A few ideas for The AniCakes Co.

Hi Anika,

Thanks for letting me send this over. I went through your website, your Instagram and the pop-ups you've done since the summer, and wrote down where I think the website and the tools behind it could do more for you. I've kept it as short as I could.

What's already working

Your cakes stand out. The vintage piping, the bows and the cherries are very popular right now, and the focaccia is something I haven't seen from anyone else in Austin. Neeks World is a fun idea that feels like you. On top of that, you're doing roughly one pop-up a week, which is a lot for one person.

Where I can help is the website. Right now it makes it harder than it needs to be for people to find you and place an order.

Five things I'd fix on the website

1. Google can't see your website. The free Canva web address (the one ending in .my.canva.site) tells Google not to list your site. So when someone searches "custom cakes Kyle" or "vintage cake Austin", you don't show up. You also don't have a Google Business Profile yet. That's the box with photos, hours and reviews that appears on Google Maps.

What I'd do: get your own web address (usually $10–20 a year) and set up a free Google Business Profile. You can list it as a business that serves an area, so your home address isn't shown.

2. It's hard to contact you from a phone. On mobile, your phone number, email and Instagram icons can't be tapped. People have to copy them by hand, and a lot of them won't bother.

What I'd do: turn each one into a link. It takes about 15 minutes in Canva.

3. Ordering takes too many steps. The quote form sits below about 60 screenshots on the Quote page, so on a phone it's a long scroll to reach it. The site also promises different reply times in different places (the form alone says "24 to 72 hours" at the start and "24-48 hours" at the end). And orders reach you by text, DM, Typeform, Square and Cash App, so you're keeping track of all of it yourself.

What I'd do: add an "Order a cake" button that's always on screen. It would lead to a short step-by-step form that shows the price as people pick options, and every order would land in one place. Whatever reply time you settle on, the site would show the same one everywhere.

4. There's no way to pay or see your terms on the site. The site doesn't mention lead times or cancellations, and payment happens separately, over Cash App or Square.

What I'd do: connect the order form to Square, so customers can pay when you confirm their order. If you want to take deposits, it can collect those too. The form can also show your lead time and cancellation terms, whatever you decide they are, and ask people to agree before they pay.

5. The site is slow on phones. I ran Google's speed test on your homepage. On mobile it scored 47 out of 100, and the main picture took about 25 seconds to appear. Most people who find you on Instagram will open your site on their phone, and many will leave before it loads.

What I'd do: make the image files smaller. I tried this on 35 of your photos and cut their total size from 13 MB to 2 MB without any visible difference.

Things you can do this week, for free

A first version of a new site

I've made a rough design of a new homepage and order form using your own photos and style: a Y2K-style desktop on laptops, and a layout that feels like a phone home screen on mobile. You can see it here: https://anicakes-preview.netlify.app. It's a preview, separate from your real site, and it isn't finished. It's there so you can see what's possible and tell me what you like and what you don't. It's free, and you don't owe me anything for it.

One more thing

I noticed something privacy-related on one of your payment profiles. It's easier to explain on a call than in writing, and I'd look at it soon.

Thanksgiving is on November 26. If the new order form is ready before then, your Thanksgiving orders could come in through it.

Next step

If any of this is useful, pick a time for a 30-minute call here: [booking link]. Or just reply to this message, whichever is easier for you.

Thanks, [Your name]

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