Monthly Archives: December 2011

I have a pet peeve — restaurant web sites which don’t work. There is no doubt that it is hard to produce a “good” web site. “Good” means a site that gives people the information they want, entices them to visit the physical business, and doesn’t frustrate them into going away. Every business category is full of examples of bad web sites, but restaurants seem to be particularly vulnerable to the kinds of mistakes mentioned here. Why is that? There are some common factors that apply to many restaurants and conspire to create a similar outcome. Restaurants are often small businesses, mostly single-location, where the owner-operator wears many hats. There is rarely a full-time marketing person available to guide the choices, and often the web site is produced by the owner, or the owner’s friend or relative. But even if the owner hires a web design firm, the “who is the customer?” problem rears its ugly head. The web designer’s job ultimately is to make the restaurant owner happy. The owner needs a web site that will attract and keep customers. But it’s very easy for the owner to get caught up in the excitement of the new design, and approve (or request) bells and whistles that seem nifty but add nothing to the overall value of the site (I’m looking at you, auto-playing background music). One of the hardest things for a web designer to do is tell the … Continue reading →