As a restauranteur or hotelier, you might think your establishment or your cuisine does all the talking for you. While this is undoubtedly the main thrust of your brand, it’s usually not the first encounter people have with your product or service. The internet is the way we often search out both restaurants and hotels in 2019, so it’s likely that the majority of your customers will discover you online through your website. Here are three reasons why quality copy is crucial for your hotel or restaurant website.
1 – A first impression is everything
You only get one chance to make a first impression and, as we mentioned above, your first impression in 2019 will probably be a virtual one. Lining your home page with sloppy copy, crammed with grammatical errors and spelling mistakes is a surefire way to let potential customers know that they’re not getting you at your best. Even worse, it can make you look as if you don’t care, and some people will align this with the service you’re providing. You might think that your website copy doesn’t really matter, that it’s just there to perform a functional role – but why pass up the opportunity to make a professional and engaging first impression?
2 – The specifics of your menu or hotel are important
The copy on your website gives you a chance to tell your customers and potential customers a little more about the services that you’re offering. If you have an alternating menu or a heavy focus on the specials in your restaurant then you’re going to want to keep your site updated with this information, so that customers can keep abreast of what you’re offering on any given day or week. This is also true with hotels; website copy gives you a chance to engage with your audience as well as personalise your brand and story. Maybe your hotel has an interesting history, or you want to show off your fantastic staff or chef – your site is the place to do it. The more personalised you can make your product, the more people will engage.
Most customers discover their new favourite hotel and restaurants online – having excellent website copy secures a great first impression.
3 – You want to engage with your customers
And keeping customers engaged is the name of the game. One of the best ways to engage your audience is through a regular blog. Blogs give you a chance to deliver high-quality, dynamic pieces of writing about your specialist subject to an attentive audience that will inevitably grow as you keep producing more content. They also help develop your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), meaning that you’ll rank higher in the search engine results and subsequently engage with more customers.
If you run a restaurant or your hotel, it’s absolutely worth taking the time to work on your website. Neglecting it in this day and age is a risky strategy, particularly if you’re an emerging business. If you feel as if you’ve already got enough on your plate, you can hire help in the form of companies who specialise in creating quality online content for all kinds of industries. Excellent copy is an important tool in the competitive online world of 2019; give your hotel or restaurant the edge by putting your site to work for you.
