Overview
Now that you’ve got a Google My Business listing set up, it’s time to optimize it so that it will have the best chance to get you more visibility in search results, and allow people who view your listing to become instant customers.
In case you haven’t set up your listing yet, check out our first post in this series, Google My Business for Restaurants: Benefits and Setup.
NOTE: You’ll need to verify your listing in order to have your images appear to the public. Learn more about verifying your listing in the post above.
You’ll want to add as many details and assets as possible to your GMB listing. This lets Google know you’re serious about promoting yourself through Google My Business, and you’ll enjoy a ranking boost. Optimizing your listing also gives your potential customers more compelling reasons to contact you.
Plus, it gives your listing lots of real estate when it appears as a knowledge panel, or when someone selects your listing from Google Maps results.
Just look below at all the glorious info your listing can present in SERPs (search engine results pages). It’s like a mini website, browsable and clickable right from search results!
Let’s break down the various sections of content that you can provide to fully optimize your GMB listing.
Log into your Google My business account here.
Google My Business: Info
This is where you’ll add most of your text information. You’ll see where you can edit the info that you’ve already provided during the setup: restaurant name, category, address, service area, phone number, and website.
Feel free to update anything, but keep in mind that you’ll have to re-verify your account if you change your address. Any edits you make will need to be reviewed and will show up on your listing in about 3 days.
You’re able to add additional categories and phone numbers, if applicable.
Here’s what else you can (and should) add:
Hours
You can get more granular for each day by selecting “add hours”.
You’re also able to add special hours for holidays or other specific dates.
URLs
This is one of the biggest opportunities for restaurants! By listing the specific pages on your website (or third-party website pages) where a customer can see your menu, order online or book a reservation, you make it super convenient for someone to do business with you right from the search results.
By the way, do you offer online ordering? If not, we can help! Our platform is totally affordable and super customizable, where it’s your brand and menu.
Get started today and learn more about eHungry’s online ordering software.
Menu
While you aren’t able to get very granular with your menu items, it’s a big deal to have the ability to list your menu items directly on your Google My Business listing.
Why? Because hungry Google users aren’t looking to click on every website to find and browse menus, especially since many menus aren’t mobile- or user-friendly. With the GMB menu accessible right from search results, it’s easy for potential customers to get an idea of what you offer.
Here’s what you see when editing in Google My Business’ platform:
Here’s what customers see on your listing:
Attributes
There are lots of predefined options for you to select that will provide users with relevant details about your restaurant. You’re not able to create custom attributes.
For example, there are lots of dining options:
Other attributes categories include:
- accessibility (e.g. wheelchair accessible entrance)
- amenities (e.g. high chairs, wi-fi)
- crowd (e.g. family-friendly, LGBT)
- highlights (e.g. live music, rooftop seating)
- offerings (e.g. gluten-free options, happy hour food)
- payments (e.g. cash-only, credit cards)
Attributes appear on desktop and mobile, but they look more impressive as badges on a mobile device, in the “Highlights” section.
Business description
You’ve got 750 characters to describe your business, and this is where you can include keywords to help your listing appear for relevant searches.
Keep in mind that the first 250 characters appear on your listing, and a user will need to expand the description to see more (on desktop), so your most important details and keywords should appear at the beginning.
What keywords should you include?
You’ll likely add relevant keywords naturally as you provide details about your business, but you can consider words or phrases that someone might use when searching for a restaurant like yours. In the example above, some keywords include: boston, spanish, tapas, bar.
Opening date
Adding a date that you opened is useful for showing whether you’re a new restaurant or you’ve been open for a while. Both scenarios can have advantages when someone is searching for a place to eat.
If you’re not open yet, you can also add a date in the future, to get your brand on the public’s radar.
Google My Business: Photos
Adding images to your listing is really important. Here are a couple reasons why:
- Google users are quickly browsing their options, and photos of your menu items or the interior of your restaurant (for example) can go a long way to get them interested in what you offer.
- Adding images is a ranking factor! Google recognizes the first reason above, so it will reward businesses with quality, fresh images that help Google’s users to make decisions about where to eat locally.
Do I need professional photos?
Your images should definitely be quality images, where they’re not cropped awkwardly or pixelated. At the same time, you don’t need to hire a photographer or buy an expensive camera. A smartphone camera will do! As long as you can authentically capture the vibe and fare at your restaurant in a professional way. No stock photos!
What kind of photos can/should I add?
Restaurants are given some relevant categories of images, along with the general types of images that all GMB accounts should include.
Profile
This would typically be your logo, and appears when you post a photo or reply to a review.
Cover
If Google agrees with your choice here, it will be the main image that users see at the top of your listing.
Interior/Exterior
You can access the available photo categories at the top menu of the Photos area.
Add images of the inside and outside of your restaurant to give users an idea of what a dining experience would be like, or to give them a sense of your style.
Food and Drink/Menu
Definitely add images to this section! Add well-composed and well-lit images of your menu items for potential customers to browse.
These images can appear in their own section on your listing’s knowledge panel for a quick glance:
Or in their own section on your Maps listing:
Google’s Photo Guidelines
- Format: JPG or PNG (usually JPG for photographs and PNG for graphics and logos)
- Size: Between 10 KB and 5 MB (you can resize images online here, and compress them here)
- Minimum resolution: 720 x 720 pixels
Google My Business: Video
Another great way to highlight your food or restaurant’s vibe is through video. Not only can you creatively showcase your food or immerse viewers in your restaurant experience, you can also add other types of marketing videos to convince users to contact or visit.
Video examples for a restaurant include:
- customer testimonials
- event promo
- chef interview
- stylized recipe or food prep
Learn More Ways to Optimize Your GMB Listing
In the final post in our Google My Business for Restaurants guide, we take a look at creating posts, getting reviews, uncovering insights, and more!
Behold: Online Ordering Software, Customized for Your Restaurant
If you’re going through the effort to create a Google My Business listing, it wouldn’t be complete without a link to your online ordering software. Don’t offer online ordering yet? We can help!
Your eHungry online ordering site is very affordable (only 1.9% per order with NO OTHER FEES), super customizable, and is optimized for search engines and conversions!
Learn more about all the amazing features of eHungry’s affordable and easy-to-use software, and start growing your restaurant business today!