How to Use Google Analytics to Track Your Restaurant Website’s Performance

Analyzing the data of the restaurant website always seems overwhelming for restaurant owners. This is where Google Analytics for restaurant website comes in as a savior.

90% of the data on Earth was generated in the last two years alone.

Using website measurement programs like Google Analytics to handle data and analyze them amidst the hustle and bustle of everyday service is truly a gamechanger for the restaurant business.

Google Analytics is a free tracking tool to gain intelligible insights into web analytics. It offers several reports that are very easy for even common people to understand.

Google Analytics gives you insights into:

1. Who is ordering from your restaurant website
2. What is the device they are using to place orders
3. During which time of the day they are likely to place orders

1. Navigate to https://www.google.com/analytics/.
2. Click on Sign In > Analytics (placed on the top right of the webpage).
3. Login using your Gmail address if you already have one. Otherwise, create a new one.
4. Enter your local time zone in the “Reporting Time Zone” setting.
5. Copy the Website Tracking Code on the next screen and enter in the footer of your website.
6. You have successfully set up the Google Analytics tool for your restaurant website.

Here are a few tips for restaurateurs using Google Analytics to understand their online customer base.

All you must do to see the breakdown of website traffic based on country is to navigate to AUDIENCE and then to GEO and later on to LOCATION GOOGLE ANALYTICS. However, unless you are a restaurant with several branches across various cities, this information might be redundant to you. By clicking on PRIMARY DIMENSION: CITY, you get to see the list of traffic by city.

This will help you understand if your online traffic comes from the city where you are physically located or whether residents from nearby cities visit your site as well.

If analytics show a considerable number of visitors from outside the city in which you are located, try the option of online ordering with delivery as it is a great way to expand your customer base.

If you wish to identify times of the day when your restaurant’s website traffic is highest, create this report by navigating to CUSTOMIZATION and then to CUSTOM REPORTS. Next, you have to click + NEW CUSTOM REPORT. You would be directed to the next screen where you must select SESSIONS as the metric in blue and HOUR as the dimension in green.

Once you click SAVE, you will be able to view your report in which you can see the traffic by time of day.

If your website does not receive traffic from mobiles, you are losing a considerable share of the target market. Sometimes, visitors might access your website using a mobile, but leave almost immediately as it is not mobile-friendly, because they cannot find a menu or they are unable to read the content without zooming in. To set right such mistakes you must know the devices that customers are using to reach you online. For generating this report using Google Analytics, you must go to AUDIENCE and then to MOBILE and next to OVERVIEW. You will get a clear report with concise breakups that include – desktop, mobile and tablet.

This report helps you understand the BOUNCE RATE – the number of users who leave the website after viewing just a single page.

Comparison Of Website Traffic With Other Restaurant Websites

Based on the settings you chose while creating your Google Analytics account, the restaurant can benchmark its own site against other players in the industry.

Select INDUSTRY VERTICAL: “FOOD & DRINK” in the report under AUDIENCE, then move onto BENCHMARKING and next, click on DEVICES. This report provides more insights on device traffic.

Whether you have a full-fledged restaurant website, just a single page or an online ordering portal, the content must load quickly.  For generating this report, go to BEHAVIOR and then to SITE SPEED and next to OVERVIEW to access the report that shows the website’s average page load speed.

1. If the page load time increases from one second to seven seconds, the chances of a visitor (accessing the site using a mobile) bouncing increases 113%
2. Mobile sites that load in 5 seconds earn up to 2X more mobile ad revenue than sites that load in 19 seconds.

If you wish to know the keywords that people are using during Google searches and eventually getting redirected to your website, this is the report that you need to see.

To acquire data regarding this, click ACQUISITION in the REPORTS menu, then click SEARCH CONSOLE and next QUERIES. If you sell sandwiches and a visitor to your area desperately wishes to have one, then they would use the words “The Best Sandwich Near Me”. So, you must not only include your restaurant or venue name but also some general terms so that your brand gets listed during such searches too.

Use Data To Make Informed Decisions

Restaurant owners must use the data that Google Analytics offers to change and improve the website’s content and performance. This data should also guide the restaurant owner’s decision-making process. That is, the insights from Google Analytics data on website traffic, user behavior should be used prudently to make necessary changes and improvements. 

For example, if visitors leave the site after viewing a single page, you must pay attention to revamping your website and make it more engaging and easier to navigate.  

If online visitors are spending considerable time on the menu page, scrolling through your offerings, yet not placing orders, you must add more information about the specials of your restaurant along with more appetizing food photography. 

When restaurants use data to guide their decision-making process, the website undergoes constant evolution and improvement, helping you meet the needs and expectations of customers. 

Google Analytics is a great free tool for restaurant owners who can use it to learn about the kind of people visiting the website and the ways by which they landed on the site. But, unfortunately, it does not provide analytics about why they got there.  

For instance, you might have witnessed a boost in social traffic. But, Google Analytics would not be able to tell you if that traffic was from an enticing social media (Instagram or Facebook) post on your feed or from a food blogger’s (influencer’s) post from the same day.  

Despite such negligible shortcomings, Google Analytics is a great tool for the restaurant’s overall marketing strategy. With the data provided by Google Analytics, you will be able to know how people interact with your website. You will also be able to gauge how your changes and improvements have impacted on your site's statistics in a better way. So, ensure that you use Google Analytics to your advantage. 

If you are looking for further assistance in restaurant digital marketing, get in touch.