Is Your Website Mobile Responsive

Restaurant customers today, like customers in every other sector, make purchasing decisions using their smartphones. That means that if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re missing out on a huge segment of the population and you’re losing business.

If your website isn’t mobile responsive, you have to take action.

You might have a perfectly lovely website, and it might work very well for desktop users, but think of it this way. You want to buy toys and food for your pet dog. You go to the pet store, and find out that all they have is toys and food for dinosaurs.

Get the idea?

No one wants to scroll, pan, and re-size your website so that it will work on their mobile device. Hardly anyone uses desktop computers any more – it’s all tablets and smartphones. And even worse, if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, Google will penalize you for being non-responsive – you won’t have a prayer of ranking even on page three of the search results, and everyone knows that no one goes past page two.

Simply stated, if your website isn’t navigable on a smartphone, customers looking for a place to dine are going to quickly exit your site and find one that is more user-friendly.

Some issues with not having a Mobile Responsive Website

Some of the problems that can occur when people are trying to navigate a desktop-friendly site on a smartphone include:

• The text is too small
• They can’t see all the elements on the screen
• They can’t click on your phone number to call you.
  
  

Even one of these problems can send potential customers giving up in frustration and hitting the “back” button.

Responsive Web Design is the Age of Instant Gratification

We’re in the age of instant gratification. In other words, customers want to “click and call” – they don’t want to have to dial. They want to swipe their finger, not zoom in, zoom out and scroll all over the place.

Recent studies indicate that more than 60% of mobile users will contact a business that has a mobile-friendly site over any other. So, if you’re not meeting their needs, think about the business you’re going to lose.

Don't Forget Online Ordering is easier with a Mobile Responsive Web Design

Now that you understand the importance of a mobile-friendly website, don’t forget about online ordering. As of the time of this writing, only about one restaurant in four actually offers online ordering. Do we have to tell you about the “back” button again?

If you do nothing else with our website in order to make it mobile-friendly, at least make sure that your customers can order online.

Mobile is the way of the future...

So make sure that your website is mobile responsive, and you’ll not only gain new customers, you’ll keep the ones you already have.

You Have 15 Seconds to Bring a Customer to Your Door… And… then they are GONE!

How much time do you think the average person is going to spend on your website? About 15 seconds. Seriously. No more than 15 seconds, so you have to draw them in and keep them there in very little time. How are you going to do that?

Think about your website as the front door to your restaurant. If you walked up to your front door, and it looked like it was in disrepair, and neglected, and generally unattractive, how many people do you think would want to walk into your restaurant?

That’s right – not too many. So, if you’re thinking about your website as your restaurant’s front door, you know that you need to make it attractive and inviting.

Before we talk about what is inviting, let’s take a moment to consider what isn’t.

1. You should absolutely stay away from flashy animation.
   In the first place, it’s not attractive. In the second, even though it might show up on a desktop computer, it probably won’t be visible on a mobile device.
   
   
2. You should definitely avoid music.
   You know how you get in an elevator, and there’s that canned music, and you just grind your teeth together until you get to your floor?
   
   That’s exactly how people feel when they encounter music on your website. Don’t do it.

Now, as to what you should showcase on your website:

1. Your menu is first and foremost.
   People want to know what you’re serving, and they want to know what it costs. If you provide a photo gallery of the menu items that you have on offer, that goes a long way to generating interest.
   
   
2. You should also post reviews, both positive and negative.
   People want to know what it’s like visiting your restaurant, and they’re going to want to hear from other customers. If you get a bad review, that’s not the end of the world. Chances are another customer will come back in and say why the first reviewer was wrong.
   
   And if something really did go wrong, you can always offer an explanation and an apology. Reviews, simply stated, are believable, and it’s a lot more realistic when a customer says that you have the best food in town than it is when you say it.
   
   
3. Include a map on your site.
   People need to know how to find you. Your address should be prominent, so that customers can find you using their GPS.
   
   Simply stated, make it easy. That’s what gets you the traffic, and improves your profitability.

At Umbrella Consultants we help businesses, brands and marketers grow their online presence daily. Don’t be shy contact us and speak to one of our experienced marketers or see how our development team will help create the right face for your business online. Our specialty is putting your business in a manageable box so you can get back to your day to day operations.

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