-looking website is not enough. If Google does not understand what your site is about, it will not show it to your potential customers. On-page SEO is the set of basic optimisations your site needs so that Google can find it, understand it and rank it.
Title tag: the most important title on your site
The title tag is what appears in the browser tab and in Google results. It is the most important on-page factor for SEO. Every page on your site must have a unique, descriptive title tag.
Meta description: your free ad on Google
The meta description is the text that appears under the title in Google results. It does not affect ranking directly, but it does influence whether the user clicks.
Headings: the structure of your content
Headings (H1, H2, H3) organise the content of your site and help Google understand the hierarchy of the information. They are like the table of contents of a book.
Images: the invisible optimisation
Dish photos are essential for a restaurant, but if they are not optimised they slow your site down and Google cannot "see" them. Image optimisation is straightforward and has a large impact.
Content: what Google actually wants
Google ranks pages that meet the user's need. For a restaurant, that means clear information about what you offer, where you are and how to book.
Speed: every second counts
53% of users abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load. For a restaurant, that means half of your potential customers never see your menu.
Frequently asked questions
Can I do SEO myself, or do I need a professional?
You can put the basics in this guide into practice yourself, or with help from your webmaster. For a complete local SEO strategy (Google Business Profile, citations, content, link building) that produces consistent results, a professional who specialises in hospitality makes the difference.
My website is on WordPress. Does this apply?
Yes. On-page SEO principles are the same regardless of the platform. On WordPress you can use plugins such as Yoast SEO or Rank Math to make editing titles and meta descriptions easier. If your site is not on WordPress, these changes are made directly in the code.
Is it better to have the menu as a PDF or in HTML?
HTML, always. Google does not index content inside PDFs well, and on mobile the experience is poor (zoom, horizontal scroll). A menu in HTML is readable by Google, responsive on mobile and can be updated instantly.
