For many local restaurants, the website isn’t hurting because it looks outdated—it’s hurting because it’s broken, hard to use, and invisible in search.

That was the case here.

This wasn’t a light refresh. The website was rebuilt from the ground up after uncovering broken links, missing alt text, and structural issues that were holding it back—especially when it came to SEO. Here’s what we fixed and why it mattered.

The Problem: A Website That Was Working Against Them

Before the redesign, the site had several common (but costly) issues:

Broken links throughout the site
Missing alt text on images (a big SEO + accessibility issue)
Navigation that wasn’t intuitive
Important info buried or hard to find
A structure that didn’t support local or travel-based searches

None of these are flashy problems—but together, they made the site harder to find and harder to use.

The Solution: A Full Rebuild with Purpose

Instead of patching problems, the site was recreated from scratch with a focus on usability, accessibility, and SEO.

1. Clean, Functional Navigation

The navigation was rebuilt so visitors could quickly find:

Menus
Hours
Location
Events and specials

No dead ends. No guessing.

2. Rebuilding the Layout for Real Users

Every page was restructured to:

Eliminate clutter
Highlight key info first
Perform better on mobile

This alone improves bounce rates and time on site.

3. Fixing What Search Engines (and Users) Care About

A big part of the rebuild focused on SEO fundamentals that were missing before:

Broken links were removed or fixed
Alt text was added to images for accessibility and search visibility
Headings were properly structured
Content was updated to better reflect how people search

This is the unglamorous work that actually moves the needle.

The Result: A Website That Can Finally Be Found

After the rebuild:

Website visits increased
Travelers searching nearby could find the restaurant more easily
Pages loaded cleanly and made sense to both users and search engines
The site became more accessible and easier to navigate

Why This Matters for Small Businesses

A lot of websites don’t need more content—they need fewer problems.

Broken links, missing alt text, and poor structure quietly hurt SEO and user experience. Fixing those basics often leads to noticeable improvement without adding complexity.

Thinking About Rebuilding Your Website?

If your website:

Has broken links or missing info
Doesn’t show up when people search nearby
Feels messy or outdated

It might not need another band-aid—it might need a rebuild done intentionally.

See how I help businesses rebuild websites that actually work:

SERVICES

How a Restaurant Website Redesign Helped Travelers Find Us Online