Restaurant Website SEO & UX: Fast, Mobile & Built to Convert
Written by Hospitality On The Map
Quick answer: The restaurant website that wins is fast, mobile-first and obvious. Build HTML menus (not just PDFs), make reservations impossible to miss, ship green-zone Core Web Vitals, and create location pages that mirror Google Business Profile. Track bookings, orders, calls and directions—then iterate.
Read the hub first: Local SEO for Restaurants in 2025. Pair this website playbook with GBP optimisation, strong schema, local links, and—for paid lift—Search and Performance Max. Multi-site? See Multi-Location SEO.
Contents
- 1 1) Core page set that ranks & converts
- 2 2) Core Web Vitals (real-world speed)
- 3 3) Menu UX: HTML first, PDF optional
- 4 4) Reservations & order flows
- 5 5) Location pages & internal links
- 6 6) Accessibility (WCAG) must-haves
- 7 7) Schema & sitemaps
- 8 8) Media: photos, video & alt text
- 9 9) Analytics, events & UTMs
- 10 10) QA: what to check before launch
- 11 FAQs
- 12 Want a site that ranks—and fills tables?
1) Core page set that ranks & converts
- Home: clear value prop; routes to Menus, Reserve/Order, Locations.
- Menus: HTML sections (Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Drinks). Keep one PDF as a labelled download.
- Reservations / Order Online: embedded widget + phone backup; show next available times if supported.
- Locations: locator → city pages → location pages with unique NAP, hours, menus, photos and reviews.
- Events & Private Dining: capacities, set menus, enquiry form, availability notes.
- About/Contact & policies (privacy, allergens, accessibility).
Navigation rule: fewer than 7 top-level items, sticky mobile header with “Menu” and “Book” visible at all times. Footer repeats phone, address, hours and social.
2) Core Web Vitals (real-world speed)
LCP (largest element load), CLS (layout shift) and INP (overall interaction delay) drive mobile conversion. Focus on:
- Images: export at real display size; use WebP/AVIF; add
width/height;loading="lazy"below the fold;fetchpriority="high"+preloadfor the hero. - Fonts: limit families/weights;
font-display:swap; preload primary fonts. - Scripts: defer non-critical JS; remove unused libraries; move chat/heatmaps to interaction.
- Layout: reserve space for reservation iframes, banners and popups; never let elements push content down.
Target thresholds: LCP ≤ 2.5s, CLS ≤ 0.1, INP ≤ 200ms on mobile for your top templates (Home, Menus, Location, Reservations).
4) Reservations & order flows
Conversion patterns
- Primary “Reserve” button above the fold on mobile; sticky at the bottom.
- Click-to-call and click-for-directions buttons near opening hours.
- Backup phone number beside the widget; show “Next available” timeslots if your provider supports it.
Friction removers
- Minimise form fields; avoid forced account creation.
- Pre-fill party size/time; surface special requests and accessibility options.
- For delivery/collection, show ETA and fees early; don’t hide minimum order values.
If you run wait-lists, put an estimated wait time and confirm via SMS. Add schema for acceptsReservations on location pages.
5) Location pages & internal links
Each venue needs its own page with unique copy, local photos and FAQs. Structure:
- H1: {Brand} — {Cuisine/USP} in {Area/City}
- Intro: 40–60 words covering ambience, USP and booking cue.
- NAP block: address (link to Maps), phone (click-to-call), hours (with service notes).
- Menus: inline HTML + “Download menu (PDF)” if required.
- Photos: recent interior/exterior, hero dishes, team.
- Reviews: 3–5 recent quotes with links to the GBP profile (no incentives).
- Local FAQs: parking, step-free access, dog/kid policy, nearest station/landmark.
Internal links: locator → city → location. From blogs, link to relevant location/occasion pages. From location pages, cross-link to nearby venues (if any) and to Website SEO & UX resources when educating users is helpful.
6) Accessibility (WCAG) must-haves
- Readable type (16px+), sufficient contrast, visible focus states and keyboard navigation.
- Alt text for images; don’t bake text into menu images.
- Form labels and error states; avoid “colour only” signals.
- Accessible allergen information in plain language.
Accessibility reduces drop-offs and complaints, improves reputation, and widens your audience.
7) Schema & sitemaps
- Location pages: Restaurant/LocalBusiness with NAP, acceptsReservations, servesCuisine, and links to Menu/Reservation URLs.
- Site-wide: BreadcrumbList. Add Menu, FAQPage and Event where relevant.
- XML sitemaps: split if large (pages, images, locations); keep robots.txt lean and allow CSS/JS assets.
- Note: review stars may not appear for local business pages—still OK to mark up responsibly.
Copy-paste examples here: Restaurant Schema Markup.
8) Media: photos, video & alt text
- Use real photos (exterior, interior, hero dishes, team). Upload WebP/AVIF; add dimensions to prevent layout shift.
- Short ambient video (6–15s) for social/ads; keep site video light and optional on mobile.
- Alt text: describe scene and dish briefly (“Seared seabass with fennel salad in light”).
9) Analytics, events & UTMs
- Track bookings, orders, click-to-call, directions, private dining enquiries with values in GA4.
- UTM-tag links from GBP, email, socials and ads (Search, PMax).
- Build a simple location-level dashboard: conversions, value, device split and top landing pages.
- For multi-site groups: roll up to estate level and highlight under-performing venues.
10) QA: what to check before launch
| Area | Check | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile header | Logo + Menu + Book visible; sticky | Findability of critical actions |
| Reservation flow | Works on iOS/Android; phone backup shown | No lost bookings at peak times |
| Menu page | HTML sections; readable font; prices current | Indexing + UX |
| Location pages | Unique NAP, hours, reviews, photos, FAQs | Local relevance + conversion |
| Speed | LCP/CLS/INP in green zone | Mobile conversion |
| Schema | Valid JSON-LD for Restaurant + Breadcrumbs | Rich understanding in Search |
| Analytics | Events fire; values correct; UTMs in place | Accurate reporting & ROAS |
FAQs
What should be above the fold on mobile?
Logo, concise value prop, reservation button, menu link, map and hours. Avoid carousels and heavy hero video.
How often should we update menus?
As they change—stale menus drive bounces and complaints. Update HTML first, then PDF.
Do pop-ups hurt UX?
Use sparingly. Avoid intrusive mobile pop-ups; prefer light banners that don’t shift content.
Want a site that ranks—and fills tables?
We design restaurant websites that load fast, nail mobile UX and turn “near me” searches into bookings.
