Website templates for bakeries and home bakers
You know that I love talking about all things websites for bakeries and that I think it’s really important for your bakery or home baking business to have its own website. There are two main ways you can go about getting your business online, which is to employ a website designer or to DIY your website.
Today I’m going to chat about a third option which is a middle ground between the two, which is website templates. These make getting a beautifully designed website much more affordable and take the stress out of making all the design decisions yourself. But they also allow you the control to customise things yourself and really get to know how to update and maintain your own site.
Why do you need a website?
Pretty much all businesses need a website. It is just a fact of the world we live in today.
Whenever someone is looking for something, they will Google the answer. Whenever someone comes across a new business, they will Google it for more information. If someone is looking for a baker in your area, you want someone to find you first when they Google it.
The pros of having a website:
You can be found in a Google search
Look professional
Cohesive branding across your business
Showcase your best work
Can funnel all order enquiries through your site to keep things organised
Attract ideal customers
Answer FAQ’s simply and easily
You might be thinking that your Facebook page is good enough and can do all of those things but:
You don’t control or own the content
You have no control over the appearance
Facebook could change or disappear at a moment’s notice
You will get random FB messages, rather than funnelling people through a contact form
So hopefully I’ve convinced you a website for your home baking business is the way forward!
What is a website template?
When you are a new home baking business it’s not always possible, or sensible, to invest in a custom website design, but it is important to have a website for your bakery, to share your bakes with the world. That is where website templates are a great solution. They are designed by an experienced website designer, so you can be sure the layout and build will be of a high standard, but they are available at a much lower price point.
There are a few different options for website templates. First, you want to think about what platform you feel the most comfortable using (I have a post here about my favourite, Squarespace) – the most common being Squarespace, WordPress, Wix and ShowIt.
How do they work?
We’ll start with my favourite platform Squarespace, then I will quickly run through your template options for WordPress, Wix and ShowIt.
Using a Squarespace template for your bakery website
When you are using a template within Squarespace it can be broken into two categories. Category A is to use one of Squarespace’s own predesigned templates, which are included within the price of your website hosting. Or category B which is to purchase a template from a third party.
Using one of Squarespace’s own templates is the default option and what you will be directed to do automatically when you start a new account with them. They are several beautifully designed templates you can work with. The difficulty with these templates is that they are designed to be as general as possible and to work with the widest number of business types. This means the design and layout are also general, so you won’t find any features designed specifically for bakeries and can sometimes find it difficult to imagine the website with your own content.
Using a designer template for your website
Using a third party for a template will give you a much wider choice of design and business types. The designer who created the template likely had a specific business or niche in mind when they were created (such as my range of Squarespace templates for bakeries and home bakers!). This will help you to visualise using it for your own business and will hopefully make it easy for you to use and decide what will work best for your bakery.
The downside of the third party is that it is an additional cost on top of your Squarespace account. However, it is a one-off cost and it is a much lower price than working with a designer for a custom website design so it could be a good compromise to make sure you get the look you want in an easy way.
Different template shops offer their Squarespace templates in different formats. In my shop, I transfer the entire template website over to my customer’s account, along with access to the accompanying course. This course walks them through the entire customisation process. Sharing how they can add their own style, text and images. It also includes access to any design files they will need to replicate the look in their own brand colours. This can all be done using the free version of Canva.
Check out the video below where I show exactly what happens when you purchase a template from me.
Using a WordPress template for your bakery website
WordPress templates can be purchased from several outlets online such as Etsy and Creative Market, along with larger web-builder plug ins like Elementor or Divi. The learning curve with WordPress is definitely steeper than a builder platform like Squarespace or Wix.
I have worked on many WordPress sites over the years and although it’s not my preferred platform it is definitely powerful and more affordable than a lot of the other options out there. To set up a WordPress site you first require a host for your website. My favourite host is Siteground and their managed WordPress Hosting because they make things fairly idiot proof and as straightforward as possible for what can be a bit of a complex process. I have also always found their customer support to be very helpful.
Once you have set up your hosting account you will be able to download your template and install it as a theme to your WordPress website.
To wrap up!
A website is really an essential part of the marketing strategy for your home baking business or bakery, so as long as you pick one method for getting your website out there, you’re on the right track. Templates can take a lot of the time and steep learning curve associated with doing it yourself away, so if you’re not ready to invest in a custom website design they are a great option for your business.
