Why your restaurant doesn’t show up on Google.
Most diners in Singapore decide where to eat on their phone. If you do not appear when they search, they go next door. The causes are usually simple, and so are the fixes.
Most diners in Singapore decide where to eat on their phone, often while standing in a mall or walking down a street. If your restaurant does not appear when they search, they go next door. The good news is that the causes are usually simple.
Take out your phone. Tick what's true.
Search for your own restaurant as a diner would, then go through the list.
Most independent restaurants we look at score 2 or 3.
Fix the rest with a free audit →The usual reasons, and the fixes
Your Google Business Profile is incomplete. This is the profile that appears on Google Maps. Make sure the name, address, phone number, hours, menu link, photos and booking link are all filled in and match your website exactly. Reply to reviews.
Your menu is an image or a PDF. Put the menu on a normal web page as text, with dish names and short descriptions. Keep the PDF for people who want to download it.
Your address and hours are not on the website. Add them to every page, usually in the footer, and make sure they match Google exactly, including the unit number.
Your website is hidden from Google. Some website builders have a setting that tells Google not to list the site, used while a site is under construction. If nobody switched it off, the site will never appear. A web developer can check this in two minutes.
Your page titles are vague or stuffed with keywords. A title like "Home" tells Google nothing. A title like "Best Restaurant | Top Restaurant | Best Food" looks like spam. Use something clear: "Saffron House, North Indian Restaurant at Tanglin Mall".
Your website is slow on a phone. Very large photos and heavy sliders make pages slow. Google favours fast pages, and so do hungry people.
Broken buttons. Reservation buttons that lead nowhere, social icons that link to nothing, and email links that open a placeholder address all lose customers quietly.
What to fix first
If you only do three things this week:
- Complete your Google Business Profile with hours, photos and a booking link.
- Put your menu on the website as text.
- Add your address and opening hours to every page.
Want us to check for you?
We look at restaurant and cafe websites around Tanglin, Orchard, Dempsey and Holland Village every week. Request a free audit and we will send you screenshots of exactly what is holding your site back, with the fixes in plain English. If you are wondering about budget, read how much a website costs in Singapore, or see our website packages.
Questions
How long does it take for a restaurant to appear on Google?
Changes to a Google Business Profile often show within days. Website changes can take one to four weeks to be picked up, depending on how often Google visits your site.
Do I need a website if I have a Google Business Profile?
The profile gets you onto the map. A website gives Google, and diners, the detail: menu, story, events and booking. The two work best together.
Does posting on Instagram help my Google ranking?
Not directly. Instagram helps people discover you, but Google ranks your website and your Business Profile. Link to both from each other.