— CASE STUDY · PALERMO’S PIZZA
Palermo’s Pizza: A modern website and local search foundation built for long-term growth.
Website performance, local SEO, paid search, and relocation support helped a long-established Orland Park pizzeria protect visibility and strengthen its owned digital presence.
Orland Park, IL · Independent restaurant · Website and growth marketing
98+
Mobile PageSpeed result
With Core Web Vitals passing
10+
Years growth partnership
Website, SEO, advertising, and relocation support
— PROJECT OVERVIEW
| BRAND | Palermo’s Pizza |
| CONCEPT | Independent pizzeria |
| MARKET | Orland Park, Illinois |
SERVICES
Website design, local SEO, paid search, relocation support, and strategic advisory
— THE CHALLENGE
A strong restaurant brand. A digital foundation that needed to keep pace.
Palermo’s Pizza had strong local recognition, but its aging website and uneven search presence limited growth. The business also needed to protect discovery and traffic while moving to a new location.
An outdated website limiting speed and SEO
Inconsistent local search visibility
Reliance on third-party discovery and ordering platforms
Search risk during a major location move
A need for stronger mobile performance
A digital foundation built for long-term change
— HOW WE WORKED
Long-term support around the moments that mattered
The Digital Restaurant combined hands-on website and search work with ongoing strategy, adapting the engagement as Palermo’s business and location changed.
01
Website infrastructure
Designed and built a scalable WordPress website around mobile speed, local discovery, and clear conversion paths.
02
Local search visibility
Coordinated technical, on-page, and local SEO to strengthen branded and non-branded discovery.
03
Relocation support
Aligned website updates and local search signals to protect visibility during the restaurant’s move.
04
Paid search and strategy
Supported demand with paid search, channel planning, and ongoing optimization as priorities changed.
— WEBSITE AND MARKETING EXECUTION
Website and growth infrastructure
Rebuilt the website on WordPress with a faster mobile experience, clearer paths to direct action, and a structure designed for search visibility.
WordPress rebuild
Mobile performance
Conversion paths
Mobile PageSpeed
98+
with Core Web Vitals passing
— WEBSITE AND MARKETING EXECUTION
SEO and local visibility
Strengthened technical, on-page, and local search signals so guests could find Palermo’s through high-intent pizza and Italian restaurant searches.
Technical SEO
On-page optimization
Local discovery
Markets supported
All
locations in the engagement
— WEBSITE AND MARKETING EXECUTION
Location move support
Updated the website and local search signals around a major physical move, reducing the risk of lost rankings, traffic, and guest discovery.
Website updates
Local search signals
Discovery continuity
Search visibility
Stable
through the location move
— WEBSITE AND MARKETING EXECUTION
Advertising and ongoing strategy
Managed paid search during key demand periods and provided ongoing guidance on digital priorities and channel investment.
Paid search
Strategic advisory
Ongoing optimization
Partnership
Since 2016
— WEBSITE AND MARKETING EXECUTION
Website and ordering restoration
Restored Palermo’s website on its existing infrastructure and integrated POS-based online ordering after the restaurant returned from a platform trial, avoiding a rebuild from scratch.
Website restoration
POS-based ordering integration
Owned infrastructure retained
Ordering platform
POS-based
Integrated in 2026
— A DECADE OF PARTNERSHIP, TESTED
In 2026, Palermo’s tried Owner.com — then brought its digital foundation back home.
In January 2026, after ten years working with The Digital Restaurant, Palermo’s tried Owner.com, an all-in-one platform bundling website, ordering, SEO, and review management into a single subscription.
Over roughly six months, the experiment produced some real wins: search visibility improved and new reviews came in faster than before. But the sales results never matched what was promised, the platform’s 5% fee cut too deeply into margins to sustain, and it limited how freely Palermo’s could market itself. Palermo’s never fully left the TDR ecosystem during this time — it kept running its email marketing through NGAZE the entire way through.
At the end of August 2026, Palermo’s ended its Owner.com setup and returned to The Digital Restaurant to restore its website and move ordering to a POS-based system. Much of the search-visibility gains built up during the Owner.com period were reportedly lost in the switch back — a reminder that changing website platforms can reset SEO progress, not just interrupt ordering. Because Palermo’s core website infrastructure and a decade of institutional knowledge were still intact, The Digital Restaurant rebuilt the site and brought ordering back online quickly.
Website restored
POS-based ordering integrated
NGAZE email uninterrupted
THE TAKEAWAY
A restaurant should be able to change ordering platforms, POS systems, or marketing tools without losing its website, its search visibility, or its ability to reach its own customers. A self-serve, software-only platform can automate a website or a marketing campaign, but it can’t replace the judgment, strategy, and hands-on execution of a human agency team that knows the business. Palermo’s decade-long partnership with The Digital Restaurant — and its return after testing an alternative — is that principle in practice.
— PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS
A faster website and a more durable local presence
The documented outcomes connect website performance, search continuity, and long-term support around a major business transition.
WEBSITE PERFORMANCE
98+
Mobile PageSpeed result on the rebuilt website.
Core Web Vitals passed.
LOCATION MOVE
Stable
Search visibility maintained through the restaurant’s relocation.
Website and local signals updated around the move.
LONG-TERM SUPPORT
10+
Years. Website, search, advertising, and strategic support as the business evolved.
— THE OUTCOME
A digital foundation built to protect visibility and support change
Palermo’s Pizza replaced an aging website with a faster WordPress experience and a stronger local search foundation. Ongoing SEO, paid search, and strategic support helped the restaurant maintain discovery through a major location move. Published outcomes include a 98+ mobile PageSpeed result, passing Core Web Vitals, stronger local rankings, and greater reliance on owned digital channels.
“The Digital Restaurant has been a long-term partner in helping us modernize our digital presence. From website performance to SEO and ongoing support during major changes, their team has played an important role in supporting our growth.”
Adam Cisek
Owner, Palermo’s Pizza
— SERVICES APPLIED
Website, search, and strategy support designed to compound.
— FOR RESTAURANTS READY TO GROW
Build a digital foundation that can move with your restaurant.
Review your website, local visibility, and demand channels with The Digital Restaurant.
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