Update The Website For Online Ordering Conversion

Perhaps one of the most important ways that restaurants can increase online ordering revenue is by having a website that guides visitors to place orders. Here are a number of ways restaurants can get started.

Add a Pop-up to Your Homepage

It’s been found that three out of four guests on average will click to start their order from a pop-up on the website. And if guests are already visiting a restaurant’s website, they are more likely to become a paying customer. Add a pop-up alert to the homepage of the website promoting online ordering. Alerts are a simple way to quickly connect them to the information or service they’re looking for — greatly increasing the chance of turning them into paying customers.

Add a Call-to-Action (CTA) Button

Another option for increasing the likelihood of an online visitor becoming a paying customer is to add an online ordering button to the main navigation bar of the website. The button should clearly state, “Online Ordering,” “Order Online” or “Begin Your Order.” Make it stand out by having the button in a contrasting color or outlined. The more prominent the call-to-action is the more possibility for orders.

Add SEO Fields

All restaurants regardless of what platform they use should be using SEO best practices to drive new visitors to their website. While BentoBox provides these services for our customers — such as LocalSync which syncs your website menu and operating hours to Google and Facebook — there are easy tactics any restaurant can follow to optimize their online ordering page.

For example, your SEO title tag should be set as “restaurant name” | “Type of Food” | “City & State” | “Order Online.” This will ensure that guests who are searching for your restaurant or more generally the type of food you sell in your city are finding you when searching online.

Capture Email Subscribers

As always, capturing email addresses is a simple way for restaurants to create lasting relationships with their guests and earn new ones. Make it easy for online visitors to input their contact so that they can learn the latest offerings or important information from the restaurant. A large benefit of using a direct online ordering system is that with each order placed, the restaurant obtains important contact information that is crucial for remarketing and driving repeat orders.

Spread the Word on Social Media

After a restaurant has chosen its preferred online ordering platform and optimized its menu, store and website for more conversions, it’s time to market it to guests. Restaurants should include their offering via email, post and promote across their social channels such as Facebook and Instagram. New York City Pizza, which has multiple locations across South Carolina promotes online ordering on their Instagram by offering a free pizza for when you order using a promo code. They’re Instagram also includes a direct link to online ordering to quickly convert visitors into paying customers.

Introduce Print Marketing to Drive Awareness

Alongside the ease and immediacy of using social media for marketing purposes, restaurants can still rely on printed marketing materials to drive awareness about online ordering. Add branded drop-cards to include in takeout packaging to remind customers that they can order directly from the website. A great benefit of partnering with BentoBox is that we provide printed cards with the restaurant’s brand and logo to our online ordering customers for free, including shipping.

By optimizing the website, restaurants can drive more traffic and convert website visitors into paying customers. Get in touch with a BentoBox specialist to learn more about Bento Ordering or get in touch with your account manager to get started.