How to Choose a Restaurant Web Design Agency — What to Ask Before You Hire Anyone
There is no shortage of restaurant web design agencies willing to take your money. The question is which ones actually understand what a restaurant website needs to do. Not just look good on a portfolio. Actually generate phone calls, online orders, and catering inquiries from real guests who found you on Google.
As a restaurant management consultant who has worked with independent operators across Connecticut and nationally, I have seen what good restaurant website design companies produce and I have seen the damage that bad ones leave behind. Here is what to look for before you hire anyone.
Does the Restaurant Website Design Company Understand the Hero Section
The first question to ask any restaurant web design agency is what they put above the fold. Above the fold means the part of the page visible without scrolling. If their answer is anything other than your three primary revenue drivers, a call now button, an order online button, and a catering link, they do not understand restaurant website design.
85% of web visitors only visit the homepage. A large portion of those only see the first section. A restaurant website design agency that puts a beautiful full screen photo above the fold with no action buttons has designed a pretty brochure, not a business tool. As we covered in our post on what to look for in a restaurant marketing company, the same principle applies to web design partners.
Does the Restaurant Web Design Agency Build for Mobile First
80% of your guests will visit your website on a mobile device. Any restaurant website design company that builds desktop first and retrofits for mobile is working backwards. Ask specifically to see mobile examples of their previous restaurant web design work. If the mobile version looks like a shrunken desktop site with tiny buttons and sideways scrolling, keep looking.
Does the Restaurant Website Design Agency Understand SEO
A beautiful restaurant website that Google cannot find is a billboard in the middle of the ocean. The best restaurant web design services build SEO into the site architecture from day one. This means proper page structure, keyword rich content on each menu category page, location based language throughout the site, and a Google Business Profile linked to the site correctly.
Ask every restaurant web design agency you speak to how they handle on page SEO. If they cannot explain it in plain language that connects directly to how guests find you on Google, find a different partner. We walked through the full SEO connection in our post on essential restaurant digital marketing strategies.
What Does a Restaurant Website Design Company Actually Cost
You do not need to spend ten thousand dollars on restaurant web design. A functional, well optimized restaurant website that converts visitors into guests can be built for significantly less. The price you pay should reflect the specific functionality your restaurant needs, not the prestige of the agency.
For most independent operators the priority is a mobile optimized site with a strong hero section, organized menu pages, integrated online ordering, and basic SEO structure. A restaurant web design agency that delivers those things at a reasonable price is worth more than a premium agency that delivers a stunning site that loads slowly on mobile and cannot be found on Google.
At 5 Loaves Restaurant Consulting, our restaurant website design service is built specifically for independent operators who need a site that works, not just a site that looks good.
