SEO Keywords for Restaurants: How to Build the Perfect Strategy

As a top online marketing tool for restaurants, SEO means work, patience and consistency. Feels a lot like climbing a mountain: the hike can get tough, but how good is the view up there?

Just like a hike, 1) you will benefit from the positive effects long-term 2) you need to prepare, check out the route and have the right gear. Not only to make sure you will finish the hike, but be certain you will be the first one on top.

How can hospitality businesses build a high-performing, local SEO strategy that drives real business in their locations? How to make sure your SEO strategy will be more likely to turn a profit ?

First step: finding the right SEO keywords for your restaurants. This means keywords that will actually work because they match your brand, your offer, your location, and even more important, they are used online (real entries) by potential clients.

This guide sums up years of expertise with actual restaurants. Here is everything you need to know about SEO keywords for your locations.

What is SEO and Why does it Matter in Hospitality?

SEO stands for Search Engineering Optimization, the art of making a business appear in Google when someone searches for a specific keyword.

It can be a business, an information or a website... In this article, we'll focus on hospitality groups and locations.

For restaurants, that means searches as wide as "sushi near me,” to “best brunch in Miami,” or “vegan tapas bar Williamsburg."

All these keywords are typed thousands of times a month in Google or other search engines, which means a keyword = actual dine-in customers. So, basically, SEO means business (pun intended).

In the digital area, this amazing opportunity allowed many groups to double in sizes, just by working on their SEO (like many of our clients).

However, you should know that :

• The top 3 results on Google Maps, called the Google 3-Pack, get 93% of all the clics. The following choices have way less opportunities to be clicked on and their foot traffic may drop dramatically.
• For a multi-location brand or a franchise, each restaurants will need its specific local SEO strategy to get to the top 3. Which is expert work, lot's of time and energy.

Which is why we recommend using a centralizing tool like the MalouApp as well as an expert help when it comes to picking keywords for your brand and for each or your locations. However, here are our top SEO tips when it comes to auditing your keywords.

What Are SEO Keywords for Restaurants and How to Use Them?

A SEO keyword is any term a potential customer could type into a search engine when looking for your restaurants, cafés, bars, etc. Any location at any moment.

That includes:

• Type of food: “Peruvian ceviche”
• Experience: “romantic dinner in Atlanta”
• Location: “brunch Upper West Side”
• Specific dishes: “spicy tuna roll NYC”
• Attributes and details: "Kids-Frendly", "Vegan", "Free Wi-Fi"

Then, Google's algorithm's job is to make sure only the best choices get to appear at the top for each keywords. To help your brand get there, you will need to use these keywords where is matters. Such as:

• Top platforms and directories
• Google Business Profile description and posts
• Website and local pages or (better) Store Locator
• Instagram content to optimize your posts
• Review responses.

For years, people used this technique, but also abused it. By repeating words unnaturally or way too much, for example. This "keyword stuffing" is now penalized by Google.

So, if you are working on your brand's SEO keyword strategy, here are our top X steps (with tips!) to select SEO keywords for your restaurants and to understand how they can help you grow a profit.

8 Steps to chose the Exact SEO Keywords to Grow your Restaurants and Get Results

Step 1: Think, Search, Ask

This may seems silly but it's one of the top technique to nail your keyword audit and make sure you aren't missing any opportunity.

Just think about your brand, your mission statement, your star products and dishes, what makes your location unique.

Pro tip: ask actual or future clients. Why do they come to your location? To different specific spots? What do they like about the space, the food, the service, the values?

You may discover, like some of our clients, that you are missing an opportunity. Or you need to rethink your brand.

What get people into your locations could be something you haven't identified yet. A place or monument near by (ex :"post workout brunch", "Tour de Pise pizza"), a specific dish ("best babka in New York"), experience or package. 

Every time you open a location, keep that in mind after a few months and revisit. Which keywords are driving foot-trafic? You might discover your GBP (Google Business Profile) shows up often for “halal tacos Queens.”

To find which keywords Google already associates with your brand, you can use the Google Search Console connected to your website but there isn't many options available. SEMrush works very well for national keywords.

💡At Malou, we use a proprietary method to measure visibility in your restaurant’s exact area. By dividing the local map into a grid around your locations, retrieving the top local results, and then, assigning a score to each ranking position, we can get a 800m radius.

Step 2: Understand brand awareness vs discovery traffic

Understand the split between brand awareness and discovery is key.

• Branded Keywords (Awareness) are searches that include your brands or restaurant's name, chef, etc. It says a lot about how well your brand is doing (people are searching for it) but for growth you need to attract people who have never heard of you or are not local.

• Discovery Keywords (Intent), on the other hand, are generic searches where your locations appears even if it’s not named, like "best babka in New York" or "top sushi place near me". Discovery searches are your biggest acquisition levers.

In reality, a strong SEO strategy balances both. What you can do is create "brand mentions": always add your name + keyword. This works great for SEO and for "GEO" (appearing in ChatGPT or AI search).

Step 3: 5 criteria to choose the Right Keywords

Here are the top 5 criteria we use to build growth-driven SEO keyword lists for each restaurant location at Malou:

1. Brand terms. Anything related to your name, brand, group, chef, founder.

2. Cuisine. Japanese, Italian, but also, Fusion, Bistronomic or even Vegan.

3. Specific dishes. You could be the king of Tonkotsu ramen, Neapolitan pizza or gluten-free donuts.

4. Attributes. This is a top tip and a seasonal one, too. Anything about your location that is unique from Kid Friendly to Gay Friendly or even Fast-Casual. During summer, you can use Outdoor seating, Live Music, Patio. Finally, for tourists or workers: Free WiFi, Spanish Spoken...

5. Local cues. It seems simple but this is the key to local SEO. We've seen clients using only cities, for example. But people will search for neighborhoods (SoHo, Echo Park), Streets, landmarks, subway stops or even monuments near-by.

Pro tip: Limit your keyword list to 10 max per location.

To be able to know which keyword is more growth-worthy than another, you need to check how many times it could be googled (or if it's even googled at all!)

Step 4: Check Search Volumes (But Stay Local)

Keyword volumes tell you how often people search for a term. But, as mentioned previously, this can be tricky. Not many tools are available on the market, and each have a different calculating method. 

If you love numbers or if you want to project how many clients you could get from SEO, just don't rely on keywords volume too much. Stay open. Moreover, niche keywords often drive the most qualified traffic and long-term growth. High-volume means more traffic potential, but also more competition.

A keyword with 880 searches/month but low competition in your area can outperform a generic keyword with 40K searches/month.

Our top tip: a solid balance between high and low volumes, popular and specific, with some seasonal changes. You may also A/B test new keywords as you grow to find that perfect spot.

Step 5: Use the Right Keywords in the Right Places

You’ve chosen your keywords. Now, where do you put them? Remember two things: content and consistency. No stuffing, keep it simple.

On your Google Business Profile:

• In your description (min 500 characters)
• In Google Posts (weekly updates with keywords)
• In your Google Reviews. However, than tends to work a little less since 2025. Think more about AI, use brand mentions (always add brand + keyword naturally).

Example:

Hey Name, Thanks for your kind review! We’re glad you loved our Mediterranean brunch in Noho. Next time, check out the patio! See you again soon at Brand Name

On your website, local pages or (better) Store Locator:

• Each page should target a core keyword mentioned in the URL
• Include H1, title tags, and image alt text to help the algorithm crawl through it
• Local pages should aim a local keyword (ex : "brand + city name"). Use a Store Locator to maximize the juice.

On Instagram:

Recently, Meta announced expanding search indexing in public posts. Which means your Instagram posts could be a top content! Especially if you use a Store Locator or a tool to make sure your Insta grid shows on each pages.

• First step: Optimize your bio. Add keywords, be descriptive "Modern Korean BBQ in West Loop Chicago. Group dining welcome." ‍
• Use keywords in captions and alt text (but stay natural)
• Make sure you locate each posts

Step 6: Refresh and Rotate Keywords Seasonally

Once all this is done, you need to plan, create and centralize your SEO content strategy. More importantly, you need to "feed" the algorithm: share optimized content on a regular basis.

• Create Google posts, respond to reviews, posts on social media like Instagram
• Optimize your content and update your info (especially on GBP and other platforms)
• Rotate keywords based on seasonality (ex: "best rooftop brunch" in summer)
• Add new keywords based on menu changes or events

Step 7: Track Your SEO Keyword Performance

This can be hard if you don't have the proper tools. On the MalouApp, you can monitor:

• Your rankings on each keyword
• Visibility per location
• Keyword popularity vs conversion

On average, a keyword takes 3 to 6 months to deliver significant growth. Be patient. The more popular the keyword, the later the results.

Step 8 : the Malou Method for Keywords (Why It Works)

If you manage 5, 10, or 50+ locations, managing keywords and SEO is extremely time-consuming, especially if you are serious about it and want to test and learn. With Malou, we help you:

• Define high-impact keywords for each location
• Align Instagram, Google, and SEO content in one place
• Optimize alt text and captions with AI support
• Keep a unified brand presence across all locations
• Sync Instagram with our Store Locator and Google listings

Want help turning content into conversions
Book a free demo at malou.io or call our US team at +1 929 494 52 10

Want help turning content into conversions? Book a free demo or reach out to our US team at +1 929 494 52 10 !

FAQ: SEO Keywords for Restaurants

What are SEO keywords for restaurants?
Search terms your potential customers type into Google to find places to eat. They include cuisine types, dishes, experiences, and location-based queries.

How many keywords should I choose?
Stick to 10 per location to stay focused and effective.

Where should I use them?
Your Google Business Profile, website, social media, review responses, and local pages.

How often should I update my keywords?
Every 3 months or with major menu, branding, or seasonal changes.

Can I track keyword performance?
Yes. Tools like Malou show keyword rankings, visibility, and growth per location.

How do I know a keyword will work?

You need to estimate its volume. At Malou, our algorithm calculates local volumes at an hyper-local level, within 800m radius, giving each keyword a relevance score based on actual proximity searches.

‍

‍