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Restaurant Websites


B.A.R.

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Speaking of Twitter and websites, I like when restaurants update by Twitter, because it's easier to keep updated on their perhaps than to edit a website.

However, if you're closing for the evening, please announce it BEFORE that night! Such as when I wanted to take my brother to Hogo for his birthday, and the only reason I knew it was closed Friday night was that I was in there Wednesday (the night when my picture in last weekend's Post magazine was taken), but it wasn't mentioned on Twitter until after they would have opened on Friday.

BOO-URNS.

(I only pick on Hogo because, well, I know everyone involved, and I've said that before...)

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I still do not understand why restaurants do not link their addresses to a map – even more frustrating is when the address is part of an image file so you cannot just highlight and copy it (Cizuka, I am looking in your direction).

I'll echo this frustration with phone numbers.

I was looking up some place recently and I wanted to call them for some reason, but the phone number was a scanned image and not clickable! I had to go back and forth between my phone screen and the web page about 5 times before I successfully typed in the number. Hardly the end of the world, but in this day an age it sould be punishable by a weekend in jail and 400 hours community service!

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I'll echo this frustration with phone numbers.

I'll go a step further - when you click on "Menu," and the menu comes up as a .pdf, it often doesn't have the phone number on it, and you have to go back to where you were before. I *guarantee* this costs places takeout and delivery business. I noticed it just last night, and almost didn't pick up the phone - not out of spite; just out of sheer laziness. I promise I'm not alone.

Will, there's no way I can ever prove it, but my instinct tells me this is costing you a couple pizzas a week (over $1,000 a year in sour dough). Obviously this is not a big deal, but if you want to optimize ... :)

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Hunan One in Clarendon has a terribly lousy unfunctional website.  Just terrible.

There were some dishes from this restaurant I used to like...but I haven't been there in years.  Went to the website.  Menu breakdown all in separate pdf's required me to go back and forth...back and forth.  A waste of time.

So I got disgusted and looked them up again.  The website that rhymes with drelp had an accessable (partial menu)  but some miserable reviews.   Think I'll skip Hunan One.

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I spend a lot of time on websites.  Here is a restaurant that put reasonable  effort into its web site but completely missed the boat on the single most fundamental basis:  If you search on the website by name or by name and location, the restaurant website doesn't come up highly ranked in google...or doesn't come up on a reasonable ranking basis.

Republic Kitchen and Bar in Arlington, on Quincy Street at the Eastern edge of Ballston or the Western Edge of Virginia Square.

Search for it in google.  Search by name.  Search by address, by name including some geographical description;  Republic Kitchen and Bar Arlington;  Republic Kitchen and Bar Ballston,  Republic Kitchen and Bar Virginia Square,  etc.   The restaurant URL doesn't come up high.

Articles come up, the yelp page comes up, there is a Google Directory page;  the google plus page.....they all show.  The thread from DR.com about the restaurant comes up.  Other articles come up.   But the url doesn't show.

It does if you keep digging, if you are researching this for a discussion on web searches ...but the restaurant web page doesn't show highly.

Actually the way google works it should and would show highly for any kind of search by name and location if some rudimentary things were done to correct the code on the site.    But it doesn't.

The operators spent reasonable time on this.  They cooked, plated, and photographed many dishes simpy to get them on the site.  They had a photographer come in and put together wide angle photos to capture the airiness, feel, look, and attractive appearance of the restaurant.

Its a shame.  Lot of nice pictures.  Unfortunately nobody is going to see them.

If you do those searches on Bing the restaurant website does rank more highly.

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I spend a lot of time on websites.  Here is a restaurant that put reasonable  effort into its web site but completely missed the boat on the single most fundamental basis:  If you search on the website by name or by name and location, the restaurant website doesn't come up highly ranked in google...or doesn't come up on a reasonable ranking basis.

Republic Kitchen and Bar in Arlington, on Quincy Street at the Eastern edge of Ballston or the Western Edge of Virginia Square.

Search for it in google.  Search by name.  Search by address, by name including some geographical description;  Republic Kitchen and Bar Arlington;  Republic Kitchen and Bar Ballston,  Republic Kitchen and Bar Virginia Square,  etc.   The restaurant URL doesn't come up high.

Articles come up, the yelp page comes up, there is a Google Directory page;  the google plus page.....they all show.  The thread from DR.com about the restaurant comes up.  Other articles come up.   But the url doesn't show.

It does if you keep digging, if you are researching this for a discussion on web searches ...but the restaurant web page doesn't show highly.

Actually the way google works it should and would show highly for any kind of search by name and location if some rudimentary things were done to correct the code on the site.    But it doesn't.

The operators spent reasonable time on this.  They cooked, plated, and photographed many dishes simpy to get them on the site.  They had a photographer come in and put together wide angle photos to capture the airiness, feel, look, and attractive appearance of the restaurant.

Its a shame.  Lot of nice pictures.  Unfortunately nobody is going to see them.

If you do those searches on Bing the restaurant website does rank more highly.

I didn't even think Republic had a website, which illustrates your point. I've looked for Republic's website and didn't find it.

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I wanted to contact Republic about this problem, but there was no email on their contact-us page.  So I posted a link to this thread on their Facebook page.

So did I.  Its a real miss.  The website is pretty.  They put money into it.  They had to spend a reasonable amount on photography and they had to prepare most of the menu in conjunction with a food photographer.  They also did a wide angle shot of the restaurant.  All that being said its a big miss.

From a business perspective in most cases it pays off to establish a strong brand name.  This group is trying out a group of names, or isn't brand conscious, or just isn't thinking about this.  They use multiple names;  Repbublic, Republic-Arlington, Republic of Arlington, Republic Kitchen and Bar.  If I were in their shoes I'd push one name onto the web so that it keeps getting repeated in media and in the public's conscious.

The web developer doesn't know the seo side of things.  The banner name Republic Kitchen and Bar should be in print not part of an image.  The title is wrong.  Flat wrong.  They should have a second page that is titled Contact with the business name, Address, Phone and web site.  They don't.  Its on the first page and the name is different.   Fails on all those little steps.  Correcting these things is not a big deal.  Then there are other misses.

Right now, the website doesn't show easily in google on the first page when searching by name.  It probably won't until they fix those things.  Its really not a big deal.

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The banner name Republic Kitchen and Bar should be in print not part of an image.  The title is wrong.  Flat wrong.  They should have a second page that is titled Contact with the business name, Address, Phone and web site.  They don't.  Its on the first page and the name is different.   Fails on all those little steps.  Correcting these things is not a big deal.  Then there are other misses.

Right now, the website doesn't show easily in google on the first page when searching by name.  It probably won't until they fix those things.  Its really not a big deal.

It should help them now that we're linking to their website, no?

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It should help them now that we're linking to their website, no?

Probably not much for a variety of reasons.

1.  The way a forum web architecture is set up a link from a post carries little "link juice" strength.

2.  Links with anchor text referencing a real business name...not something like "clickety" traditionally give more strength than one with a nondescript word.

3.  The link is going to a website that is telling google on a very limited basis its name is Republic Bar and Kitchen...and the google algo doesn't seem to be interpreting that in a way that also accepts Republic Kitchen and Bar.

4.  Even if the google algo might more widely reinterpret R bar and kitchen as R kitchen and bar there is nothing else on the page to indicate its actual name.

Correcting these things is not a big deal.

1.  Correct the meta title to the correct name.

2.  Change the image on the banner.  Take the name part out of the image.  Put a name in code and use a header code for it.  Between the header code and the correct meta title google has everything it needs.

3.  I'd definitely create a 2nd page in google and call it the contact page.  Have the real name.  Have the address, phone number and url on it.  You could have directions, a map, something about parking, hours, etc.   That second page thing comes right out of a google patent that has worked since 2004 or 2005 and worked well.  You could change the contact info on the first page, but I'd create a 2nd page.  It has always worked.

I study this stuff all the time.  Its interesting to see how badly this site is performing in google on a name search without those little steps.  Its also interesting to see that Bing does a better job.  That means its basic algo is very different on key information.

The other thing is that google Plus  or google + picked up the correct information.  I'm 99% sure the owners didn't contact google plus.   that means the google plus (+) algo, which is the google maps algo did a danged good job, and/or somebody in google mapmaker inputted the data.

Even though Google plus has this correct, its a different google index than the regular search index and it obviously isn't "cross pollinating" to the website url.

Ah hah!!!   Somebody in mapmaker did input  the data.  It appears there is a restaurant sharp googler/volunteer/map maker person in this region who is getting correct info into google plus.

Her/His google mapmaker  name is Olga and she has entered a lot of restaurants (probably correctly into google mapmaker including the new Dino's Grotto and Fishnet, both in Shaw.

Olga is looking out for customers and looking out for restaurants.  Good for her, the customers and the operators.

Aside from all that techno mumbo jumbo...if they get their food and service down they should do fine.  There really are a lot of people in that neighborhood.

(btw:  ya know why I am actually writing all this detail now????   I'm actually in my office working on getting rid of google penalties on various websites I manage;   the result of google spanking my and these smb's fannies for doing things it used to say was fine and is now saying is naughty).  Of course I'm only like probably millions of others dealing with these penalties.  Go-ogle, the big company,  is a lot like Putin imho....but Olga is a big help.

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I went into google map maker and added the url for the site.  That will await an edit from someone above.  A couple of years ago I used to make corrective edits in google mapmaker.  Everyone was accurate.  Everyone of my edits was rejected.

Lately they have been accepting them.

I wonder if adding the url on the google plus/google places side will help with the basic url and having the web site show for a search by name.  Not sure.  Really haven't seen a business with this level of disconnect between the basic website code and getting recognized within google by name.  

Now it appears hopsing has contacted the biz on facebook and they acknowledged it.   They are contacting the "web person".    Hopefully he/she'll fix the things outlined above.  ....for the sake of the restaurant.

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So I think this website is now "partially visable" in google for some variations of searches by name.  The fix and a screenshot are shown here.   Its only a partial fix.

If searching in Google from a location nearby such as in Arlington or Falls Church and if one uses the name, Republic Kitchen and Bar it looks as if the URL shows.  If one searches on something like Republic Kitchen and Bar Arlington  or Republic Kitchen and Bar Arlington, VA it looks like the url/website show.

But its still very very very weak on a search by name.

On the other hand if somebody searches for restaurants in Ballston...its going to be buried.  If one searches for Republic Kitchen and Bar Ballston I don't see the url at the top of google search rankings.

All things aside about a restaurant website, if it can't be found in commonplace searches it's not worth the effort and not paying off for the establishment.

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I wanted to contact Republic about this problem, but there was no email on their contact-us page.  So I posted a link to this thread on their Facebook page.

So its been over a week.  The restaurant hasn't touched their home page.  Visibility in google is still very weak and limited.

They have the same problematic code on the website that they had a week ago.  If their "person" had made changes...in at least 2 of the 3 significant problem areas, the changes would have taken all of 5 minutes total.

This particular restaurant/business is difficult to find by a search by name or more particularly name/location.  Every day there are a healthy number of searches in google of just that ilk.  Every day.   Additionally if people search in google for this restaurant by type and or by location or neighborhood its not going to show up on its own.  It might be found via other directories or sources on the web, but it has struck out with regard to the biggest source.

Its too bad....but the person who saw Hopsing's comment, didn't pay close attention and didn't act appropriately.

There are dozens of ways to get your restaurant/business visible to the public.  Ultimately one has to implement these efforts in an effective manner for them to work.   This group is missing on one of the major ways.

Too bad.

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The restaurant web site for Mackie's Bar and Grill is definitely a weird bird.  As noted here you can't find its address  As noted by Escoffier..are they local or in San Diego.   Can't tell.

As deangold noted its just flat out weird    I agree.  No address.  No prices (that irks me).  Also no hours of operation, etc.  No links that make sense such as between the website and FB.

But if you look up Mackie's Bar and Grill with a search in Google you can find them.  They have a map, the info about address and hours, lacking on their website is available in google.  They have a couple of reviews on google.  You can find them on google if you search in google + here   There is a check in a "shield" on the upper right.  If you mouse over it ..it says "verified local business"

That is a good thing to do.  They could input data there such as address, phone number, website url, hours, etc.    Now if you search for them in Bing right now they don't show as well.   They didn't "claim their listing" in Bing and they haven't gotten enough yelp reviews yet.   (Yelp reviews are used by Bing's data algo to help create LOCAL listings and Maps). (at this time they have 4 recent yelp reviews)

Meanwhile if you search for restaurants by location or type of restaurant in Google and try things like Alexandria restaurants, restaurants in Alexandria Va, Steak House restaurants Alexandria  (steak house is their "category" in google)  you can't find them now.   They haven't done the steps to get better visibility for broader kinds of searches outside of their name.

Its possible, and I haven't checked yet, if you were on the street in Old Town and near that address if you just searched on the phrase "restaurants" it "might" show in google.  maybe.  maybe not.  It depends on if google has detected your precise location and some other factors.

It won't show in bing search on any of those bases as Bing doesn't yet know its a "local business".   They do have 4 reviews in Yelp right now.  I have a "stinkin" suspicion" they are planted reviews.  I suspect the same with at least the first google review.   I can't prove that though and it doesn't matter in the long run.

As Escoffier and DeanGold referenced though this website leaves me feeling less than excited.  No location, no hours, and for me no prices.   Current verdict no visit on my part.

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The restaurant web site for Mackie's Bar and Grill is definitely a weird bird.

It's an off-the-shelf Wordpress theme for restaurants called Barnelli. They clearly haven't finished it and probably don't know what they're doing. In any event, it's definitely do-it-yourself. Looks like undercapitalized and/or novice owners. Doesn't bode well for their chances.

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It's an off-the-shelf Wordpress theme for restaurants called Barnelli. They clearly haven't finished it and probably don't know what they're doing. In any event, it's definitely do-it-yourself. Looks like undercapitalized and/or novice owners. Doesn't bode well for their chances.

Dang.  Nice catch Rich or should I say Professor.  You are sharp.  Didn't see that or catch that.  Scanned the source quickly and referenced one of the wp seo plug ins.  but didn't see the Barnelli reference.

Barnelli has sold 1100 of them at $58.  not a bad piece of action.  I wonder how long it took the developers to develop it and if they have to spend a lot of time servicing it.

Per your comments above and based on the look et al...it speaks to the issues of doing things in a DIY basis while still not knowing a lot.

My first impression was similar to Dean Gold's.  I thought it was one of those slick restaurant web sites costing $5-10-15-20K.  Short on important facts, heavy on slick, cool, neo, and minimilism.

Again,,,nice catch Mr. Boone!!!

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