By James Baxter, Contributor
If you own or run a restaurant today, you understand the influence that technology has on the restaurant industry. And, partly due to COVID-19, It has never been this important that you get your business on the map -- the digital map -- as it is today. Luckily, tools that can help you achieve this are within reach.
Enter Google Trends, an online tool that lets you know how often a specific term is looked up on Google’s search engine when compared to the site’s overall search volume for a specified time frame. It’s a tool that’s beneficial to more than just writers, professors, and social media managers. The truth is that your restaurant may need Google search trends even more.
How? Let’s take a look.
What Does Google Trends Have to Do With Your Restaurant?
The simple answer to this is - everything. As a restaurant owner, you count on people walking into your little slice of heaven, ordering a plate or two of your finest dishes, paying and leaving with a smile.
In fact, the only thing better than this scenario is having them repeat the process; this time with a couple of friends.
Now, these same people you count on for patronage search for things that they fancy on Google every day. Take into consideration the fact that the average person uses Google search about three to four times daily and you can already tell where this is headed. Yes, user data!
Hopefully we can agree that one of the most important aspects of serving your guests is by knowing exactly what they want.
Google Trends is the gateway to seeing into the minds of your target customers. With a little time and effort put into learning how to use the data that this tool offers, you can put your business ahead.
Embracing Google Trends is Easy
If your first concern is how to use Google Trends, then the good news is that using Google Trends is simple and easy to learn. It does not matter how tech-savvy you are, like most tools by Google, Google Trends has a clean interface that is simple to work with. The platform is also robust and intuitive to help you manipulate data to boost your restaurant’s market strategy.
Reasons to Use Google Trends for Your Restaurant
Now that you have been introduced to Google Trends, you need to know exactly how it helps you. As a smart restaurant owner, you understand that success in your business is a lot more than serving delectable dishes. A consistent brand image, evolving marketing strategy, and top-notch customer experience are some of the things you need to sail at full mast.
If you leverage the information from Google Trends, you can strike all three points and be well on your way to leaving the competition in your wake.
Let’s look at some use-cases a little more closely.
To Determine Your Restaurant’s Niche
This is especially useful for the early stages of a new restaurant that’s looking to stand out in a particular neighborhood. In the hospitality industry, stability is important. Some of the best served restaurants are also the longest serving ones. However, it is hard for your restaurant to stand the test of time if you have not yet identified its perfect playing space.
Determining your niche is tricky, especially with the way trends come and go like lightning. Sticking with a theme may be a good long-term approach, but if it means you miss all the food trends that come in between -- like the Japanorama -- then that becomes worrisome.
Google Trends can keep you updated with such trends.
For example, if you want to open an African restaurant, you could search the keyword on Google keyword trends, following the information on Google Trends, you will find the best areas to set up shop. This way, you can determine the best part of town for you.
To Follow Seasonal Trends While They are Hot
Unsurprisingly, some keywords are searched more often in certain seasons. As a restaurant owner, it can be extremely beneficial to keep up with the changing seasonal trends and offering guests something special for that limited time. The faster you latch on a trend, the more you stand to gain.
For example, some foods are more popular during certain season (such as pumpkin and apple spices during autumn). Other food trends may not be as obvious and Google Trends can help your kitchen team build seasonal menus that’ll delight guests while having a “limited time only” feel to it.
This is not to say you should jump on every bandwagon. Of course not! Detect where user interests are headed, determine if those interests and trends are in line with your restaurant’s brand, and then make the most of them.
To Gain Market Share
As with the right brand strategy, using Google Trends can help you gain a larger portion of the market. The search terms you find most prevalent will help you position to receive the right customers in the market. For instance, if you notice that data from the last decade show that many tourists in your location search for large hall restaurants every spring, it could help your business to rearrange your sitting arrangement during the next fall. This puts you in pole position to serve their needs.
For Tracking Your Restaurant’s Brand Awareness
Monitoring the buzz your restaurant creates locally can be dicey. If only the same eight people keep coming in to eat at your place, then it's time to raise awareness. However, if your restaurant pulls more of a crowd than that, you would need some help keeping up.
Online restaurant marketing helps and judging your success from your social media following seems like a good way to go, except it rarely tells the full story. Google Trends is a better way to monitor brand awareness and keep tabs on the competition. You can compare search terms and find out who the customers look up more on Google search -- your restaurant or the diner across the street.
To Discover the Questions Guests are Not Asking
The customer that just left your restaurant may have a thing or two on their mind, things that they need answers to. Some of these questions may be related to your service. It could even be a complaint that they are too polite to lay.
Google Trends will show you which keywords people associate your restaurant with. For good or bad, this information will go a long way in directing your strategy. You can adjust settings and narrow down your search to include only your restaurant’s catchment area.
This helps you know what terms people around you associate your business with and then make the necessary decisions to either change that notion or amplify it.
In Summary
This age calls for a data-driven approach to business strategy, and knowing the way your target audience thinks will go a long way in growing your restaurant. With Google Trends, you can track brand awareness and serve your customers better. Why not try it out today?
About the Author
James Baxter is professional essay writer, ghostwriter and blogger, who loves sharing his experience and knowledge with readers. He is especially interested in marketing, blogging and IT. James is always happy to visit different places and meet new people there.
