Industry Web Design Spotlight: Hospitality
Posted on 16th April 2025
Following on from our first sector-specific blog for tradespeople, we’re now turning the spotlight on website design for hospitality businesses—including pubs, bars, cafés, restaurants, takeaways, hotels, and catering companies.
If you run a business in this space and want an online presence that not only looks great but drives real results, you're in the right place. Check out our top tips for building a website that attracts new customers, encourages bookings, and helps your business stand out from the crowd.
1. Make Your Branding and Imagery On-Point
In the hospitality world, first impressions really matter. Most customers already have a preferred look and feel in mind when choosing where to eat, drink, or stay—so it’s essential your website reflects the right vibe from the start.
That means having a strong brand image that clearly communicates the kind of atmosphere and experience people can expect when they visit. The design of your website should also align with the type of business you run.
Colours, fonts, and tone of voice all play a big role. For example, a lively bar aimed at a younger crowd might lean into bold colours, playful fonts, and fun, energetic imagery. On the other hand, a high-end restaurant or boutique hotel would benefit from a more elegant design—think muted tones, clean typography, and professional photography that shows off your venue, food, and team in the best light.
Speaking of photography, this is one of the most important elements for any hospitality website. Wherever possible, use authentic, up-to-date photos of your actual premises, people, and dishes. Visitors can spot stock imagery instantly, and it often takes away from the trust and personality you're trying to build.
If you're not quite there yet with photos or feel your branding could use a refresh, don’t worry – these are both things it’seeze Warwick & Redditch can help with.
2. Structure Your Navigation With the Customer in Mind
A common pitfall across all industries—hospitality included—is building a website around what you want to say, rather than what your customers actually want to know. And in a fast-moving, customer-driven sector like hospitality, that approach just doesn’t cut it.
Your website should prioritise the information your guests are looking for first: your menu, pricing, location, opening hours, and how to book a table, room, or place an order online. These need to be easy to find in your main navigation, with clear links in your footer as well.
It’s also essential to include your contact details and social media links on every page, so potential customers can quickly reach out or check out your latest updates.
The screenshot below, taken from Huttons Hotel—one of our it’seeze Warwick & Redditch clients—is a great example. It shows off a clean, easy-to-navigate layout, complete with a bold ‘Book now’ button and clearly visible contact information that helps convert clicks into bookings.
3. Make Sure Your Website is Mobile-Friendly
This is crucial for two key reasons. First—and most importantly—the majority of people now browse the web on their phones or tablets, not desktop computers. Second, Google prioritises mobile-friendly websites in its search rankings, indexing the mobile version before anything else. So, if your site doesn’t work well on mobile, you could be missing out on both visibility and bookings.
Once your site is live, make sure to test it across a variety of devices, including both Android and iOS, to ensure everything looks and functions as it should. It’s also worth adding mobile-specific features, like a ‘Call now’ button, to make it even easier for customers to get in touch with just one tap.
4. Keep the Booking or Ordering Process Super Simple
No one wants to jump through hoops to order food or book a table. The easier and faster the process, the better the experience—so keep it simple! Use clear, eye-catching calls to action, like a ‘Book now’ or ‘Order online’ button, and streamline the process with as few steps as possible.
To speed things up even more, especially on mobile, enable payment options like Google Pay and Apple Pay so customers can check out without entering card details—bonus points for better security, too.
If you’re aiming for repeat business (and let’s face it, who isn’t?), allow customers to create an account and log in, so they don’t have to re-enter their details every time they book or order.
Lastly, communication is key. Always send a confirmation email, and where possible, provide automated updates or order tracking—especially for deliveries. If anything goes wrong or there’s a delay, make sure there’s a process in place to notify the customer. A smooth, transparent experience builds trust—and keeps people coming back.
5. Showcase Great Reviews and Testimonials
Reviews matter—big time. In hospitality, they can make or break a customer’s decision. Think about it: would you book a table, order a takeaway, or stay at a hotel without checking out the star rating or skimming a few reviews? Probably not. That’s why third-party praise is one of your most powerful marketing tools.
Feature reviews and testimonials across your site—maybe in a rotating banner on your homepage or a dedicated 'Testimonials' page. Also, link out to trusted review platforms like TripAdvisor, Trustpilot, and your Google Business Profile. Don’t forget your Facebook page, too—anywhere customers can leave feedback is an opportunity to build trust.
If you’re just starting out or need to build your review base, create a simple process to encourage feedback. This could be as easy as asking in person or sending a follow-up email after a booking or stay, with a direct link to your preferred review site. A little effort goes a long way when it comes to building your reputation.
6. Get Your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Organised
Whether you’re focused on local customers or reaching a national—or even international—audience, nailing your SEO is key to online success. One of the most important steps is researching and identifying the right keywords and phrases before you start building your website. Tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, and AnswerThePublic can be incredibly useful here.
Once you’ve got your list of keywords, use them wisely. Avoid keyword stuffing at all costs—it doesn’t just put people off, it also hurts your rankings. If you’ve got more awkward phrases (like a long list of place names), it’s best to add those into your metadata rather than cramming them into the visible content. Keep your front-end copy natural, engaging, and easy to read—that’s what both search engines and real people want.
Once your website is optimised, don’t make the mistake of thinking your SEO work is done! Search engine optimisation is an ongoing process—consumer behaviour and search trends are always changing, so your strategy needs to evolve too.
That means regularly updating your website and looking after your off-page SEO—things like social media, Google Business Profile updates, and directory listings all play a part in keeping your online presence strong.
It can be a bit of a time drain, so if you'd rather focus on running your business, why not let it’seeze Warwick & Redditch take care of it? Our Our SEO packages are designed to keep you climbing the rankings while you get on with what you do best.
Need Help Getting Started? Just Ask it’seeze Warwickshire!
From registering the right domain for your hospitality business, through to designing and optimising your new website, the it’seeze Warwick & Redditch team can do it all. We also offer extra services including ongoing SEO as mentioned above, and social media marketing. Through our trusted third party providers, we can help in other areas, too, such as logo and branding, photography and copywriting. So, whatever you need for your website, we’ve got you covered!
As an it’seeze Warwick & Redditch customer, you’ll always benefit from our dedicated local support. And we’ll show you how to use our unique Website Editor, which makes it fast and easy to update and upload content to your site, although we’re happy to do this for you if you prefer.
Why not take a look at our website packages to see which one’s the best fit for your business? You can then contact us so we can chat through your requirements. If you already have a hospitality website, we’ll be pleased to carry out a FREE audit with lots of information about what works well and what could be improved. So, get in touch today and let’s get started!
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