{"id":15618,"date":"2022-02-11T09:12:12","date_gmt":"2022-02-11T15:12:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.partstown.com\/about-us\/?p=15618"},"modified":"2022-06-24T16:08:30","modified_gmt":"2022-06-24T21:08:30","slug":"how-to-create-a-website-for-your-restaurant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.partstown.com\/about-us\/how-to-create-a-website-for-your-restaurant","title":{"rendered":"How to Create a Website for Your Restaurant"},"content":{"rendered":"

Learning how to create a website for your restaurant is essential. According to a MGH, Inc. survey<\/a>, 77% of guests visit a restaurant\u2019s website before eating there, and \u2154 of respondents have been discouraged from eating in a restaurant because of its website.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although having a site is important, you might feel overwhelmed by the idea of building a website from scratch. With this guide you will learn the process of building, designing, and evaluating your site from the ground up. Once you have a high-quality site, you will be much better prepared to compete in the challenging restaurant industry.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Choosing a Domain Name<\/strong><\/h2>\n

What is a Domain Name?<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

The first step in creating a website for your restaurant is selecting a domain name. It\u2019s the .com, .org, or .net address at the top of the screen when you visit a site. For example, if you want to learn more about Parts Town, you can go directly to the company\u2019s website by typing the domain name (partstown.com) into Google.<\/span><\/p>\n

Think of it as the address for your website on the Internet. Just like a brick-and-mortar restaurant, you need to direct potential customers to a specific address in order to make sales.<\/span><\/p>\n

Checking Domain Name Availability\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

Ideally, your domain name should be thenameofyourrestaurant.com. However, just like in the real world, only one website can exist at any one domain name, so if your preferred domain name is taken, you have to choose another.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although there are websites dedicated to checking domain availability, most people just check the availability when they go to purchase their domain. Adding the name of your city or using .net instead of .com are good ways to make your domain name unique.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Buying Your Domain Name<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

There are many sites where you can buy domain names, some of the more popular ones being Namecheap.com and Bluehost.com. Some like NameCheap.com focus just on domain names, while others like Bluehost.com also provide other services like hosting for websites (more on that later).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Although some are a bit cheaper than others, a domain name for an independent restaurant\u2019s website should not cost more than a few dollars per month.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Hosting your Website<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If your domain name is the address, think of the hosting as the location. In order to use a location, you have to rent it, so think of hosting as \u201cpaying rent\u201d on the Internet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bluehost.com and HostGator.com provide hosting for about $5-$10 per month. In fact, these companies offer both hosting and domains. You do not have to buy your domain name and hosting from the same company, but doing so makes life easier.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Designing your Restaurant Website\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Making a Website with a WordPress Template<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

Once you find a location, it\u2019s time to start building. Although there are many website builders, WordPress is the most common. If you use a WordPress template, known as a <\/span>theme<\/span><\/i>, you can make a website easily without knowing how to code.<\/span><\/p>\n

Simply upload the website template and add content like photos and articles. You can also install WordPress add-ons known as <\/span>plugins<\/span><\/i> to add things such as an email capture, social media links, and an online ordering system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thankfully, creating a website with a WordPress template isn\u2019t expensive. Many themes are free, and premium themes only go up to about $200. If you are willing to do a bit of work, you can make your website almost for free.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other Restaurant Website Builders: Wix and Squarespace<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

Besides WordPress, Wix and Squarespace are also popular website builders. These drag-and-drop site builders are more user-friendly than WordPress, and since they are not self-hosted, you can skip the first few steps in the website creation process.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, many marketers have noticed that Wix and Squarespace sites tend to not rank as highly on Google. If you want a top-notch site that ranks well in Google search, WordPress is probably still the best option.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"How

Hiring someone to build your website allows you to focus on other things.<\/p><\/div>\n

How Much Does It Cost to Hire Someone to Make a Website?<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019d rather hire someone, be prepared to pay for it. According to WPBeginner.com, a simple, custom site costs $1,500-$5,000, while a site with a fancy design and many plugins may cost $6,000-$10,000.<\/span><\/p>\n

These numbers are on top of the domain and hosting, as well as any paid content for the website. Hiring someone to make a website and add content isn\u2019t cheap, but as mentioned at the beginning of this article, it will be worth it in the long run.<\/span><\/p>\n

Optimizing Your Website to be Mobile-Friendly<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

Even if you design your site on a desktop, most users are going to view it on a smartphone. In fact, over \u2154 of Internet traffic is on mobile devices, and a Pew Research Center study<\/a> found that 15% of US adults are \u201csmartphone-only\u201d Internet users.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Considering this, designing a mobile-friendly website that looks good on a small screen, loads quickly and has clear navigation should be a top priority.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"How

Most web visits are mobile, so designing a mobile-friendly site is crucial.<\/p><\/div>\n

4. Creating Content for Your Restaurant\u2019s Website<\/span><\/h2>\n

After you finish designing the website\u2019s layout, it\u2019s time to add content.<\/span><\/p>\n

Good content ideas for a restaurant website are things like:<\/span><\/p>\n