I've had a website for over a year now and have finished putting the latest updates on it. Total wimp that I am, I was afraid to post it here but now I have decided to suck it up and see if you guys will give it a review.....

I'm sure there are spelling/grammer errors I have missed. If something sounds cheesy, a cake looks too 'beginner' - whatever, please let me know. I want to fine tune it a bit and make sure I have a site that easy to navigate and not too wordy, etc.....

Let 'er rip!!!! and thank you.

www.coakiejoe.com

Design wise, very clean and subtle. It is easy to navigate and really nice. Overall, I think it looks great!

I love your Van Gogh cake! It's AWESOME!

Forgot to say that I know the pricing page, with the blue/cream colored boxes that have flavors, etc. are kind of cartoonish but there are limits using that site (Vistaprint) and it would not let me insert colored boxes and allow text over them so I had to create those in a scrapbooking program and upload them as images.

I originally had a bunch of text on white but it was so b-o-o-o-r-ing. Hope it's not too Scooby Doo, lol.

beautiful (and that Van Gough cake .....OMGosh!!! -- a wonder!)

one suggestion

'CCC' (Cupcake cakes): start at $2.00 each

add "cupcake" so there is no possible confusion and some donderhead comes in and thinks they can get a cake for $2!


confusion:

pricing contradiction: FAQ - minimum of $50, but on pricing page, many under that amount (and those seem LOW!)

WOW, nice site, seems to have all the questions and answers there. Everything seems accessable to me. I didn't check the spelling but what I saw looked good. Congrats!!!!

Looks fantastic! Good luck with it all!!

It looks very nice, good layout, easy to navigate, only thing I might suggest is renaming the price to prices and flavors.

You have the same theme I picked out for my calling cards (not business cards)

Good job it looks great and your cakes are fab

You site looks great! The only thing I could find is a price mistake. You state a price per slice in BC and Fondant and then lower on that page you have boxes with cakes sizes and servings and prices. The prices in the boxes don't add up to your slice prices. It's short changing you!!!

Your site is clean and easy on the eyes! LOVE IT!

The site looks good.

very nice, good luck with your shop, wishing you the best

Thank you I just changed it so my minimum is $40, I deleted the prices for the smaller cakes, added a line explaining the 'box' prices are for non-tiered cakes (which are a bit cheaper) and......something else. I can't remember, lol.

But let me know if there are other things I missed. I notice alot of people said it was simple, or maybe it was basic. Do you think that's ok or is that code for boring? I was just trying to avoid a really busy site with lots of text, etc. but I don't want to go too far in the other direction.....tx

follows the KISS principle and that's a good thing!


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consider rephrase:

I prefer the elegant look of a tall cake so all my cakes are approximately 4 inches or higher.

to....

I prefer the elegant look of a tall cake so all tiers in my cakes are approximately 4 inches high or higher.

No I like them simple to be able to navigate, it's no way boring.

I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your site! It's attractive, bright, uncluttered, not a lot of unneccessary writing, so easy to follow. You have all the right FAQ's. Everything makes sense. I do agree with the cupcake cakes starting at $2. Some fool is gonna think the whole thing starts at $2 & not the cupcake at $2. And your work is BEAUTIFUL. The only question I have is why are your prices so low?! I'm from California and I know Modesto is a lower cost area compared to other parts of California, but it's not that much cheaper. I live in Virginia now & charge more then you & I live in a much lower cost of living area. Not to mention your work is just beyond. You could definetly up your prices. Once again LOVE the site & is definetly an inspiration for what I want my site to look like.

i think it looks great, though (as someone else said) your pricing doesn't match up. you say $2.75/serving for BC yet an 8" round is only $40. it should be $60.50 according to my math. i didn't do all the others but i would assume they are all off.

i also agree with the CCC. you say they start at $2.00 each. i would say "2.00 each CUPCAKE". like doug said, someone's booound to come along and want a $2 cake!

other than that i think it looks awesome! it's simple, but not boring!

The cupcake thing! That's what I forgot about.

As for the prices, which ones are too low? I just lowered from $2.95 to $2.75 for buttercream and from $3.95 to $3.75 for fondant because I thought maybe I was too high. (Those are per serving for tiered cakes)

I charge more like $1.50 a serving for non tiered cakes. Just figured if I used the same principal, no one would pay $65 for an 8 inch cake. Also, the tiered cakes are more because they are more involved and include delivery but I am open to suggestions, lol.

Thanks again for all the input - it is appreciated. And I will take a look at the wording.... some of it was composed late at night *ahem*.

opening self up to the customer arguing....

well, why can't I just by your regular cakes and stack them myself.

well, why do I have to pay more for the stacked cakes -- are the legs all that expensive??

etc.

go with one price per serving amount applied across all cakes for BC and for Fondant.

the eggs, milk, flour, utilities, supplies, etc. are not cheaper just because it is not stacked.

Don't lower your prices! I agree with the others that you need to raise your prices. So what if you are just starting out. Start out on the right foot, attracting the right clientele. Its harder to climb your way up later. Your cakes are awesome!

Doug is so right on that. Charge by the serving for all cakes. I don't care if it's a tiered cake for a birthday or a wedding, they all have the same starting point.

Just so you know there is another baker on here who sells plenty of 6" cakes at a starting price of...drum roll...$75. that is her price minimum.

Your work is on par with this famous place in San Francisco & they are breaking people off on prices!

Looks great! I really like that design, and bravo you for coming out of the closet with your site. I'm still not brave enough!!

Bu-ut, since you're asking, The Grammar Nazi noticed a couple of tiny things:
FAQs does not need an apostrophe. Also, on your FAQ page, under your question about sheetcakes...
it is almost always more economical to simply order a larger tier then (should be than) it is to supplement with kitchen cakes.

Finally, unless you get asked a lot (i.e. it really is a frequently asked question. Heh.) I wouldn't put in the bit about not doing sugar-free or gluten-free. Sell what you DO do, rather than what you don't. If that make sense.

Otherwise, great! Love your cakes.

Like Tubbs....I noticed the "then" instead of "than"....and also a second time in the "fake cakes" FAQ...again,change "then" to "than"...
Otherwise,I think it's beautiful...congratulations!
Your cakes are stunning,and I also agree with some others that you might be short-selling yourself and your talent....seems like not a lot of money for so much beautiful work!
Edited to add: The Truffles! the prices show $18.00/dozen wrapped,and $15.00/dozen in a ribbon wrapped box....wouldn't the box and ribbon cost you more to provide?

Okay, still fixing the 'thens' to 'thans', removed the CCC option altogether (I HATE those things!) and added the premium filling asterisk thing.

The wrapped cake truffles are a holiday offering and I was really trying to hit a price point that would sell, but not sell me short. There are 4 truffles in a clear top box with holiday ribbon for $5 ( I am thinking that should be $6-$7) and a dozen, same box/ribbon for $15 (I am thinking that should be more, maybe $20)?

I also raised all the cakes so the lowest price on a single tier is $50 and the average is about $2.25 per serving. Trying to compromise because I really do see what all of you are saying about having the same price across the boards so I was trying to find some middle ground.

I really am not in business to do tons of $50 cakes each weekend but I know that can be your bread and butter..... I much prefer the custom wedding cakes or funky tiered, the cookies, truffles, etc.

Ok enough rambling - thanks again!


Jeff, yes I painted the starry night cake - thank you for the compliment!

The quality of your work is fantastic. The website is simple and easy to navigate, and THANK GOD there is no hokey music...an option I know Vistaprint offers. Well done, you!

The one note I would make is that I have been handed that blue brown polkadot card and seen that website no less than 15 times in the last three months. If you are in an area with a lot of cake vendors, it is tough to shine when your website looks just like someone else's.

Really, really nice site.

If SnarkyBaker has seen that graphic/motif around lots, what about emphasizing one of your really unique products on your business card?

http://www.zazzle.com/vincent_van_gogh_starry_night_business_card-240071016920803493

You wouldn't need to change your website, but anyone who saw your business card would remember, "Oh yeah, she's the one who makes those gorgeous cakes, like the Starry Night one."

Just a thought.

Congratulations on your website.

Just a couple of things I noticed:

What about a "Contact Us" link.
How do they reach you for ordering, your address, tel number(s)
email address, etc.

What about a "Profile" or "About Us" link that tells of your cake experiences, and/or history?

Thanks for listening, and good luck!

Site looks great, but my advice is to watermark all of your photos!! (I noticed you did it on your last cookie photo, but the others aren't).

Don't wait until the first time you find your Van Gogh cake on somebody else's website and spend the week p%$#ed off trying to get them to remove it. Protect yourself and your work.

I also see that delivery is included on tiered cake orders. Will customers be expecting you to deduct some $$ if they pick those up? (Just warning in advance that they might point that out!)

Also, you offer lots of flavours....but not lemon? (It's my favourite, mmm)

Crap, I should have known that cute design was going to get snapped up in no time! I used to have pink & brown but I changed it when I saw the blue..... oh well.

My business cards have my 'best' pics literally on the back of the card (I will see if I can upload a picture) but I used the Vistaprint loge, etc for the front. Hopefully anyone nearby won't use the same.

I am not sure how to add a 'contact me" button but right on the front page at the top, under the slideshow is my phone numer and link for email...or maybe that link is the equivelent of a contact me?

As for taking money off for pick-up, no, it's not cheaper if they don't need delivery but I would probably throw in a dozen or so cakeballs. I prefer to add a small extra service rather then deduct money, if possible.

P.S. Antonia, I'm making your icing right now!