If you are in the process of growing your home bakery, then you might be wondering if you need a website to get started. A business website can be one of the most powerful tools to market your bakery. It can help you to attract more customers and create a professional-looking platform for your business. But what if you are not ready for a website yet?
In this post, I’ll help you decide if your home bakery is ready for a website and share some tips for choosing the right kind of website for your business.
What a website can do for your baking business
When I opened my second bakery in 2007, knew that I wanted a website before I even opened my doors for business. I found a website designer online and we designed a very simple yet functional website that worked perfectly for the business l was planning.
I was really happy with the results and even happier with the visibility that it gave to my small bakery.
My bakery website got national attention
Because of my website, I was contacted by the publishers of the magazine Everyday with Rachel Ray. They wrote an article featuring the top five cupcake destinations in the country and I was on that list!
The other amazing thing that happened from my website was that the Food Network reached out to me.
(I’d like to pause here and say…that appearing on the Food Network was on the top of my bucket list!)
The Food Network producers asked me to appear on a brand new show that they were going to begin filming in just a few months. So because of my website, I was a contestant in Cupcake Wars!
Having a website gave my business more visibility
Both of those amazing opportunities happened because of the visibility that my website allowed me. But I had success from it because I was ready for it.
And today we’re going to be making sure that you’re ready for increased visibility in your business as well so join me as we talk about The Who, What, When, Where, and How of a bakery business website!
Who needs a website for a home bakery?
Before you add “website” to the list of things you need to do right now, let’s take a look and see if you and your business are ready for one. Check out the following list to help you know if you and your business would benefit from a website right now.
- Are you making a profit?
- Can you handle more orders right now?
- Do you need to focus on improving your methods or recipes?
While a website is a great asset for a baking business to have, it’s not the most important thing in the beginning phases.
Is it too soon for your home bakery to start a website?
What is the financial health of your baking business? Are you making a profit each month?
If you are not sure, or the answer is no, then you’ll want to work on your profitability before driving more traffic to your business.
Who does not need a website for their home bakery?
Let me give you an example of a baking client of mine who thought she was ready for a website.
This amazing and talented baker was busy with orders every week, yet at the end of the month, she didn’t have much money left after all the bills were paid.
We analyzed the selling price of her best-selling cookie and found that she was losing $0.05 on every cookie. If she sold more of those cookies, she would lose more money.
The solution was to look at her pricing and make sure every menu item was priced for profit. Once that was done, we focused on driving more traffic to her business.
Pricing your home-baked goods for profit
If you need to improve the profitability of your home bakery, the first place to start is with your prices.
For a step-by-step video training on how to price your baked goods for profit, check out the link below.
A website will drive more traffic to your business and you will want to be in a good place when that happens. Before you launch a new website you want to make sure that you are ready!
Why you’ll eventually want a bakery website
Chances are you already know that your home bakery should eventually have a website. Getting a website set up for your home bakery means that you can show up on searches, create a great impression, answer questions your customers have, and even collect email addresses.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the ways a website can help your business when the time is right.
Most searches for “bakery near me” start online
Many customers find local baking businesses by searching the term “bakery near me”. Having a searchable website or web presence is a great way to expand your customer base.
Of course, there are other ways to do this besides having a website. You can claim your bakery with Google business listings as well as having a website.
Having a website for your baking business creates a great first impression
Your baking business website is a great platform for your business. One of the most important pages on your website is the menu page. Make sure that your menu is designed to sell your most profitable items. For tips on designing a profitable menu, check out Three Simple Steps to a Profitable Menu. If you are just getting started, you might like A Step-By-Step Guide to Planning A Bakery Dessert Menu.
Your bakery website can help answer commonly asked questions
Having a website with a list of FAQs will save you time and help you to look more professional! Think about how many times you repeat the same information to different customers. You can your website to answer the questions that get asked most often.
Websites can help you reach more people with email marketing
Websites can help you collect your customer’s email addresses and begin to build a mailing list. If you haven’t thought about using a mailing list in your business then be sure to check out 3 Reasons Why Your Home Bakery Needs an Email List.
How to get started with a bakery website
Now that we have taken a look at who is ready for a bakery website, it’s time to start planning your website!
Planning a bakery website is a big project, so be sure to allow enough time. You may want to look at your seasonal calendar and find a slow month to dedicate to your website.
If you don’t have an idea about what you will be selling each month and when a slow time for your business might be, then you can check out this article about putting together a seasonal plan for your bakery. Here’s a great resource for planning your year.
Next, you’ll want to decide if you want to build a website yourself or pay to have a website made for you. There are plenty of ways to build your own website. Check out this video tutorial for building a free e-commerce website for your baking business.
Is your home bakery ready for a website?
A website can be a great asset to your baking business! It makes a great first impression on customers and helps you get noticed in online searches. Before you add a website to your to-do list though, make sure that your business is in a good place. Are you making a profit on each sale? Do you have a good system for production and order taking? Are your recipes and products consistent? If you feel like you’re ready to get started on a website, you can either make one yourself or pay to have a website built for you.
Are you ready to add a website to your baking business? Let me know in the comments if this is going on your to-do list, or if you plan to work on your business a little more before you tackle this next step.
