Where to start with your bakery website
A website is an essential marketing tool for your bakery. It allows you to be found by new customers, to look professional and stand out from competitors. However, with so many different ways and means of getting a website, it can become overwhelming. I'm going to break this process down for you, outlining your different options and what you need to prepare before starting the process.
Why do you need a website for your bakery?
Lot's of businesses use social media and often think that is enough, that a website is not needed. I'm fully in support of using social media, I think they are brilliant marketing tools for connecting with your audience and sharing what you're doing in your bakery in real-time.
But I like to think of social media as being complementary to your website, and one of the many marketing tools that ultimately leads people to your site.
Your website is the core of your marketing strategy and all roads should lead back to it, like at the centre of a mind map.
If someone comes across any of your social accounts, your website will be linked in the bio or description, if you use Pinterest, your website will be linked from the pin, if you appear in the local press, you will share your website address for people to learn more about you and so on.
Other reasons a website is useful for your bakery
It sets you apart as a professional business. One of the first things people will do when they hear the name of a new business is Google it. If that business doesn't have a website, it can put people off.
You have complete control over it. This is from a visual perspective, so you can completely control the branding, the styling and the content of a website, in a way that you can't on social media. And it also means you are not at the mercy of any changes that that social media platform imposes on you, like the algorithm, promoting certain content types, etc.
Helps you to attract new customers and your ideal customers:
telling people you are the best (insert what you bake here) in your area thanks to your website appearing in a Google search
showcasing your best work and in turn targeting your ideal client but showcasing only the types of bakes you specialise it
Connects with potential customers through the website copy.
Makes your life easier:
taking orders through a contact form or shop
answering questions on a FAQ page
Schedule consultations for wedding cakes and larger orders directly into a calendar
Now that I've convinced you that a website is an essential part of your bakery marketing, let's take a look at what your options are for getting a website online.
How to get a website for your bakery
There are two clear paths here - hire a website designer or do it yourself. Of course, there are pros and cons to both options and it's worth taking some time to figure out which will be the best option for you.
Working with a designer
The pros of working with a designer are:
you will get a professional design,
there is no time wasted figuring things out yourself,
takes the stress out of it and they can deal with any technical difficulties.
The cons can be:
the cost,
it still requires some element of time from you
you may need a designer to help you with future updates.
Set a budget
If you plan to work with a designer the first thing I would recommend is setting a budget in mind before you search. There is a huge range in how much a designer will charge for a website which will depend on where you are based, their experience level, what you need them to build into the website, but I would expect to pay at least £1000.
Search on your socials & in your area for work you like
Once you have a budget in mind, start taking a look at the portfolios of designers in your area and online. You can start on Google or Pinterest, and I would recommend searching website design for bakeries because it will be good to have a designer who has worked with a baker before, although it's not essential.
What's included in their packages
Then take a look at their packages and what's included. Check that this is going to be suitable for what you need. Also, take a look at what support they offer once the website is complete. Do they train you how to use it yourself, etc?
Book a free consultation and make sure you get on well
Then you can reach out to them, they will typically offer a free consultation call, where you can chat about the website, what they offer, their timescales and costs, and from there you can decide it they are the one for you.
I think it's important to have a good rapport with your designer, as you'll be working together for at least a few weeks.
Do it yourself
The pros of doing it yourself are:
it's free (this comes with the caveat that time is money, so the cost to you is time away from baking),
you’re completely in control,
if you build it yourself you’ll know how to maintain and update
you can go at your own pace.
The main cons are, as I mentioned:
the time away from fulfilling orders
the learning curve involved with new software
the design may not look the way you want it to.
Web builder options
If you plan to DIY do research into the different web builders available to you. There is WordPress which is a very powerful website system that can be customised in almost any way. It's powerful but has the steepest learning curve. Then there are drag and drop builders like Wix and Squarespace (which is my personal favourite). These platforms come with templates that you can use to get you started.
Then there is the option to use one of these builders with a custom build template that you can purchase separately. These can be really helpful because they have typically been designed with a specific industry in mind and will come with tutorials to walk you through the customising process. They are kind of like a middle ground between designer and DIY.
Feeling overwhelmed?
Access my FREE course which walks you through DIY-ing your bakery brand and website!
Using Squarespace for your bakery website
Squarespace is my favourite web building platform. They position themselves as an all in one platform for all businesses. I like it because, in my experience, it's the easiest for my clients to work with after our project is finished.
Squarespace acts as your website host and builder. While in WordPress, these are separate things within Squarespace it's all controlled in the same place. You can also purchase your website address directly from Squarespace, add an online shop, set up an email newsletter or add a booking system.
Cost
I mentioned that Squarespace acts as your website host and builder, so you will be paying them directly for this service. You can pay either monthly or yearly, with the yearly options offering a heavy discount. Their business plan costs £180 per year, plus VAT, then they have a basic eCommerce plan at £240 and their top plan is £360.
(a little bonus is that if you work with a Squarespace designer, you will be able to get 20% off your first year!)
Security
Another major plus point about a system like Squarespace is that it handles all of the security and updating of the actual website building software. In WordPress, you have to make sure you are manually updating the tools used to build your site, Squarespace will handle this for you.
Drag and drop
When working in Squarespace it is a live website editor with a drag and drop style builder. For each page you are able to click on edit, then start adding your own content. Squarespace makes this easier by adding what they call content blocks. These add predesigned funtionality to your website, such as image options, galleries, forms, layouts and lots more.
Templates
Of course, being in charge of all of that can be overwhelming if it's not something you have ever done before, which is where templates can come in. When you set up an account with Squarespace, you will be prompted to select a template to act as a starting point for your website. There are a lot to choose from so you may find something that you like which you can then start editing with your own text and images.
It's also possible to purchase templates from web designers which are typically designed with a specific end user in mind. Where Squarespaces own templates are looking to be flexible for as many businesses as possible, these will be far more bespoke and should be easier to adapt to your own business.
