What are Listings and Do Listings Even Matter?
Find out more about the power of restaurant listings and how they can help you attract more customers. 3 minutes read
A "Listing" is an online summary of essential business information that serves as a powerful tool to help customers find your restaurant online and in real life. Here's an acronym you need to know about restaurant listings:
NAP+W
NAP+W is the acronym that is shorthand for all of the information that should be included in your restaurant listings. What does NAP+W stand for?
Name
Address
Phone number
+
Website
These four pieces of information are the starting point for any restaurant listing. They provide the essential information potential customers need to research, contact, and locate your restaurant.
Want to attract even more diners to your restaurant with listings? Add information like menus, food options, hours of operation in the restaurant listing—it's what your customers want!
Will My Restaurant Listings Bring in More Diners?
The effectiveness of a restaurant listing depends on the information's presence AND accuracy.
Listings for your restaurant are available through various sources, including search engines (Google or Bing), online directories (Yelp), and maps (Apple or Google Maps), or social sites (Facebook or Instagram).
When it comes to a listing's "presence," more is better.
Listing availability on as many sources as possible will create several ways for diners to find your restaurant. BUT, presence only pays off if all of the listings are ACCURATE.
Listings are accurate if the restaurant information is correct and consistent across all potential sources. Seems easy enough, right?
It's not.
Managing all of these separate restaurant information sources is time-consuming and can be ineffective unless you use a listings management tool to control and lock everything in one place.
Are Restaurant Listings Even Important?
Listings with significant presence (in as many locations as possible) and accuracy (all identical and correct) will pay off for your restaurant.
Here's how:
No More Irritated Customers
Accurate and readily available listings will help guide consumers right to your restaurant's door (when you are open).
If a restaurant's listing is incorrect or missing, most customers will lose confidence in the restaurant, likely leading them to choose a different restaurant. Customers get irritated when your restaurant listing says you are open and they arrive to find out you are closed. What about outdated menus? Don't put your restaurant staff in the position of dealing with angry diners when you don't have a specific entree any longer.
The availability of accurate listings ensures customers can find restaurant locations while you are open for business. Finding you when you are open means money in your pocket and, just as importantly, it means you get a shot at another great review (instead of a one-star for having incorrect menus online).
Reviews Matter in Listings
A significant positive review pipeline is essential for developing a restaurant's online reputation and building brand loyalty.
Reviews enable diners to share their experiences with a restaurant with potential diners. If potential diners can't find a restaurant listed online, check out reviews and see the menu, they are not well-informed.
Accurate restaurant listings create the opportunity for transparency between restaurants and diners in the form of reviews. The availability of reviews in your restaurant listings will increase your restaurant's visibility.
What About Search Engines?
Consistent, accurate restaurant listings and the generation of positive diner reviews will add valuable backlinks to your website and boost your restaurant's website ranking in local search engine results.
Search engine optimization is a complex process, but some of the most effective "low hanging fruit" to improve search rank is proper restaurant listing management. More search engine visibility means more diners, and what restaurant owner doesn't want that? Learn more about local SEO for restaurants with this 10 step guide to boosting your site rank.