Market Square Bakehouse, a specialty coffeehouse and bakery located in downtown Amesbury, MA, contracted me to redesign their entire website: copy, content, website layout, branding and more. Having worked for this cafe as a barista, I had a strong knowledge of their customer base and aesthetic.
I had three intentions in redesigning their website, which is hosted on Squarespace: (1) to make the website and its content more optimized to search engine optimization (SEO); (2) to give the website a sharper, professional look, which would be achieved by utilizing complementary fonts and hi-res photos; (3) to rewrite content and copy to reflect a brand focused on community—to show good coffee and food is at the core of communal relationships.
OPTIMIZING CONTENT FOR SEO
From a first glance at the original website, I could see that content was not written with SEO in mind (which the site analytics reaffirmed). To change this, I created a list of useful keywords relating to, among other words, "coffee," "cafe," and "bakery," highlighting the most useful which could be inserted within content to boost organic search results for the Bakehouse's web traffic. Furthermore, I wanted to enhance the brand as exhibited by its content, focusing more on the community, companies and characteristics—sustainability and transparency—the Bakehouse serves and supports.
LAYOUT AND DESIGN
When redesigning the website, I wanted to present a site that look more cohesive and professional, all while keeping the warmth that is integral to the cafe. It is for this reason that I relied on colors presented in the original logo, keeping the warmth of the reddish gold, while using complementary serif typefaces, including: Clarendon, Georgia, and Minion Pro.
Photos previously utilized on the website were all stock images, some of which were blurry. To change this, I relied on photos taken of the Bakehouse and its menu items by Jesika Theos.
CAFE MENU
During my time at the cafe, I knew that patrons often asked about a physical menu, as the cafe relies on chalkboards to list available items. It is for this reason that I decided to create a .pdf menu that could be accessed on the Bakehouse's website. Further, this .pdf could be printed out for use within the cafe, whether for patrons asking for a physical menu or for those customers who are hard of seeing.