Checklist

The restaurant website checklist: 32 things Google and your guests look for

General SEO checklists skip everything that makes a restaurant site work. These are the restaurant-specific checks from our audit, in plain English, with a fix for each one we can hand you as code.

On your website

Hours, menu, ordering, and the hidden code that tells Google you're a restaurant.

1
Google knows you are a restaurant
Critical
Restaurant schema is what puts your hours, price range, and menu link into Google directly.
How to fix: Restaurant schema →
2
Your cuisine is in the schema
Medium
servesCuisine is how you appear for "Mexican food near me" rather than just your name.
How to fix: Restaurant schema →
3
Your price range is in the schema
Medium
The $ / $$ / $$$ marker guests filter by in Google and Maps.
How to fix: Restaurant schema →
4
Your address is in the schema
High
A structured address is what ties this website to your Google Maps pin.
How to fix: Restaurant schema →
5
Your phone number is in the schema
High
It powers the "Call" button Google shows next to your listing.
How to fix: Restaurant schema →
6
Your coordinates are in the schema
Medium
Coordinates remove any doubt about which building is yours.
How to fix: Restaurant schema →
7
Your hours are in the schema
High
This is what makes Google say "Open now · Closes 9 PM" under your name.
How to fix: Restaurant schema →
8
Your menu link is in the schema
High
It gives Google a direct "Menu" button on your listing.
How to fix: Restaurant schema →
9
Whether you take reservations is declared
Low
It answers a question guests ask before they even visit the site.
How to fix: Restaurant schema →
10
Your menu has item-level schema
Medium
MenuItem schema lets Google show individual dishes and prices.
How to fix: Restaurant schema →
11
Your hours are written on the site
Critical
"Are you open?" is the question guests ask most, and the one sites most often fail to answer.
How to fix: Hours on the page →
12
Name, address, and phone match everywhere
High
Google cross-checks these three against your Maps listing; a mismatch costs you local ranking.
13
Guests can order online
High
Online ordering is the highest-margin channel you have.
14
Guests can book a table if you take bookings
Medium
If you take reservations, the link has to be obvious.
15
You have a menu page
Critical
The menu is the most visited page on every restaurant website.
16
Your menu is not a PDF
High
A PDF menu cannot be read on a phone without pinching, and barely ranks.
17
Your menu is not a photo of a menu
High
An image of a menu is invisible to Google and unreadable on a phone.
18
Your menu shows prices
Medium
Guests decide on price; hiding it sends them to a competitor who shows it.
19
There is a map or directions link
Medium
One tap to directions turns a browser into a guest in your dining room.
20
Your Google Business Profile is linked
Medium
Linking your Maps listing ties the website and the listing together for Google.
21
Your ordering channels are visible
Low
Guests look for the app they already have; if it is not listed, they search elsewhere.
22
Each location has its own page
Medium
One page covering several addresses ranks for none of them.
23
Holiday hours are handled
Low
The Thanksgiving phone calls stop once the answer is on the site.
How to fix: Hours on the page →
24
Catering and private events are mentioned
Low
Catering and private parties are the highest-margin bookings a restaurant gets.

Your Google listing

What Google shows about you, and whether it matches your site. A mismatch here costs you the map pack.

25
You have a Google listing
Critical
The Google listing is where most guests find a restaurant — more than the website.
26
Your listing points at your website
High
A listing with no website link, or the wrong one, sends guests nowhere.
27
Your hours match everywhere
Critical
When Google and your website disagree, guests arrive to a locked door and do not come back.
28
Your phone number matches your listing
High
Two different numbers across Google and your site costs you calls and confuses Google.
29
Your address matches your listing
High
Google cross-checks your address against your website; a mismatch costs local ranking.
30
You have enough reviews to be chosen
Medium
Guests compare star counts before they compare menus. Too few reviews and you are skipped.
31
Your rating is healthy
Medium
Below four stars, guests filter you out of the results before reading a word.
32
Your listing has photos
Low
Listings with photos get far more clicks — it is the first thing a hungry guest looks at.

This is the restaurant part. The full audit runs these plus speed, mobile, security, accessibility and more. See every category.

Check your own site

Free score, plain-English report, and the code to fix it. About a minute.

The restaurant website checklist: 32 things Google and your guests look for

On your website

Google knows you are a restaurant

Your cuisine is in the schema

Your price range is in the schema

Your address is in the schema

Your phone number is in the schema

Your coordinates are in the schema

Your hours are in the schema

Your menu link is in the schema

Whether you take reservations is declared

Your menu has item-level schema

Your hours are written on the site

Name, address, and phone match everywhere

Guests can order online

Guests can book a table if you take bookings

You have a menu page

Your menu is not a PDF

Your menu is not a photo of a menu

Your menu shows prices

There is a map or directions link

Your Google Business Profile is linked

Your ordering channels are visible

Each location has its own page

Holiday hours are handled

Catering and private events are mentioned

Your Google listing

You have a Google listing

Your listing points at your website

Your hours match everywhere

Your phone number matches your listing

Your address matches your listing

You have enough reviews to be chosen

Your rating is healthy

Your listing has photos

Check your own site