TLDR

Have you ever found yourself in a position where customers complain about your website or you feel disappointed by its outdated and clunky appearance? Meanwhile, Starbucks has people downloading their app and ordering ahead of time. You wish your coffee shop could be that tech-savvy. Well, it can. Starbucks may lead the pack, but your shop can brew up an online brand that entices customers to click, order, and keep coming back. In just 7 simple steps, you can build a website that spotlights your products, connects with your customers, and keeps your business brewing.

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The Secret to Starbucks' Top-Ranked Coffee Shop Website

Starbucks’ website gets over 11 million unique visitors per month. Based on its unique traffic, Aelieve Digital Marketing has ranked the coffee shop's website on top among the other 20 shops. How did Starbucks do it? By focusing on convenience, stability, and search engine optimization (SEO).

Convenience is Key

The coffee chain makes it easy to order ahead, pay, and pick up coffee. Customers can place an order on their website or app and breeze in and out of the store. This convenience factor keeps customers coming back and drives more traffic to their site.

Established Popularity and Legitimacy

As the world’s most popular coffeehouse chain, Starbucks already has a built-in audience. Their brand recognition and loyalty translate into major website traffic. When people want coffee, Starbucks is the first place that comes to mind.

Search Engine Optimization Mastery

Starbucks’ website ranks at the top of search engines like Google for terms like “coffee shop” and “espresso”. They’ve optimized their site for SEO by including important keywords, internal linking, fast loading times, and mobile-friendliness. Their high search ranking results in more visitors and sales.

A Recipe for Success

By focusing on convenience, established popularity, and search engine optimization, Starbucks has built a top-rated coffee shop website. If you want to rank alongside them, take a page from their book. Make your site convenient and optimized, build your brand, and gain legitimacy and loyalty. With time and effort, you'll gain more traffic and join the ranks of the best coffee shop websites.

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7 Steps to Building an Award-Winning Coffee Shop Website

If you want to rank higher on Google and attract more customers, focus on these essentials for your coffee shop website.

Craft a Compelling Value Proposition

What makes your shop unique? Express your brand story and mission to build trust and connection. For example, A Special Blend promotes itself as a nonprofit coffee shop that develops job opportunities for disabled individuals.

Optimize for Mobile

Over half of web traffic now comes from mobile devices. Ensure your site is responsive, with large buttons and minimal clutter. Starbucks' clean two-column grid is a perfect example.

Include High-Quality Photos

Feature photos of your space, menu items, and staff. Help customers visualize the experience. Dunkin' Donuts spotlights mouth-watering product shots.

Simplify the Menu

An uncluttered, easy-to-read menu with prices promotes sales. Group items logically and use visuals.

Provide Multiple Contact Options

List your phone number, email, social media, and any messaging options prominently. Make it easy for customers to reach you.

Blog Regularly

Share behind-the-scenes stories, promote new menu items, and highlight your staff and community involvement. Build engagement and rank higher in search. Stumptown Coffee Roasters blog is a model of storytelling and brand voice.

Drive Traffic with SEO

Use keywords in your page titles, headers, alt text, and content. Optimize your site speed and mobile functionality. Build internal links between pages and encourage social shares and reviews. With the right focus, your coffee shop website can rank at the top too!

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Crafting the Perfect Landing Page for Your Coffee Shop's Mobile Ordering App

To drive more downloads of your coffee shop's mobile ordering app, focus on creating an effective landing page. According to studies, 51% of mobile users convert when brands use best practices for their landing pages.

Focus on concision

On mobile, less is more. Keep your landing page clean and minimal, highlighting only the most important information like your app download buttons, contact details and digital menu. The goal is for visitors to quickly scan the page and find what they need.

Ensure call-to-action buttons are mobile-friendly

Your app download buttons should be prominent, clearly labeled and sized for easy tapping. As a best practice, keep CTA buttons at least 1/2 inch high, which is the average width of a human finger.

Use high-quality visuals

Images do more than just look pretty. They showcase your products, convey your brand personality and encourage people to engage with your content. Select photos that highlight your coffee, food and overall atmosphere.

Prioritize key links

In addition to your app download CTAs, provide links to your online ordering page, contact information, and digital menu. These links allow customers to easily find key information and complete important actions like placing an order or contacting your shop.

Keep your message clear

A good landing page has a singular focus. Keep your message concise by highlighting only one or two main benefits of downloading your app, such as "Order ahead and skip the line!" or "Get rewards and discounts!". Repeat this message in your headlines, subheads, and call-to-action buttons.

Take a look at the app landing pages Per Diem has crafted for these coffee shops to find inspiration.

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Website Design Best Practices From the Top 20 Coffee Websites

To rank among the best coffee websites, focus on a clean and simple design. Warm colors like reds, oranges, and browns are inviting and establish the right mood. High-quality images of your drinks and food help visitors imagine enjoying your offerings.

Easy Navigation

Keep your navigation simple and intuitive. Have clear sections for your menu, location and contact information, and any online ordering options. Per Diem, for example, builds custom mobile ordering apps for coffee shops and restaurants. Their landing pages highlight how customers can easily find the apps to order on the go.

Medium-sized Graphics

Incorporate some medium-sized animations or motion graphics to bring your site to life. As visitors scroll, images or icons could slide in from the side or elements could fade into view. These effects create visual interest without being distracting.

Clear and Engaging Copy

Dedicate a template specifically for your landing page. Your homepage is the first impression for visitors and should capture their interest immediately. A custom template with a large header image, bold fonts, and a clear call to action, like “Order Now” or “Join Our Loyalty Program” will entice visitors to engage with your site.

Optimized User Experience

Focus on the overall user experience. Ensure your site loads quickly, has a logical information architecture, and responsive design for mobile devices. Make it easy for visitors to find what they need and accomplish key tasks like placing an order or signing up for your newsletter.

For inspiration, look to leaders like Stumptown Coffee Roasters. Their site has a sophisticated yet welcoming design with high-quality photography and subtle animations. The navigation is simple but comprehensive, covering their coffee, cafés, subscriptions and more. Top rankings prove that a well-designed site, dedicated to the customer experience, is the key to success.

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FAQs: How Can My Coffee Shop Website Rank Higher on Search Engines?

Your coffee shop’s website is the digital face of your brand. To rank higher in search engines like Google, focus on optimizing it for both human visitors and search engine crawlers. Here are some of the key things you can do:

Provide the Best User Experience

A great user experience keeps people on your site longer. Make your website easy to navigate with clear menus and calls to action. Use high-quality images to showcase your products and location. Include your hours, location, contact info, and menu prominently. Offer a blog, email signup, or social links to keep visitors engaged. The longer people spend on your site, the more valuable it is to search engines.

Optimize for Local Search

Ranking in local search results is key for coffee shops. Make sure your business information like name, address, and phone number are displayed. Submit that info to directory sites like Google My Business, Yelp, and Facebook. Choose location-specific keywords like “[city name] coffee shop” and use them in your page titles, URLs, and content. Mention your location and community in blog posts and social media. All of this helps search engines understand you’re a local business.

Provide Great Content

Blog posts, news articles, and social media posts are opportunities to add valuable content to your site. Focus on topics like coffee brewing methods, food and drink recipes, coffee origin stories, and community events. Mention keywords in your content, use an engaging writing style, and link to other relevant pages on your site. The more useful information you provide, the more reason search engines have to rank your site higher.

Optimize Page Metadata

Page titles, URLs, image filenames, and alt text are all opportunities for optimization. Include your target keywords, business name, and location in page titles and URLs. Give images descriptive filenames and alt text with keywords. The metadata on each page provides context for search engines and helps them understand what your content is about.

By focusing on the user experience, optimizing for local search, providing great content, and optimizing your metadata, you'll give search engines more reasons to rank your coffee shop's website higher in the results. The higher your rankings, the more visibility and traffic your site will get from customers searching online.

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Final Thoughts

Your coffee shop's website doesn't have to play second fiddle to Starbucks. By following their lead and implementing some of the tips we covered, you can create an online brand identity and beautiful, promotional website too. Start by focusing on your landing page - make it inviting yet informative. And don't forget to optimize for search with compelling titles and meta descriptions. Most importantly, make sure your website provides an experience for customers that reflects the welcoming vibe of your shop. With a bit of strategic planning and some elbow grease, your website can brew up success.

Interested in getting a custom-built landing page for your coffee shop's website? Reach out to our team today!

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