Approximately 83 percent of restaurant visitors look for information about the restaurant online (according to Business Insider). This is in addition to the majority of restaurant visitors that choose their restaurant based on an online search.
Therefore, in order to optimize your restaurant’s financial potential, it is imperative to have a quality website that is easy to find on search engines. This review discusses how much a restaurant website costs.
The Cost of a Restaurant Website Explained
Restaurant websites are no longer a luxury but rather a necessity. If your competitors are developing professional websites, then it can make it incredibly difficult to keep up in the online realm if you are not doing so as well. Your restaurant website cost is dependent on a variety of factors, such as:
- The number of web pages
- The number of custom graphics
- The extent of your SEO efforts
- The type of web development (i.e. PHP, WordPress, etc.)
- The number and type of integrations
With that said, the average professional restaurant website cost is between $4,000 and $10,000. Keep in mind that there is also a notable difference between a DIY website design and a professionally designed website, and a professional website is likely to be of much higher quality (see the benefits below). In fact, many restaurant owners attempt a DIY restaurant only to hire a professional web development agency after a failed attempt.
Factors That Affect Your Restaurant’s Website Cost
Every restaurant website is unique, and the services included in web design and development for your restaurant depend on your needs, goals, and preferences.
However, in general, the factors that affect restaurant website cost the most include the quality of your web developer, the size of your website (i.e. number of pages), the number of graphics and content you need, the extent of your SEO efforts, and the type of integrations.
1. The Quality of Your Web Developer
Web developers (or the agency) determine their hourly rate. The average rate for a web developer is between $100 and $200. An entry-level web developer may charge as little as $50 to $75 per hour, but the results you receive are less predictable. Some expert web developers with years (if not decades) of experience may charge as much as $300 per hour.
2. The Size of Your Website
The more pages your restaurant website needs the more the website it will cost. This is because the web developer will need to spend more hours building your site. Your need for content, SEO efforts, and integrations may increase for a larger site as well. Of course, the size of your restaurant, the number of services, and the size of your menu are all likely to determine how big of a website you need.
3. The Number of Professional Graphics
Graphic design is often a major component in building a restaurant website. Professional graphics make your website more user-friendly and give it a personalized and professional look. There are different types of graphic design that may come with unique pricing. In general, you can expect to pay between $100 to $250 per professional graphic.
4. The Amount of Professional Website Content
Restaurant websites usually require less content than other business types. However, you will likely require some content for your “Home” and “About Us” pages. You may also need professional content for other pages as well, such as a description of each menu item, catering services, etc.
Of course, you may be able to cut costs by writing the content yourself, but hiring a professional can help ensure your website has clear and concise content that is designed to lead the customer through the buyer’s journey.
5. The Extent of Your SEO Efforts
SEO stands for search engine optimization. This involves optimizing your website and web pages to rank well within Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs). It can help to include professional SEO efforts in your restaurant website cost to ensure you are attracting customers to your new and beautiful website.
6. The Types of Website Integrations
Your website may need certain integrations that can increase the overall restaurant website cost. Most restaurant websites require integration with their point of sale (POS) software. There may be additional integrations that are necessary as well; this may include database integration or a content management system (CMS). Each integration your restaurant needs is likely to increase the website’s overall cost.
7. Custom UX/UI Design vs. Pre-Made Templates
Custom UX/UI design is likely to require far more hours of work for the web developer. Subsequently, this can significantly increase the cost. Many web developers will use base frameworks to work from, which can reduce the amount of time and expertise they need on each project, while still ensuring a professional and fully personalized website for clients. For example, one popular restaurant website framework is the Open Source Genesis Framework.
A More Detailed Restaurant Website Cost Example
Giving an example of the cost of a restaurant website can be a challenge as every situation is unique, but we are going to give it a shot. So, let’s say you own a small to mid-sized restaurant and only need a small, 10-page website. Building the design for all 10 pages would likely take 14-15 hours. At a cost of $125 per hour, this comes to $1,750 to $2,000 for the web page design.
You may also need four or five graphics for your website; this could include an infographic of your menu, personalized website banners, etc. At the same $125 rate, this would add $500 to $625 to the overall website cost. For a 10-page website, you may only need 7,500 total words of content. At a rate of $75 to $100 per 500 words of content, you would pay an additional $1,125 to $1,500.
Keyword research and SEO efforts may be necessary as well to ensure your website is properly optimized for traffic. Let’s say these efforts — which may include optimizing title tags, ensuring optimal site speed, etc. — take a total of 10 hours. At a $100 rate, this could add $1,00 to the project. The breakdown of this looks like:
- Web design and development – $1,750 – $2,000
- Graphic design – $500 – $625
- Content writing – $1,125 – $1,500
- Keyword and SEO efforts – $1,000
In total, this restaurant website example would equate to a cost between $4,375 and $5,125. Of course, your restaurant website cost may be notably more or less depending on the specific services you choose and the size of your website. Some larger restaurant websites may cost more than $10,000.
Is Professional Website Design Worth It for My Restaurant Website?
A professionally designed website can be a significant investment. However, it is important to assess the long-term cost-benefit of your website. Several key benefits of a professionally designed restaurant website include:
- Make an impactful first impressions
- Improve your ranking in search engines
- Integration of essential software systems (i.e. point of sale software)
- Increased rate of conversions
- An easy experience for the customer
- The ability to effortlessly integrate new functions
A professionally designed restaurant website establishes trust with the prospective customer right away. Ultimately, the primary benefits of building a professional restaurant website are more followers, an improved rate of conversions, and more profit for your restaurant.
Tunl Agency Offers Competitively-Priced Web Design Services for Restaurants
Are you in need of a website for your restaurant or seek to make improvements to your existing website? If so, then contact our Tunl Agency team today or schedule a convenient time for a free consultation through our website. We take pride in helping our clients develop a professional website that helps them reach their goals.
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