F&B Best Practices for Managing Hyperlocal Presence
GMB Optimisation- Key Ingredient, Not Garnish
Bars, dine-ins, ghost kitchens, cafés. For any F&B business in the current era, establishing a hyperlocal presence is a key ingredient, not a garnish. 9 in 10 offline buyers use online touchpoints to gather information before making purchases, and this consumer buying behaviour extends to those in India’s rural heartland
When a potential customer wants to know if biryani is on the menu or if the place is open at midnight on Saturday, they don’t expect to land on the website. They expect the answer to be right there on the first page of a Google search. So, what is the recipe to bake these answers right where a user wants them?
Optimising Google Business Profile.
A GMB listing gives users all the information they need — without even visiting a website because today’s search engine algorithms generate results based on a user’s location.
With that, we serve you a hot plate of best practices that help manage your hyperlocal presence with GMB.
76% of people who search on their smartphones for something nearby visit a business within a day.
#1. Get the Category Right
The better a GMB listing ranks, the higher it shows up on a Search Engine Result Page (SERP). And to rank better, the information given on the GMB has to be accurate and relevant.
Paramount amongst this information is the ‘Primary Category.’ Take time to select the right category for the business, like “restaurant: pizza delivery” rather than simply restaurant.
Next, don’t forget to accent the GMB listing with secondary categories. Include as many services as possible here since the secondary category is a great place for keyword addition and variations.
#2. Service Area Act as a Potentiator
2 out of the 3 key GMB ranking factors are relevance and distance. Primary and secondary categories set the stage for relevance. For distance, F&B businesses need to focus on adding service areas. Do you serve/provide delivery for the entire city, or is it a certain geographical area around the business?
Up to 20 service areas are allowed by Google, whose boundaries should not extend farther than about 2 hours of driving time from the business location.
Service area mapping tells the algorithm how far the business is located from the user. Since distance supersedes prominence, the 3rd key GMB ranking factor, including it in the listing, cements the business’s hyperlocal presence.
#3. Whisk In Attributes
Attributes help customers learn more about an F&B business and the services they offer. Use them to further describe your restaurant or cafe and make your GMB listing attractive.
Besides the usual suspects — dine-in, take-out, delivery, curbside pickup — list all the special features: “free Wi-Fi,” “top-rated,” “kid-friendly,” “bar”, or “open seating”. These attributes encourage customers to visit as they answer logistical and experiential questions.
#4. Fold in a Good Dose of Keywords
The right keywords provide the right context, boosting SERPs and empowering hyperlocal presence. Optimising GMB for keywords is not merely crucial for local SEO; it’s also important to make an impression of the business in a customer’s mind.
The thumb rule is to include popular keywords such as “Italian restaurant city”, “city name restaurants”, and “Mexican eateries”. However, a better way to optimise the GMB listing for keywords is to organically insert them in responses to reviews.
Whether it’s a positive or a negative review, always reply to them. Personalise them by mentioning the following:
● Name and location
● Name of the food the F&B serves
● Service or ambience of the place
#5. Uploading Photos Adds Seasoning
Images are extremely influential in convincing foodies to order or visit. So, start with a tasteful cover photo of your business on the GMB listing. Then move on to upload exterior and interior photos. Think: restaurant’s front and dining area to give a feel of the ambience.
Finally, upload images of:
● Complete Menu
● Signature dishes
● Staff-in-action
● COVID-19 protocols
● Any Unique Selling Points
● Decor/Ambience/Interior
Inspiring videos of the cuisine, chef, or special events are equally effective at adding dimensions to the business. Do avoid uploading stock pictures or screenshots.
#6. Attract Customers With Updated Posts
Posts are a dramatically underutilised feature of Google Business Profile, and for F&B businesses, they are of prime importance. Similar to social media posts, share content on the GMB listing that highlights:
● Upcoming events like live music or slam poetry
● What’s new with the restaurant, kitchen, or café
● Ongoing offers such as festival specials, weekend promotions, limited-time discounts
Follow these four rules to make GMB posts effective at strengthening hyperlocal presence:
● Post frequently
● Keep the description short, 150 to 300 characters
● Always end with a call-to-action (CTA)
● Use high-quality content (static or video) to help it pop
#7. Garnish With Hyperlinks
Adding hyperlinks to your GMB listing can help draw in more customers as they can simply navigate to your website to order food for home delivery or reserve a table at their convenience.
Menu Link
The menu feature is cardinal to a GMB listing. Either insert a direct link to the menu webpage on the profile or manually list down all the food and drink items using the menu editor. Where possible, categorise the items and add photos of each dish.
93% of people view menus online before dining out — OpenTable survey.
Order or Reservation Link
A GMB listing is more than a resource for information for F&B businesses. It can be a one-stop shop where customers can order food or reserve a table easily.
For food delivery places, the best practice is to integrate the online ordering system with the GMB profile. For dine-in businesses, it is pragmatic to include the link to the restaurant’s reservation tool.
The Takeaway
Optimised GMB listings make an F&B business:
The strategies for managing hyperlocal presence with GMB are not overly complicated, but they do require time and effort. The smart choice is to rely on a tool like ProManage, which becomes your command centre, centralising, streamlining and speeding up your hyperlocal marketing.
Request a demo today or reach out to Kranthi.Kumar@Promanage.biz
