Home page truths

04 September 2003 by
Home page truths

We live in a label- and image-conscious world in which electronic marketing is becoming more and more important. So it stands to reason that, if a restaurant is to maximise its business potential, it should invest in a website - and that it should expend a good deal of time (if not money) on getting the pitch on that website right. But it's surprising how many restaurants come a cropper.

According to American Express Establishment Services, restaurants are missing bookings because their websites are not making the right impression. How do they know? Because, in May this year, the company surveyed 125 professionals aged 20 to 35, and 77% of the respondents felt that restaurants weren't making the most of the internet to attract new customers.

So what does a good restaurant website need to have to make it stand out from the crowd and bring in the bookings? The survey highlighted several areas which respondents felt were important. In order of preference, they are: a full food menu (90%), directions to the restaurant (66%), independent reviews (58%), and online booking (54%).

Tom Jones, chief executive officer of both the Stocks hotel in Aldbury, Hertfordshire, and hospitality industry consultancy the Eden Partnership, feels that "the visuals of the scene, plus the menus, pricing and online reservations, are most important".

The restaurant part of his business's website carries descriptions of the venue, menus, and so on. He adds that it "will be loading an online reservation functionality soon, and it will become an important tool in future".

The look and feel of the site are important, but nothing is as vital as the first page of your website, known as the home page. Brian Dorey, manager of website developer Apexweb, says: "It's the first page that most people see, and if it doesn't look good then it puts people off using your business."

Another major concern is how quickly your targeted website visitor will be able to download your home page. High-speed broadband access is said to be growing but, according to the latest Oftel research for May to July 2003, 77% of adults with internet access at home - that's 47% of UK residences - use a narrowband modem to gain that access. The key to a successful business-generating website is to have a balance - a site with enough complex information and visuals to enthuse those with fast internet connections while not alienating those without by being so large and unwieldy that it takes an age to load.

What is needed, Dorey explains, is clear navigation routes around the site and a clean design with none of the extravagant extras that tend to annoy visitors rather than add to the site. And make sure your online booking link is visible on each page.

Another decision to be made is whether to have secure online booking facilities. E-commerce has taken off in the past two years as people have become more willing to give their credit card details over the internet, but they still need reassurance. Dorey comments: "I think that security is the most important part of any e-commerce system. If people feel secure when using a website, they are more likely to order or book online and recommend the business to friends."

Electronic security certification allows your visitors to have confidential communication with your website. If you don't have a secure transaction system installed, your visitor's web browser will tell them there is a security risk in carrying on the transaction.

More and more restaurant sites are adding online booking facilities and, judging by the AmEx survey, which found that more than half of its respondents would welcome that facility, it's certainly worth considering.

But how much will it all cost? According to Dorey, for a site with as many as five pages, "as a rough guide, the secure certificate for a website costs about £150 a year. A basic site with secure online booking would cost about £450. Hosting costs from around £150 a year."

If you don't want to set up online booking facilities for yourself, AmEx is offering restaurants the opportunity to target its customers electronically. Rachel Lampen, senior client manager for the hotel and restaurant industry at AmEx Establishment Services, says: "American Express has joined forces with Livebookings. By subscribing to the American Express Livebookings console, with a free one-month trial, restaurants will have 24/7 access to millions of potential American Express card member customers."

AmEx Livebookings costs a minimum of £20 a month for use of the Livebookings console and the bookings interface on your site. This is for 40 covers each month, booked through either your website or the AmEx site. Bookings above this number cost 50p per person.

Once you've taken the plunge and sorted out a website for yourself, what next? Of course, you then have to market the fact that it exists. Felix Laboy, chief executive officer of E-Site Marketing, suggests several strategies.

First, make the most of the various online marketing "channels" (places you can market your site). Laboy says: "Examples are search engines, websites that feature local attractions, websites that provide a directory of restaurants, and online forums."

Aim for inclusion on the better-known search engines, such as Yahoo!, Google, Alta-Vista and Lycos, by going to their home pages and clicking on a link such as "Submit your site" or "Add your site". Online forums can be found all over the internet and one collection of them is Yahoo Groups.

Laboy's second recommendation is to implement several different internet marketing strategies, instead of putting all your eggs in one basket. "A comprehensive internet marketing programme includes e-mail marketing, search engine marketing and online advertising," he says. "Guerrilla tactics may include link building and online forums."

Third, Laboy suggests integrating online and traditional marketing to maintain brand consistency. "The design of your website and print collaterals should have the same look and feel. More importantly, the design of your website must reflect your restaurant's image," he asserts.

And don't forget, marketing a website, like marketing a restaurant through other media, is something that needs to be done continuously. But the rewards could be well worth your while.

Contacts

Apexweb
01929 421070

AmEx Livebookings
www.livebookings.co.uk/amex

E-Site Marketing 00 1 301 986 9566
www.esitemarketing.com

Eden Partnership 01923 291638

That American Express survey

Before you panic about not having the perfect website, the American Express Establishment Services survey also revealed that 45% of the people who responded said that they never looked at a restaurant's website, 83% said they asked friends, 52% looked at online restaurant guides, and 47% read newspapers for recommendations.

Case study

Conran Restaurants is using the Livebookings service provided by AmEx. Director Chris Wood feels that internet marketing is an important part of Conran's overall marketing strategy.

"Individual online bookings via both our website and third-party sites are a valuable revenue source, generating up to £3,000 per month," he says. "The general Conran.com website address is also prominently displayed on all marketing materials we produce."

This is another important part of marketing your website: anywhere that you advertise your restaurant should also give your website address. Conran Restaurants has gone one step further with some interesting extras on its site.

Wood explains: "We recently launched our Conran Events microsite [conran.com/events], which includes film footage of our restaurants, capacities, dimensions, testimonials, etc. All elements are downloadable for users to use when presenting to other decision makers."

Clearly, Conran takes its site and marketing seriously.

"Enquiries from the site are answered immediately by our central sales team," says Wood. "We drove site traffic to the site with a targeted mailing and advertising in [London-based magazine] Square Meal and other directories. And we also send regular HTML e-mail campaigns to [the people listed on] our central database."

(HTML [HyperText Markup Language] e-mail messages are ones that can contain photographs, graphics and sound.)

The Conran Events site has cost the company about £10,000.

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