Recent articles about a Florida-based restaurant chain focused on how they doubled their
online ordering in their restaurant in two months, from 2 to 3 percent of their volume to more than 5 percent. Some of what they did was just good sense. Other things were a bit more innovative.
Here are three that worked well:
- Revamped their website. Their new website was easier to navigate and, more importantly, the button for online ordering was moved right up to the front where visitors could find it quickly.
- Updated Directory Listings. Each store did a painstaking search of all the directories they were listed in, correcting erroneous info and making updates. Google algorithms like correct, consistent information. Click-through rates skyrocketed after that information was corrected.
- Wooed Influential People. Food bloggers and Yelp Elite members were invited for special events and private tastings. This resulted in a lot of buzz on social media – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and blogs. Some locations jumped as many as two stars in their Yelp rating. A half-star increase in your Yelp rating can result in a 19% increase in business, according to a 2012 report by Economic Journal. That’s worth the investment.
