Category Archives: Restaurant

Restaurant

Four Ways to Reverse SEO a Bad Restaurant Review

Reverse SEO can help a restaurant or small retail shop overcome a bad review or two on different review sites. The problem that many restaurant and retail owners face is when a disgruntled customer or troll — someone who gets their jollies by overstating problems or even making up outrageous complaints — leaves a bad comment on a review site, sometimes even making it up. In fact, some trolls even try to parlay their fictionalized complaint into free food, merchandise, or in some cases, cash.

But there is no need for restaurant owners to fall prey to these negative reviews. Rather than buckling or running in fear from bad reviews, it is possible to use reverse SEO tactics to push them right off the page.

Here are four reverse SEO tactics business owners can use to push down negative reviews.

Reverse SEO Tactic #1: Ask customers to write positive reviews. Enough positive reviews will outweigh the negative reviews. Plus, people who read the site will also see that while one person may have complained, there are plenty of other people who enjoyed it. They will attribute the bad review to an uncommon experience. That does not mean owners should bribe customers to leave reviews or even fake customer reviews.

Reverse SEO Tactic #2: Create and publish videos on video sharing sites. This is an ideal reverse SEO strategy, because search engines love videos. Make them customer interviews, behind the scenes looks at the restaurant, or previews of upcoming menu changes. In many cases, search engines will place video results at or near the top of the search engine results page, which will help push down any normal, non-video results that might have appeared. Plus, because videos are often evergreen — that is, they last for a long time, because it will take more videos to push them off the page — they are a reverse SEO mainstay.

Reverse SEO Tactic #3: Use social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, and Google+; follow customers who follow the restaurant Twitter account. Social media is beginning to have an impact on search results. Now, when someone does a Google search, Google looks at their social media footprint to see if they are connected to anyone who has talked about that particular search topic before. If a potential customer does a search for a restaurant name, they will see that one of their social media friends has either tweeted about, written a status update about, or even written a blog post about that restaurant. The friend’s content will show up in the search engine results page, which may help push the negative comments off the front page.

Reverse SEO Tactic #4: Start a blog. Blogging about positive aspects about the restaurant, the community, and the staff can all help the restaurant website rise above the negative comments, and help push it off the site. The more content with the restaurant’s name and brand that gets placed on the Internet, the more it can push down the negative content. This works because search engines love websites that update frequently. The best way to update a website is with a blog post.

A blog can contain customer testimonials and special reviews and letters, making it a powerful reverse SEO tool. They are a place to embed videos, rather than just leaving them on YouTube. And a blog can be promoted on social tools like Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. All of these can occupy a place on a blog, making it not only a place for fans and customers to interact with the restaurant, but a way to keep negative comments from rising to the top of the search engines.

Reverse SEO, when done properly, can undo damage that has been done by trolls, disgruntled customers, and even legitimate complaints. But remember that reverse SEO cannot replace good customer service, no matter how hard one tries.

Restaurant

What Makes a Good Restaurant? Why Do People Flock to One Restaurant and Not Another?

I walked into a restaurant recently, ordered a combo, sat down and began thinking “What makes a restaurant good? Why do people flock to one restaurant and not another?

Obviously, it’s gotta be the food, right?

As I sat there waiting for my food, many things occurred to me. I’ve eaten in many restaurants, I’m the type of person who likes to explore and will eat anything to see what it’s like.

Perhaps I’m not the right person to do this discussion, but let’s see. Having the experience of @ least twenty years of eating/dining out, I can say I may be able to come up with a thought or two on this subject.

When doing lunch, depending on the hour if it’s 11am – 12:30pm, I will avoid places which are packed. Like most people I have a time limited lunch hour, 30-60 minutes tops. If it’s packed I may go in if I know that the service will be fast, if not I’ll search for another less crowded place.

If I’m having lunch after 12:30pm then the population of any restaurant is not that important, by the time I get in, settle down and order most of the other patrons will be heading back to work.

Ideally, once I find a place I like and which provides quality fast service I will frequent it regularly, two to three times a week. But this is too simple of an answer. Let’s talk about how to judge without having previous knowledge of the place.

This eliminates all the chain type restaurants, diners and sub shops with which you are probably very familiar. You can do it by trial and error, just drop in and let the chips fall where they may. In this instance, you’ll base your opinion, like most people, on what you’ll get when you order. You will either come back or not.

I want to propose a mini checklist of how to grade the restaurant without buying and trying.

First, as you pull into the place check out their parking lot and building exterior. Is the parking lot clean and inviting. Is the building exterior well maintained, are the windows clean. All of this indicates that management cares about what their facility looks like, first impressions are important.

Second, as you enter the restaurant check for cleanliness, are the floors clean, are the walls clean, does the place smell nice.

Third, is the staff inviting and attentive, did they greet and acknowledge you upon entry? Did they ask your seating preference, were you seated properly. Did they take your order swiftly and correctly.

Fourth, if you get a chance, check out their restrooms – if clean you’re OK.

If any of the above points do not meet your standards – leave. It’s really that simple, if they don’t meet your standards then vote with your feet. Go somewhere else.