Part two: Proposals
My claim: BSB could do more to harness and establish their presence on the web. To do so, I see three actionable items for their webpage: 1) Improving their search engine visibility by creating keyword – rich content, 2) Include community responses from Yelp and other sources to express their partnership with the Oakland neighborhood and 3) Incorporate visual content with photos and dynamic design to incite curiousity and visual appeal which are so key to the Bakesale Betty experience.
This would allow a three-part benefit: increase customer counts, express community partnership, and align its web identity to better match the offerings of BakeSale Betty
1) Search engine optimization. This means creating more content, using focused language to describe the offerings of the bakery, and language that people would use in search queries which might lead them to the bakery. This includes terms describing the food, but also terms relating to the local, neighborhood feel and approach that they take to food. In the current state of the website, anyone searching for a delicious bakery in Oakland might not find it using Google (as shown in PART 1 of this series). The homepage of their website is dedicated to the founder and chief proprietor, Alison Barakat. (And even despite that dedication, it is currently at the bottom of the list of results from a Google query on her name) From an SEO perspective, this could be changed to include a description of the bakery itself to increase its page rank on Google search queries.
2) Situating itself as a partner of the Oakland community. Currently, on the BSB website, there is no acknowledgement of the words of the praise written in the news, blogs, and on Yelp from Betty’s followers. There is an abundance of visual real estate on their page where they would be able to place quotes from their customers, photos of people who have written for them, or bios of the people who work for them. By referring to the community, they could acknowledge their relationship with it and the website would represent the very human-centric business they are running. It would express thanks to their supporters for words of praise, and provide incentive to its customers to continue to speak highly of the bakery. As a community partner and local business, BSB has not represented themselves fully on the web, since one can hardly tell they are located in Oakland and it
3) Richer non-textual content. A dynamic web page could communicate more about the Bakesale experience, and draw people in through curiousity and communication. Photos are a great way to communicate the tangible offerings: beautiful and tasty pastries, and chicken sandwiches. Doesn’t this photo make you want to bite into it?
photo by c(h)ristine
It sure makes me hungry. An additional possibility for rich content are to create bios for the BSB team, emphasizing the non-tangible offerings of the BSB experience. Having been a patron there for a short while, I can tell that these people really value customer relationships and I see it with every visit. They are doing their best to recognize people and create a repore between them and community. By introducing some of the members of the team on the website, I believe there could be even less of a barrier between them and their patrons. Admittedly, I know very little about them, though they are all generally cheerful and friendly people.
Those are my ideas, and here’s a little backstory about this project: Though I am serving as its advocate, I have only been a patron of this bakery for a few months. To tell the truth, for several years I had passed by Betty’s store, ignorant of the treasures they sold within. While studying at Cal, I also volunteered 5 hours a week at the Children’s Hospital in Oakland which is located four blocks away from Betty’s bakery. I must have passed by the corner of 51st and telegraph 100 times, and never once went inside. I imagine all the treats I missed out on and the joy I never experienced during those years, and it saddens me that word of this bakery had not reached me. This is one of the motivations behind this project.
next: Part III: Reflections, Conclusions, and Q&A