Cafe and coffee roastery website design

We recently completed a cafe, roaster and coffee shop website design for Manchester’s leading independent store. Take a look at how we did it.

The Challenge

We were approached by one of Manchester’s leading independent coffee roasters. Their team was looking for a radical makeover to bring the cafe, roastery and website design up to modern standards. The philosophy and goals of the combined roasters and cafe were straightforward: to provide the highest quality coffee experience in Manchester.

In order to get there, the team wanted a website that would present this successful, independent brand at its best. Enhancing the website’s functionality required a number of improvements, including a refined system for purchasing coffees through the site with various selectable options available for each product.

The Solution

The cafe had recently undergone a major rebrand, including a slick modern aesthetic and a high impact typeface. We used this as inspiration, then dug deep into competitor research to learn as much as possible about what does and doesn’t work in web design when it comes to selling coffee. We had several meetings and exchanges with the team at the cafe, who helpfully directed our attention to the design of some sites which they admired for their look and feel.

In order to help keep the project within the client’s budget, we used cloud-based document edition to gather together the various content required for the site. This included specific text about their products, vital for SEO performance, as well as the proposed navigational framework and structure of the new site. This system allowed for rapid feedback and exchange of ideas, ensuring that as the build of the new site began we were all on the same page about the work which was required. In turn this would reduce the number of amendments needed during the build, meaning greater efficiency and cost savings.

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The website before our redesign. The client felt the site had an over complicated menu and look old fashioned

At every stage in the process, we kept the future performance of the site in mind. Our extensive experience providing SEO service to our clients put us in a great position the implement optimisations as we worked, saving the client thousands of pounds on the cost of having the work done separately or at a later date.

We used a staging site which allowed the client to get a feel for our coffee shop website design on a private version of the site prior to launch. This meant the client was able to test it’s various functionalities and ensure the site was perfectly to their liking before launch. As this was an commerce site, it was critical to test all product related functionalities including the ability to select various buying options quickly and easily wherever the site was accessed from.

Ancoats Coffee After 700x394 - Cafe and coffee roastery website design

Finally, with the site almost ready to go live we carried out extensive mobile and tablet checks using a range of different devices. After ensuring perfect performance across all devices the site was made public, replacing the previous site with no downtime and no negative impact on their existing rankings. If you think we could help with your cafe website, or any other marketing, take a look at our cafe marketing services.

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The Details

  • Developed on the WordPress CSM platform
  • Competitor analysis to determine market trends
  • Discussion with client to understand preferences
  • Content collation with simple cloud-based edition and feedback
  • Site striation and navigation agreed upon
  • Mockups created, feedback gathered and implemented
  • SEO improvements implemented during the build
  • Product page optimisations and e-commerce functionality implemented
  • Site bug tested across mobile, desktop and tablet
  • DNS transition and site launched smoothly with zero downtime
  • View the live site www.ancoats-coffee.co.uk
Screen Shot 2018 07 02 at 17.15.08 700x438 - Cafe and coffee roastery website design
Ancoats Coffee After - Cafe and coffee roastery website design
Screen Shot 2018 07 02 at 17.14.49 - Cafe and coffee roastery website design