Search Engine Optimisation for Caterers

Providing events with world-class buffet services is a vital ingredient of a successful catering business. However, competition for a lucrative bite of the corporate and private market is fierce. It would help to spice up your marketing efforts to stay in the game and get the ball rolling with more sales. 

Today, word-of-mouth marketing is no longer the go-to method for caterers to attract more clients. The internet is phenomenally the largest and most competitive marketplace in the world. It’s no coincidence that business owners are now maximising various search engines and social networks for better audience engagement. 

There are several ways to get your business noticed online. Some of which include pay-per-click (PPC) ads, social media marketing (SMM) and search engine optimisation (SEO). The former involves website owners paying a fee each time their ads are clicked. Technically, it’s a process of buying visits to your website. You can place ads on various networks like Google, Youtube and more. Ad placements on social media platforms are then referred to as social media advertising. That is just one of the many techniques that utilise the power of social media channels to achieve marketing goals.

PPC and social media ads mutually provide websites with instant traffic as soon as the campaign kicks off. However, traffic stops growing once these methods are halted. Thus, paid advertising can be costly over time. When not done with care, your business could suffer a negative return on investment (ROI) for pricey marketing efforts that do not deliver long-term organic results.

SEO methods give websites a better chance of being found online. Intriguingly, more people trust organic search results than spammy display ads. Thus, by investing in SEO, you can establish your website as a safe and reliable place to find information online. This results in greater visibility, ranking and traffic for your catering website and business. 

Why Is SEO for Caterers Important?

SEO is a long-term marketing strategy. It often takes a few months to start seeing excellent organic results. Nonetheless, consistency with your SEO efforts is vital to get your desired positions and increase ROI for your business in the long run. Take note that you’re not buying clicks in SEO, which saves you hefty sums of funds that would otherwise be invested in paid advertising just to get the same potential results. 

Nevertheless, can caterers really sway more visitors to their website using SEO? It certainly can! The next portion of this article covers all the necessary information about SEO for caterers. These data will highlight the growth potential for a well-optimised catering website.  

Search Demand for Caterers on Google

The above image contains Google search data for the keyword ‘caterer’. In case you missed it, global search volume is simply the average number of times that a certain keyword or phrase is searched on Google every month. The United Kingdom alone contributes about 27 thousand inquiries for ‘caterer’, that’s more than half of its monthly total search volume. So if you’re based in the UK, there’s a high chance to connect with a vast population looking for catering services in your area once your website obtains good positions on Google.      

This Google Trends screenshot demonstrates a measurable growth in popularity of the key phrase ‘caterers near me’ over the last seven years. Starting at the bottom line, the search intent for ‘caterers near me’ has climbed one step at a time, reaching its highest position yet in early 2020. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced many cultural activities and events worldwide, causing the need for catering services to plummet. But, it didn’t take long until the industry saw ways to recover and rise toward its current peak popularity. It’s best to start investing in SEO now, as paid advertising tends to become pricier and more competitive, with search interest consistently growing every year.

People Use Bunches of Keywords to Find Caterers

Keyword research is practically the main course of any SEO campaign. This method provides SEO professionals with valuable insight into the exact terms and queries your target clients are actively searching on Google. They will then analyse the competitiveness and traffic potential of those keywords to ensure the success of your campaign. When searching for catering services, prospective clients may key in the following search terms:

• ‘Caterer near me’.
• ‘Caterer in…’ + location: ‘caterer in London’.
• Caterers specialising in specific events: ‘wedding caterer’.
• Questions about catering services: ‘how much does wedding catering cost’.

Those are just a handful of so many keywords and phrases people may use to find caterers. It’s worth exploring other terms related to your business to reach appropriate audiences across the web. For instance, engaged couples may search for ‘hotels’, ‘party supplies’ or ‘wedding cakes’ online. Your SEO provider will harness those keywords by incorporating them into the website’s existing and newly-developed pages. So when people look for hotels and reception needs, your website will likely appear on search results.  

The following figures show other keyword ideas for caterers and catering services, including the average monthly search volume for each term.

Other Caterers are Already Getting Results from SEO

SEO is a promising investment for caterers. No matter the size of your business, there are SEO methods made for you. In fact, even startup caterers can increase organic discovery and win the online market by turning to SEO. Below are just some of the many catering websites that are already seeing impressive SEO results.

Our first example is www.addtoevent.co.uk, a website that links people to a wide scope of caterers across the United Kingdom. According to the above data, the website receives approximately 61,900 visitors per month. Those people discovered the website through organic search results. No wonder it has generated a $54,000 worth of monthly traffic value.  That’s how much this website saves on paid advertising every month. Basically, the owner would otherwise invest that money in paid ads to generate the same number of traffic they get from SEO. This means that Add to Event saves tons of pounds by utilising SEO methods that focus on earned rather than paid traffic.   

The below data reveals the most visited pages for this specific website. SEO experts access information like this to discover pages or topics where possible competitors are ranking highly. Comparing your and your competitors’ pages allows them to develop effective content curation techniques that help boost your website’s traffic potential. 

Our next example is a smaller catering website. Let’s see if SEO is equally beneficial for small-scale businesses.

Benons Catering is a small team of caterers that offer local catering services for various events. Its website welcomes over three thousand visitors every month through unpaid Google search results. That’s roughly $3,700 worth of organic traffic that can be saved on expensive advertisements.

The following illustration contains the website’s most-clicked pages and keywords. As you can see, Benons Catering ranks highly on Google through its top key phrase ‘caterers near me’, which has been searched more than 5,000 times. 

You’re missing out on incredible opportunities if you haven’t started building your web presence through SEO. Paid advertising may offer instant traffic, but there are smarter ways to spend your marketing funds. For instance, hiring a qualified SEO company is a more viable option for businesses looking for long-term organic results without exhausting their resources. SEO expert Viola Eva explains this well in her famous quote:

“The reality of SEO is the reality of any successful endeavour: It will take strategic, consistent, and sufficient efforts to rank well.” – Viola Eva, Founder of Flow SEO

Local SEO and Geolocation

For the catering industry, local SEO’s significance cannot be overstated. It is a pivotal tool for connecting with your target audience within specific geographical parameters. Local SEO, when optimised correctly, can help caterers become a prominent choice for customers in their vicinity.

For instance, consider a caterer based in London. By optimising their website for local search, they can ensure that when someone in London searches for “caterers near me,” their business appears in the search results. This targeted visibility can lead to increased enquiries and bookings, thereby boosting the caterer’s local market share.

A crucial aspect of local SEO is the utilisation of Google Maps in your Google Business Profile. This feature allows businesses to appear in location-based searches, making them more accessible to potential customers. For example, if a person is planning an event in Liverpool and searches for “Liverpool caterers” on Google Maps, caterers who have optimised for this location have a higher chance of appearing in the search results.

Moreover, Google Business Profile offers the added benefit of displaying essential business information such as operating hours, contact details, and customer reviews, providing potential customers with a snapshot of the business. This can significantly influence the customer’s decision-making process, making it a powerful tool for caterers.

By leveraging tools like Google Business Profile and other local directories, caterers can effectively reach their target audience, increase their local market presence, and ultimately, boost their business growth.

Building Trust with Customer Reviews and Testimonials

Customer reviews and testimonials play a pivotal role in SEO for caterers. They serve a dual purpose: building trust with potential customers and enhancing SEO. When customers share their experiences, it provides valuable feedback and generates fresh content for your site, which search engines like.

For example, consider a potential customer searching for a caterer for their wedding. They come across two catering businesses: Caterer X and Caterer Y. Both have visually appealing websites and offer similar services. However, Caterer X has numerous positive customer reviews and testimonials on their site, while Caterer Y has none. The potential customer is likely to choose Caterer X, as the reviews provide social proof of their service quality.

Moreover, reviews and testimonials can help improve your site’s SEO. Search engines like Google value fresh, user-generated content, and each new review adds unique content to your site. This can help improve your site’s visibility in search engine results.

Here are some tips on how to collect reviews for your catering business:

• Ask for Reviews: After an event, send a follow-up email to the client asking for a review. Most people are happy to share their experiences if asked.

• Make it Easy: Provide a direct link to the review form on your website or on a platform like Google Business Profile. The easier it is for customers to leave a review, the more likely they are to do so.

• Respond to Reviews: Whether positive or negative, always respond to reviews. This shows that you value customer feedback and are committed to improving your service.

• Incentivise Reviews: Consider offering a small discount or freebie to customers who leave a review. This can encourage more customers to share their experiences.

Online Competitor Analysis for Caterers

In the digital sphere, understanding your competition is not just beneficial; it’s essential. Online competitor analysis allows catering businesses to gain insights into the techniques employed by other companies targeting the same market. This knowledge can help caterers refine their own strategies and identify the most suitable niche and target customers for their brand.

For instance, consider two catering businesses in Bristol: Caterer A and Caterer B. Caterer A decides to conduct an online competitor analysis and discovers that Caterer B is targeting corporate events and has a strong online presence through an engaging website and active social media channels. Caterer A, on the other hand, has been focusing on private parties and has a relatively low-key online presence.

By analysing this information, Caterer A can identify a potential opportunity in the corporate events market. They can also learn from Caterer B’s online strategies and implement similar tactics to enhance their own digital presence. This could involve revamping their website, becoming more active on social media, or even starting a blog to share catering tips and recipes.

Moreover, online competitor analysis can also help identify potential gaps in the market. For example, if Caterer A finds that none of the local caterers are offering vegan or gluten-free options, they could decide to fill this gap and cater to this underserved market.

Treat online competitor analysis as a strategic tool that can help you understand your competition and identify opportunities/gaps in the market to refine your own strategies. If you’re not sure where to start, try using an online SEO resource like Ahrefs or Moz. These are great for getting a peak at what your competitors are up to.

Streamline Operations and Expand Reach with Online Menus

Incorporating an online ordering system into a catering business can bring many benefits. It can streamline the ordering process, extend the business’s reach, and enhance customer management efficiency.

An online ordering system can simplify the process of placing orders for customers. Instead of having to call or visit in person, customers can browse the menu, make their selections, and place their orders, all from the comfort of their homes. For example, a customer planning a birthday party can easily select their preferred dishes from the online menu, specify the quantity, and place the order without any hassle.

In terms of reach, an online ordering system can help caterers connect with a broader audience. For example, a caterer based in Brighton could potentially receive orders from customers in nearby towns or even from other parts of the country, thereby expanding their customer base.

Moreover, an online ordering system can enhance the efficiency of customer management. It allows caterers to keep track of orders, manage delivery schedules, and systematically maintain customer records. For instance, if a caterer receives a large number of orders for a particular day, they can easily manage the schedule and ensure timely delivery by using the online system.

Here is some guidance for implementing an online ordering system:

• User-Friendly Design: Ensure that the online ordering system is easy to navigate. A complicated system can deter customers from placing orders.
• Detailed Menu: Provide a detailed description of each dish on the menu, including ingredients and portion size. This can help customers make informed decisions.
• Secure Payment Options: Offer multiple secure payment options to cater to different customer preferences.
• Customer Support: Provide prompt customer support to address any issues or queries related to online ordering.

Having an online ordering system will also help you stand out from the competition. People like to be able to sort out their catering with as little hassle as possible. This feature will speed up the ordering process and improve online customer conversion rates.

What Does an SEO Company Do?

SEO is an excellent investment for catering businesses of all sizes in the digital age. It’s important to know that any SEO campaign requires expertise, hard work and consistency. Good SEO results may take some time to build. But, all your efforts will pay off multifold because you have specialists who know how to create powerful SEO strategies that help attract quality traffic and yield a healthy return on investment for your business. 

That’s where NUOPTIMA can help! With several years of expertise in developing killer SEO campaigns, our experts ensure your website can top the ranks and maintain a competitive edge on Google. The following are just some of the key methods we use to improve your catering website:

• Place links on authoritative catering websites.
• Curate SEO-focused content to help your site position for more keywords.
• Study and optimise existing pages to keep up with Google’s regulations and best practices. 
• Create all the relevant pages to maximise the collected organic traffic. 

Our well-seasoned SEO team at NUOPTIMA is here to help your website accomplish outstanding results. Book your free discovery call today to learn how our marketing strategies can help scale both your website and business to new heights.

Amplify Your Catering Business with SEO

In the vibrant world of catering, making your mark online is essential. With the right SEO strategies, your catering business can rise above the competition, attracting more potential customers and driving growth. SEO is not just about increasing website traffic; it’s about attracting the right kind of traffic – potential customers who are actively looking for your services. Don’t let your catering business blend into the background. Start your SEO journey with NUOPTIMA today and watch your business thrive.