Market Square Bakehouse
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 goals for redesigning their Squarespace website: (1) to optimize the website and its content for search engine optimization (SEO); (2) to give the website a sharper, more professional look by using complementary fonts and high-resolution photos; and (3) to rewrite the content and copy to reflect a brand focused on community and show that good coffee and food are at the core of communal relationships.
Optimizing content for SEO
At first glance, I could tell that the original website's content was not written with SEO in mind, a fact that the site analytics reaffirmed. To address this issue, I compiled a list of relevant keywords and identified the most effective ones that could be incorporated into the content to enhance the Bakehouse's organic search results and increase web traffic. Furthermore, I wanted to enhance the brand through its content by focusing more on the community, the companies it serves, and its characteristics, such as sustainability and transparency.
Layout and design
When redesigning the website, I aimed to create a more cohesive and professional look while maintaining the warmth integral to the café. For this reason, I relied on the colors in the original logo, maintaining the warmth of the reddish gold while using complementary serif typefaces: Clarendon, Georgia, and Minion Pro.
Previous photos used on the website were 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 café, I noticed that customers often asked for a physical menu because the café only used chalkboards to list available items. For this reason, I created a PDF menu that could be accessed on the Bakehouse's website. This PDF could be printed out for use within the café, whether for patrons who ask for a physical menu or for those who have difficulty seeing.