What Is Important For A Cake Website?
Business By flourgrl Updated 29 Dec 2006 , 5:25pm by emmascakes
Hello everyone,
I'm currently in the process of finally having my website redesigned by a professional (mine is self created with lots of trial and error!)
I'm wanting to know what everyone thinks is important for a cake website, and what is not?
Including pricing - is that important? Should it be a general starting point, or more specific pricing?
Testimonials - are they really necessary, or just fluff?
About pages - again necessary or fluffy icing on the cake type stuff??
I've been told that my current site contains TOO much information (and I agree) so I'm trying to establish what is most important to get the initial grab, then other stuff can be handled in person with the client.
Thanks in advance
visual is always a big draw to any site whether it's cakes or tools or wallpaper. It's always good to have pictures and a description of what you are looking at. Another thing would be ease of navigation and time needed to view each page.
I would have a small bio and maybe a succint (sp) price list with listings for flavoring and icing types. Also besides the pics would be contact info. Other than that it's all fluff. At least that's what I think.
As long as you have ease of navigation and lot's of good pictures of your product. You are in business.
I'm no website expert, but here's my thoughts on websites, based on my day-job in sales and marketing and based on feedback from 25 years of doing weddings. I apologize in advance for how long this is. 
What is your focus going to be? My eldest daughter tells me my website is too wordy. She reminds me that "Twenty-somethings don't read that much .... we scan." But my brides are CONSTANTLY giving me kudos for the great info they get from my website. What I try to tell my daughter is that she may scan websites for general stuff, but this is a wedding ..... and brides are THIRSTING for information on how to plan, how to save money on it, how to figure out what they need.
Example: I went to the Indiana Govt's site and printed off the brochure on how to get a marriage license in Indiana. I give that to brides when they come in for their sampling. It has nothing to do with cakes or catering, but the brides are telling their friends how helpful I am.
This is the internet age. The reason people are on the 'net is to get information. If the info is not on your website, then they are going somewhere else. That's not my opinion ..... that is what brides are telling me. When it comes to weddings ..... the more info you can offer, the better you will be viewed (and RE-viewed!) by your clients.
Pricing is a debateable issue. I know, because I've been in LOTS of debates about it!
If your pricing structure is such that you can't list prices specifically, I would suggest to at least offer them a "starting at......." price range. Give them an idea. My pricing is front and center. This acts as a prequalifier for me. If they like my pricing and it's in their budget, they will call me. If my pricing won't fit their budget, then they are not wasting my time on the phone.
You said: "....so I'm trying to establish what is most important to get the initial grab, then other stuff can be handled in person with the client." It's a fine balancing act on what stuff you can "handle in person". WHAT info will get, not just their attention, but their INTEREST to make them send you that email and make that appointment? Some people go with (what I refer to as the) "archaic" idea of "I'll trick them into calling me and then I'll reel them in with my sales pitch" theory. Brides are too savvy for that anymore. This is the internet age. Information is too easily found. This is THE topic in which brides tell me "If the pricing isn't on the website, I move on." Quote/unquote. They are not calling for add'l info. They are not making that appointment. And you are not getting that chance to "...handle it in person".
Along this line, I am ready with a pre-written email and 7 attachments that I send to inquiries. This email spells out in a little more detail what we can do for them, reiterating some advantages we offer (i.e. ".....we don't charge a 20% up-front gratuity, which on a $2500 reception can add $500 to your costs, so be sure to ask about this fee as you do your comparison shopping."). The email then invites them to contact us to set up their free, no-obligation sampling appointment.
To be bluntly honest (and those on here who know me, won't be surprised at THAT statement!), 
I am too busy to waste my time talking to brides who may not book with me. By the time they go thru my website, by the time they review the materials I send them in the initial email, then by the time they call to make that sampling appointment, I'm practically guaranteed the booking. Once I get them in to taste my foods and my cakes, then I have a 98% booking rate.
So it's not just what is on your website, it's also what's in your response and follow-up materials. Good information up front creates less work and better booking rates on the back end.
Contact Us / About Us pages: Even tho' I had "contact us" links on 3 or 4 pages of my website when it first went up, my son suggested that we needed a specific "Contact Us" page. The "About Us" page is on our site because it's just a part of most websites. We've been doing this for 25 years, plus my experiences with writing a newspaper column on how to plan weddings just adds to my "expertise" and gives them a reason to contact me. It's just a "nice to meet ya!" page.
Testimonials: Since I started posting testimonials on my website, requests for references have dropped. Brides are using the posted comments as the references. This cuts down on work at my end, plus they have the recommendations right up front as they are doing their research. Whether you have this on your website or not is determined by how often you want to send out an email with names and numbers of former clients when you are asked for references.
If you are interested in seeing the pre-written email and attachments that I send to brides, I'll be happy to share them with you. Just go to my website (link below) and request them (not sure that I can attach 7 docs in CC).
Again, I apologize for the length. These methods have worked very well for me. Sometimes it's a matter of trial and error before you find the combination that works for your set-up, your business's philosophy and focus and for your specific clientele.
Including pricing - is that important? Should it be a general starting point, or more specific pricing?
I have seen several websites with and without pricing. What I read from places was if you have pricing make sure it is in a locked area where they can only get the prices if they leave their name, address and phone number.
One thing to think about when doing your website is to give them information, but make sure you do not give them to much. You want them to have a reason to contact you. (I have heard "Leave them wanting more.") And I find that true not only on your website, but also during the consultations.
For me, I don't have prices on my website. I am on the higher end for the small town I live in. I need to talk to them for them to understand what my prices include. If they like my work they will call me and ask. Then I can get them in for a taste test.
When designing my website I asked several people what was the most important thing to them. NUMBER 1 ANSWER.... Easy to Navigate.
HTH!
Including pricing - is that important? Should it be a general starting point, or more specific pricing?
I have seen several websites with and without pricing. What I read from places was if you have pricing make sure it is in a locked area where they can only get the prices if they leave their name, address and phone number.
Not necessarily. When my husband was shopping for a new truck, most car dealerships had their sites set up this way. He passed them all right on by and bought his truck from the site that gave him the price up front. His attitude was "I'm looking for information and I will not be FORCED to pick up the phone and spend my time listening to some salesman's sales pitch when all I need right now is pricing!" When he told the dealership that "....this is why I'm buying from you", the dealership told us they get a lot of customers who tell them the same thing.
If your business focus is weddings, then be aware that brides are too savvy to fall for this old-fashioned thinking. This is not my humble opinion ----- this is what my brides are telling me, flat out.
Yes, I agree. Give them the pricing up front. I don't give a second glance at something that doesn't give me info ASAP. I know they're trying to hide something. . . 
A LOT OF VISUAL! I love to read, but what gets me into a website is a lot of visual.
The heck with the testimonials; to me that's just like begging. It looks very unprofessional IMO. Hope that helps!
I am always thinking I need to scratch more info from my site because I tend to be too wordy (duh). But I'm with others--I want them to have as much info as I can give them right up front, and I believe brides are wanting details, too. Plus, my website...is me...that's how I talk, it's how I chat with them, it's how I do business. I'm chatty; can't help it. So to have a brief, impersonal approach to my website would be misleading because it doesn't reflect who they'll be dealing with. I like to read informational things (cookbooks, websites, whatever) that have a sound to them as if the author is actually chatting with you, rather than lots of professional verbiage that shows no personality. But that's just me.
My pricing page has changed, because there are just so many variables that will come into any cake: what kind of design, fillings, frostings, cakes, amount of time spent, etc. etc...so I just recently changed it from an item-by-item breakdown to a more generic "prices start at $3.00" and $3.50 for fondant. After that it will all depend on the above variables.
Ease of navigation is one of the things that will always keep me or turn me away from a website.
And graphics and music. I know lots of people love them. I hate them. If I bring up a site and there is a moving graphic, pop-ups, or (gag) music playing, I close the site or at the very least turn off my speakers.
Again, that's just me...
Interesting to note: My dh is an advertising guru, and he disagrees with me on every single point I just mentioned, LOL.
....Interesting to note: My dh is an advertising guru, and he disagrees with me on every single point I just mentioned, LOL.
Hahahaha! Homecook, I know what you mean! Whenever I get into this type of discussion, I usually have to educate the "well meaning expert" that I deal in weddings and weddings ARE different! Some website guru was trying to convince me to change how I work my site by telling me I'd get more calls. I told him "I have weddings booked every weekend from May to October, and some of those weekends I have 2 or 3 weddings. Evidently what I'm doing WORKS!" 
And I hate music, too! I'm usually doing my internet work after midnight (like right now!) when my family is asleep, so I don't need some awful music blasting thru my speakers waking everyone up!
[quote="indydebi] .....When he told the dealership that "....this is why I'm buying from you", the dealership told us they get a lot of customers who tell them the same thing. [/quote]
Just a P.S. to this. When I told my husband that I shared his truck buying story, he reminded me that the truck he bought was NOT the least expensive of all of the trucks he had checked out. He bought from the dealership that made it easy to get info and make a decision. As he puts it, "That truck was sold to me before I even walked onto their dealership lot." The work was done up front, by the website .... not by the salesman.
ANOTHER THING. . .DON'T EVER put music on your site. EVER. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!
I agree it is a huge turn-off and I have had some screw my browsing all up and have to shut down and restart.
I think your best cake pictures and make sure they load easily.
mpc
After looking at your website (which I love, BTW) here's my 2 cents.
Try to incorporate the info on the 'sweet news' into the other sections of your site and get rid of that page. Like mention that your cake photos have been published in the wedding cakes magazine in your 'about flour' blurb. I LOVE the photo of you w/the trophy for your cake design. It's perfect.
On the 'applause for flour', choose 3 (or 4 so it works with your lay-out) of the letters that cover the most territory (taste, decor, service) and leave those there. Then add a text link that says 'click here for more applause' and just have a page with the text only of a few more letters. That way if someone really wants to know that tons of people have loved your cakes, they can see the letters, but the main page will look cleaner.
Try to organize your pricing/info page a little more, perhaps with a table or something. More quick-reference like.
I wouldn't change a thing about your pictures, they are all fantastic!
Please don't take this as me being critical of you, I love your site!!! 
I agree that the price needs to be up front and on the web-site. I'm fairly expensive and I'd rather have my prices on my site (i.e. a three tier cake starts at £300) so that when brides contact me they already know roughly what I cost and are not wasting my time. On the other side of the coin - there's no way I'd ring a company who didn't advertise their prices as I assume I could never afford them.
Also wholeheartedly agree with the 'no music' 'no pop-ups' A cake designer is an expert at cake design and no-one is coming to a site looking to be assaulted!
I think the single most important thing is professional (looking) photos. Decorators who take photos in their kitchen where you can see their worktop, tools etc. look really unprofessional. Either go for a photo of a cake in situ at the wedding or sort out the background with fabric etc. Or white out the background entirely, which I do.
And also ask your web-designer to show you how to update information and add photos etc. I am lucky in that I do my own web-site and I'm always tinkering with it. Pay extra for the lesson if you have to - but don't let yourself be beholden to the designer so you have to go to them every time you want to add another photo, update your prices etc.
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