Your bakery’s website provides potential customers a portal into your business. It is a reflection of what you can offer them, a way for them to see not only the product you provide, but the level of quality you bring to it.
“Having a well-designed website, is not a one-time-task, it requires regular updates to the content to make it relevant to your customer’s needs, which may vary from season to season,” says Paulet Martínez, Dawn Foods Marketing Communications Director. “Before designing a website, it is important to know and understand your audience preferences. Websites that have updated content, with consumer-friendly language and eye-catching designs, have more possibilities to stand out from others.”
Just as a great website can do wonders for a business, a bad one can do just as much harm. Many consumers are either not very likely or not at all likely to visit or purchase something from a small business if it has a poorly designed or unprofessional website.
If a website looks unprofessional, that can speak volumes to consumers. There is a certain level of trust that customers must have in a company before they will be willing to give it their business.
Not only is appearance paramount, but information must be readily available and easy to find. Information most likely to be searched for by website visitors is product information, hours, and contact information. These items must be clearly stated and prominently placed on a website.
“Website designers should aim for a design that’s user-friendly first, mobile responsive, and that delivers on helping users find the information they need to complete the desired tasks you want them to make,” says Abigail Cox, Associate Manager, Digital Marketing, Dawn Foods.
Aside from easy-to-find company information, some other changes that can be made to a website to improve performance include:
- Crisp, clear design of your website’s homepage
- Great product photos
- Optimizing your website for mobile users
- Easy-to-read fonts on text
- An about page featuring your company’s story, who you are, and what you do
With these changes in place your website will achieve better results, not only retaining current customers but also attracting new audiences.
Retail bakeries need to know certain strategies and tactics when implementing updates to enhance their website and online presence, particularly in our current digital age.
One way to do that is by incorporating a digital menu and online ordering into your website. This makes it easier for customers to connect with your business and access your menu, and enables them to order anytime and anywhere.
Additionally, offering things like coupons, updates on daily features, or seasonal specials can improve customer experience and drive sales.
Having a website that is mobile-friendly will help with your website’s rankings in search engines like Google, which use mobile-friendliness as a factor when pulling search results for users.
Search engines are vital for local businesses. Google Business Profile allows local business owners to claim their location’s profile and add contact information, menus, pricing, hours, and other content. These are the first results a consumer will see when searching for a local business, so it’s important to make sure your information is up to date.
