Marketing Restaurant Online

What is Google Local Search ?

Google Local Search is a search engine tool powered by Google which helps the consumers find
the local stores, products or services in the local area  when they type in the query  on the internet.
For example, if a guy wants to try a new Italian restaurant in Manhattan , he is going to type say
Italian Restaurant in Manhattan and google search online. The Google Local search will provide several
Italian restaurants around Manhattan in relevance to the query. The consumer checks out the restaurants
displayed by Google and makes decision. If your restaurant is not listed in the Google Local Search then you
are missing lots of online customers who could have turned into your  potential customers.

Why it is important to small restaurant business ?

Lets face it that today literally very few people use yellow pages phone book to find things locally. People
turn to internet to look for more up to date information regarding the local business. Besides it is a costly
advertising expense that doesn’t deliver results as it used to in the past. The problem with the news paper
and TV is the broad based. It goes to beyond your 3 miles radius neighbourhood which is really not necessary considering the fact that most of the dine in or takeout customers come within 3-5 miles radius.

Understanding Google Local Search is important to small restaurant entrepreneurs  because it helps the restaurants to have a online presence without even having the website of its own. Best of all it is free.
People can access to name, address and phone number of your restaurant provided you have taken initiative to input all those information though Local Business Center.

The another cool thing is that people can access the same information by mobile phone while they are on the go. Imagine a customer is driving and he is hungry but likes to go to Mexican restaurant. All he has to do is type in  Mexican Restaurant and zip code and that will display the names of all the Mexican restaurant that local area. He can call in right away and place takeout order or go and dine in there. With out the your restaurant local listing in Google there would have no way that the guy could have found that Mexican restaurant. It would have been a loss business.

Check out the video about the google local and see for yourself how ordinary people are looking for offline businesson on the internet before they visit the physical store. The customer could be looking for your restaurant right now.If your restaurant is no where to be found on the google then you are missing lots of these type of online or mobile  customers. It is very critical as a restaurant owner to understand Google Local Search and use it to your advantage.