Latest / The Local Marketing Podcast with Fexingo: Small Business, Google Maps, and Local SEO / How a Pizza Shop Uses Google Business Profile Menus to Drive Orders
Transcript
- Lucas: If you own a restaurant or any local business with a menu of services, there's a feature inside your Google Business Profile that could be driving more orders than almost anything else you do. Luna: Let me guess — the Menu tab? Or is there something more specific we should be looking at? Lucas: It is the Menu tab, but the way most businesses use it is basically self-sabotage. They either leave it blank, they link to a PDF of their menu from 2019, or they let Google scrape data from third-party sites that's often wrong. Luna: Right, I've definitely seen that. You search for a local spot, click 'Menu,' and it's either a blurry photo of a laminated card or a dead link. Lucas: Exactly. And Google's own data shows that profiles with a complete, well-formatted menu get forty-two percent more requests for directions and thirty-one percent more phone calls. That's not a small bump. Luna: Forty-two percent — that's huge. So what does 'well-formatted' actually mean in practice? Lucas: Let me give you a real example. There's a pizza place in Brooklyn — Di Fara Pizza. Old-school spot, been around since the sixties. They were doing fine on Google Maps, but their menu was just a list of items with no prices, no photos, no categories. Luna: Classic. 'Market price' on everything. Lucas: Pretty much. So they worked with a local SEO consultant who rebuilt their GBP menu from scratch. They added high-resolution photos for each item — not stock photos, actual shots of their pies. They added real prices, updated weekly. They organized by category: classic pies, specialty pies, slices, drinks. Luna: And what happened? Lucas: Over eight weeks, their takeout orders lifted twenty-two percent. Not because they changed the food. Because when someone searched 'pizza near me' and saw a beautiful menu with clear pricing, they stopped browsing and called. Luna: That's a concrete number. Twenty-two percent. What about the businesses that don't have a physical menu — like a plumber or a hair stylist? Lucas: Google actually calls it 'menu' but it works for services too. You can list your service offerings with prices — a haircut at forty dollars, a women's cut at sixty. A plumber can list 'drain cleaning: one fifty' and 'water heater repair: two hundred.' It functions the same way. Luna: So it's really a price list feature that happens to be called 'menu.' That makes sense. Do most businesses even know it's there? Lucas: In my experience, no. I'd guess less than thirty percent of local businesses have touched it. They set up their profile, add hours and photos, and never scroll down to the menu section. Or they think it's only for restaurants. Luna: That's a missed opportunity, especially since Google is pushing mobile-first. If I'm on my phone and I see a menu with prices, I'm way more likely to order than if I have to click a link to a PDF. Lucas: Exactly. And Google knows that. They've been surfacing menu content higher in local search results. A well-optimized menu can actually help your ranking in the local pack, not just your conversion rate. Luna: Wait, so the menu itself is a ranking factor? Lucas: Not officially. But Google's algorithm rewards completeness and relevance. If your menu has relevant keywords — 'wood-fired pizza,' 'gluten-free crust,' 'vegan cheese' — and it matches what people are searching for, your profile gets a relevance boost. Luna: That's the same logic as reviews. It's not just the star count, it's the keywords in the review text. Lucas: Exactly. And the menu is basically structured data that Google can parse easily. A PDF is a black box. A properly formatted menu with categories, prices, and descriptions is like giving Google a map of your offerings. Luna: So if someone listening right now wants to fix their menu today, what's the first step? Lucas: Log into your Google Business Profile. Go to the 'Menu' section. If it's empty, start by adding your top ten items or services. Use clear names, real prices, and take new photos — not from your phone five years ago. Make sure the photos are well-lit and show the actual product. Luna: And if they already have a menu but it's a mess? Lucas: Delete everything and start fresh. Seriously. It's easier than trying to edit a bunch of outdated entries. Google lets you add items one by one, so you can do it in twenty minutes. Luna: One thing I've noticed — some businesses add a PDF link in the menu section instead of individual items. Does that work? Lucas: It's better than nothing, but it's not great. PDFs don't get indexed the same way. And on mobile, a PDF is a pain — you have to download it, zoom in, pinch. Google wants you to use their native menu interface because it keeps people on the Google ecosystem. Luna: Makes sense. Also, I've seen businesses use the 'order online' button alongside the menu. Is that worth setting up? Lucas: Absolutely. If you have online ordering through a platform like Toast, Square, or ChowNow, link it to your profile. Google will show a prominent 'Order Online' button. Combined with a good menu, that's a direct path to a sale. Luna: Let's talk about Di Fara again. Did they do anything else besides the menu that contributed to that lift? Lucas: They also updated their Google Posts weekly with specials, and they responded to every review — even the negative ones. But the menu was the biggest change. They told the consultant that before the update, people would call and ask 'how much is a slice?' After, they just ordered. Luna: That friction removal is huge. The question 'how much' is what stops people from converting. Lucas: Exactly. And it's not just about price — it's about confidence. When someone sees a menu with clear descriptions and photos, they can visualize what they're getting. That emotional connection drives the decision. Luna: Speaking of connections — if these marketing conversations have sparked something you've actually used, a couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these going. Lucas: Yeah, we keep the show ad-free, and listener support at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo makes that possible. It's a small thing that adds up. Luna: Totally. And it helps us keep digging into these practical angles. So back to menus — one more tip: what about the psychology of menu design? Any principles that apply to Google's interface? Lucas: Great question. The same principles from physical menus apply. Put your most profitable or popular items first. Use descriptive language — 'hand-tossed dough' instead of 'dough.' Limit choices. If you list forty items, people get overwhelmed. Stick to your top fifteen. Luna: And photos? Should every item have one? Lucas: Ideally yes. But if you can't, at least have photos for your top five sellers. Google actually shows a thumbnail next to the item in search results, so a good photo increases the chance someone clicks into your profile. Luna: What about pricing strategy? Should you use psychological pricing — nine ninety-nine instead of ten dollars? Lucas: It works. But more important is consistency. Don't have some items with prices and others without. That looks incomplete. And if you offer a range — say, a large pizza is eighteen to twenty-two dollars depending on toppings — be clear about the range. Luna: Alright, so we've got: real photos, real prices, organized categories, and a link to online ordering. Anything else? Lucas: One thing: update your menu regularly. If you're a restaurant with seasonal specials, add them as menu items. Google's freshness signal matters. A profile that adds new menu items every month looks more active and relevant. Luna: And if you're a service business, you could add seasonal services — like 'holiday gutter cleaning' in December. Lucas: Exactly. The menu feature is underused across the board. Most businesses spend time on reviews and posts, which are important, but the menu is a quick win that directly drives orders. Luna: Quick win is right. I'm going to check my own profile after this. Lucas: Do it. And if you see a competitor with a better menu, use that as inspiration. The bar is low — a little effort goes a long way.