Many restaurant and hotel owners ask what the benefit of having a strong website is.  The answer is: a ton, the value of a website in today’s society may not seem necessary, but the reality is it is.  Customers are searching locally online now more than ever for restaurants in their area that serves the food they’re craving.  People traveling through the area are also doing the same.  As for hotels, most people now expect them to have an online booking feature.  If your business is one of these and you’re lacking an adequate website then you’re missing out a lot of potential customers on a daily basis.

Here are some benefits of a restaurant with a website:

Benefit #1: People use search engines as their yellow pages today.  If someone wants Chinese food or Indian food, then they will be searching their area with a search engine.  If your restaurant has no website then they won’t know about it and you won’t get their business.  If you have a website with a good website design and your menu and prices listed along with news and updates then people will be interested and want to try out your food.

Benefit #2: Develop a mailing list that people can sign up for on your site.  Sending out mail with special offers is a good way to encourage people to visit and having to go to your site to signup is a good way to show people what you offer.  Time your emails carefully too, sending out one about lunch specials around 10 a.m. is the perfect time for helping someone solve what they want for lunch.

Benefit #3: You now have a public platform to post pictures, events and other special happenings regularly.  People like to see updates and changes on a website and want to know the daily specials when they visit the website.  It’s important to present a public image that is cheerful and regularly updated.

Here are some benefits for hotels with a website:

Benefit #1: It’s faster than calling, cheaper and the customer can compare rates.  As a hotel you no longer need to keep extra staff available for answer calls that are solely for booking a room.  If you have good rates customers will also see this and be inclined to book at your hotel over another hotel over another.

Benefit #2: You can show off your rooms and various facilities.  If someone is picky in their room requirements or prefers to know how the room looks before they book it having pictures on your website of each type of room is perfect.  Customers can then make more informed decisions about whether the room their booking is right and this can remove unexpected surprises about the room layout.  Furthermore you can show off what your workout room, the pool and any other facilities that are available to guests.

Benefit #3: Having a website and online booking for your hotel means people looking for hotels in your area when searching for a place to stay are more likely to consider you.  The idea of booking a place to stay after arriving at your destination is becoming a part of the past.  Today, people want to book their hotel ahead of time and online.