SEO for restaurants
Most restaurant searches are hungry and local: someone nearby, deciding soon. SEO for restaurants is mostly about being in the map results for those searches, with a menu and reviews that close the decision.
Restaurant SEO from
£99 /mo
→The short answer
SEO for restaurants means appearing when people nearby search for somewhere to eat: in Google's map results and in ordinary search. It rests on a complete Google Business Profile, a steady flow of reviews you reply to, and a website whose menus are written as text Google can read. We do it from £99 a month, alongside your website.
(01)What diners type
Examples of real phrasing, not measured volumes.
How people search for somewhere to eat
Deciding tonight
restaurants near me
restaurants open now
best sunday roast [town]
dog friendly pub with food near me
vegan restaurant [town]
Planning ahead
private dining room [town]
christmas party venue [town]
bottomless brunch [town]
restaurant for large group [town]
[cuisine] restaurant [town]
(02)Map results
Where most of the hungry searches end.
Getting into the map results
The right category
Your primary category should say what you are as specifically as Google allows, such as an Italian or a seafood restaurant, with secondary categories for the rest.
Every attribute that's true
Outdoor seating, dog-friendly, vegan options, wheelchair access, takeaway. People filter by them, and Google uses them to match searches.
Menu and booking links
Pointing to your menu page and your booking page, so a searcher can decide and book without leaving Google.
Photos, often
The dishes, the room and the outside, so people recognise you when they arrive.
Hours you keep
Including holidays. Google shows whether you're open now, and people trust it.
(03)Reviews
Google and Tripadvisor, handled the same way.
Reviews on Google and Tripadvisor
Ask every table
A card with the bill, a line on the receipt, a message after a booking. Every guest, not just the ones who seemed happy: Google's rules don't allow choosing who to ask2.
Reply to all of them
A specific thank-you for the good ones; a calm reply and an offer to put it right for the bad ones. Future guests read the replies.
Never buy or swap them
Tripadvisor too
Many visitors, especially tourists, check Tripadvisor as well. Claim your listing so you can reply and keep the details current.
Our guide to getting more Google reviews has message templates and a 30-day plan.
(05)The first 90 days
In order. No promised positions: you see what we did and what changed.
A 90-day SEO plan for restaurants
Days 1–30
Be findable
- Google profile: category, attributes, hours, menu and booking links
- Menus rebuilt as web pages
- Search Console set up in your name
Days 31–60
Win the decision
- Review cards and messages for every table
- Replies to every review on Google and Tripadvisor
- Pages for Sunday lunch, private dining and your other draws
Days 61–90
Plan ahead
- Seasonal pages up early: Christmas, Mother's Day, summer terrace
- Fresh photos on your Google profile
- First report: searches, bookings, calls and what's next
SEO Website
£99
a month
For getting a proper, findable website live.
- Website design and build
- Hosting and maintenance
- Mobile-first design
- Keyword research and on-page SEO
- Sitemap and indexing set-up
- Local SEO and Google Business Profile support
Traffic GrowthFits this best
£199
a month
For turning the site into a steady source of enquiries.
- Everything in SEO Website
- New SEO content and service pages each month
- Location pages where they're justified
- Better calls to action and enquiry forms
- Monthly report with recommendations
Growth Partner
£499
a month
For businesses ready to push hard on growth.
- Everything in Traffic Growth
- Competitor and market analysis
- Strategic landing pages and customer journeys
- Monthly performance review call
- A prioritised growth plan
Questions
(06)Questions
For most, yes, because the searches that matter are local and the work is modest: a complete Google profile, real reviews, and menus Google can read. It costs far less than paying a commission on every booking.
For many it does, especially in places that get visitors. It's free to claim your listing and reply to reviews, so it's worth keeping in order alongside Google.
Earlier than feels natural: people book work parties well ahead. Put your Christmas page up by early autumn so it's found when the searching starts.
Sources
(07)Sources
Every figure on this page comes from one of these. Checked on the date shown.
- 1Tips to improve your local ranking on Google, Google Business Profile Help. Checked 26 October 2026.
- 2Prohibited and restricted content, Google Maps user-generated content policy. Checked 26 October 2026.
- 3Fake reviews: guidance on the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (CMA208), Competition and Markets Authority. Checked 26 October 2026.
(08)Start a project
Let's build your
free preview.
Tell us about your business. We'll come back with a plan and start on your preview. You pay nothing until you give it the nod.