Google My Business Page: How To Add Your Restaurant Business

In today’s Restaurant Industry, visibility and discoverability are the two major factors that decide the business at your Restaurant. If your customers can’t find your restaurant, they can never reach there. And to make sure, that your restaurant appears in the google searches of these hungry customers, you must add your restaurant to google. You can add your restaurant business to Google by creating a Google My Business Page for your Restaurant.

Google My Business is a product of Google that allows businesses to create local listings in Google Maps so that local customers can find the business easily. It is a remarkable way by which a brick and mortar restaurant business can get the attention of local customers who are hovering online. As a Restaurant Owner, you should create a Google My Business page for your Restaurant Business to capture all the potential local customers. Read further to know why you should add your restaurant to google and how you can do that. 

Why You Should Create A Google My Business Page For Your Restaurant

According to a study, 65% of smartphone users are looking for restaurant locations within walking and driving distance, 66% look for directions and 51% look for a contact number. Moreover, people who are are searching the Internet for good food using mobiles/tablets have nearly a 90% conversion rate. This means Restaurant consumer activity is far more local and urgent as compared to other businesses.

If a restaurant is present on Google my business listing through its Google Business Page, it can take advantage of multiple benefits that increase the visibility and the discoverability of the restaurant. Here are the benefits of having a Google my business page for restaurants:-

1. Better Discoverability: It displays your Restaurant’s details like Name, Description, Phone Number, Street Address, Hours of operation, Menu & Images in the local search results (such as Knowledge Graphs & Google Maps) which makes sure your customers can discover you easily.
2. Boosts Online Ordering: It allows your customers to place an order directly, thus adding an extra stream of revenue to your Restaurant Business.
3. Competitive Advantage: With a Google My Business Listing, you can beat your local competition who are not using it.
4. Local Search Rankings: It helps in local search rankings. Google considers distance & proximity to show a search result, and if a potential customer is nearby your location, he will be shown at your restaurant in the search results.
5. Boosts Customer Experience: Google provides an extra feature of uploading menu to Restaurants, enabling customers to check what they offer even before a visit. You can upload/edit the menu which will be displayed directly in mobile searches. 
6. Makes Restaurant More Approachable: If your customers are searching on mobile, they can get exact driving directions to your Restaurant and also call you directly.
7. Access To Customer Analytics: You will get plenty of useful customer insights such as how many customers have directly called you or requested directions. Customers can give their reviews and message you directly.
8. Supports Review Handling: With the Google My Business dashboard, you can track how customers are engaging with your restaurant’s brand on Google+ and respond to their reviews.
9. Ease In Ad Creation: Additionally, you can create local ads easily through Adwords Express & add multiple locations if you have more than one restaurant outlet.

How To Create A Google My Business Page For Your Restaurant 

As mentioned earlier, you should create a Google My Business (GMB) page to add your restaurant to Google Business Listing. You should have a Google Account which is associated with your Restaurant preferably(e.g., [email protected]), though your account will also work.

Step 1: Create a Google My Business Page For Your Restaurant Or Claim If It Already Exists.

1. Go to Google My Business, search for your restaurant, if a page with your Restaurant Name already exists, you can select it and request it’s ownership by clicking on ‘Request Ownership’ button and filling up the Request Ownership form.
2. To create a new GMB page, first sign in to your Google Account.
3. Fill in your Restaurant Business details like Name & Address. You can tick the checkbox if you do online food delivery. Choose your exact location on the Map.

4. Make sure you choose the right category for your Restaurant. There are multiple categories like Buffet Restaurant, Asian Restaurant, Barbecue Restaurant, Bar, Ice cream Shop & more. If you can’t find a category specific to your restaurant type, you can also go for a general one.
5. Enter the Restaurant’s  Contact Number & Website URL.

Step 2: Verify Your GMB Page

1. Google provides you multiple options to verify the Google My Business Page. But for a location-specific business like Restaurants, verification is done via a postcard.
2. Google sends a postcard that contains the verification code to the restaurant address you have mentioned while creating the page. It should arrive in somewhere about 10 days.
3. After receiving the verification code, you are supposed to enter it on the GMB page and click ‘Verify Now.’
4. Once verified, review the information you have provided and make sure it’s correct and up to date. You can now enhance your GMB profile by adding a description and uploading quality pictures and videos.
5. After successful verification, you can add operational hours and offer your customers specific coupons and also post real-time updates such as weekly offers, festive combos & more.

Congratulations, your Restaurant is now listed on Google, customers can find you easily online & you should expect a boost in your restaurant sales soon! For other Tried & Tested ways to grow your Restaurant Sales, you can read this article. 

Follow this infographic, to create a Google My Business page for your Restaurant successfully: