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

I became interested in a problem with their business model when one day, two weeks ago, I cruised to Betty’s late in the afternoon, intending to pick up a chicken sandwich for dinner. They were sold out.

Me: Awwww man, I wanted me sum chicken! (lack of eloquence due to fried chicken deficiency)
Jose (behind the counter): next time you want some this late, call us!

He hands me their business card.

I went home, disappointed by my failure to procure chicken. To fill the void in my hands where a sandwich should have been, I examined their business card.

wait a second, where’s the website on this card? I’ve been to their website before, but it’s strangely unmentioned.

Well… yeah Jon, there’s no reason to include it. It’s not like they’re selling computers or keyboards or web services. They’re a bakery with one store and a load of loyal customers, what reason would they have to advertise its website?

(I’ll go more into the Bakesale Betty business model in part three of this series.)

Despite these valid points, I still was surprised that they had a website and yet were not displaying it on their business card. I became even more surprised when I searched for “Oakland bakery”, or “Oakland pastries” and Betty’s website did not show up! (with the exception of Google maps)  Though it did show up for “Oakland chicken sandwich” – way to nail THAT market Betty!

The web page was just not showing up.

Rrecent trends in technology in the SF Bay Area have done much to transform the local into the global. Although their website represents them as a modest neighborhood store, look at Betty’s Yelp page – over 1000 reviews! In addition, there have also been blog posts (here, here and most recently, here to name a few) written about the store all over the web! Betty’s customers are trying to reach out to others on the web and it is spreading. I believe Betty can do well to match up with her rising internet stardom.

Next: Part II – Proposals