Website redesign for local shops and studios

A local shop or studio website has a different job from a contractor's. People are not asking you to come to them; they are deciding whether to come to you. A good redesign makes three things obvious within seconds: when you are open, exactly where you are and how to get in, and what it is like inside. For studios that run classes or lessons, add a fourth: what is on this week and how to join.

What your visitors are deciding

Think about the people who look up a boutique, a bookshop, a bakery, a hardware store, a yoga or dance studio, a pottery studio, a music school or a tattoo parlor. They are usually asking:

Are you open right now, or this Saturday?
Where exactly are you, and where do I park?
Is it the kind of place I will like?
Do you have what I am looking for, or the class I want?
Can I just walk in, or do I need to book?

Most old shop websites answer one or two of these and bury the rest. The redesign should answer all five on the home page.

Hours people can trust

Wrong hours are the fastest way to lose a customer for good. Someone who drives over and finds the door locked rarely gives you a second try.

Put today's hours, or the full week, near the top of the home page, not only in the footer.
Show holiday and special hours ahead of time: "Closed Thanksgiving Day. Open 8 a.m. Black Friday."
If hours change with the season, say the dates.
Make the hours easy to change yourself. If updating them means emailing someone and waiting, they will be wrong by spring.
Keep the hours on your website and your Google Business Profile identical. Visitors check both and trust neither when they disagree.

Our guide on keeping business hours right on your website has a routine for this.

Where you are and how to get in

An address alone is not enough for many shops. Help people the way you would on the phone:

The address as a link that opens maps on their phone.
A small map on the contact page, and possibly on the home page. See putting a map and directions on your website.
Landmarks. "Next to the post office" or "second floor, above the coffee shop" saves a lot of circling.
Parking. Street parking, a lot behind the building, a garage nearby, how long you can stay.
Getting in. Which door, whether there are stairs, whether there is a ramp or elevator, whether strollers and wheelchairs fit.
A photo of the front of the building, so people recognize it from the car.

Photos of the place

For a shop or studio, the inside of your space is part of what you sell. A redesign is the time to replace stock photos and dim old pictures with real ones:

The storefront, from the sidewalk, in daylight.
The room: the shelves, the studio floor, the chairs, the counter. Shoot it clean, with the lights on, in the hour after opening.
Things people come for: the bread case, the new arrivals table, the wheel and kilns, the practice rooms.
People, with their permission: you behind the counter, a teacher leading a class from behind so students' faces are not shown, regulars who are happy to be pictured.

If many of your photos are dark or blurry, wait for a bright day and spend half an hour reshooting. Our guide on using your own photos instead of stock photos explains why real pictures of your space help more than polished ones of somewhere else.

Show what you carry, without becoming a store

Many local shops do not need an online store; they need people to come in. Still, visitors want to know whether the trip is worth it.

Describe your main categories with a photo each: "work boots and outdoor clothing", "paperbacks, used and new, plus a children's corner".
Mention brands or lines people search for, if you carry them.
Say whether you take special orders or hold items on request.
If you post new arrivals on Instagram or Facebook, link to that rather than trying to keep a product catalog current on the site.

If you do want to take payments for a few items, such as gift cards or a class pass, a simple payment button can work without a full store; see taking payments on a website without an online store.

Studios: schedules and signing up

Studios have extra needs, and old sites often handle them poorly.

Show the schedule as a page, not a PDF. PDFs are hard to read on a phone and are often months out of date.
Say who each class is for: beginners welcome, ages 6 to 10, intermediate only.
Explain the first visit: what to bring, what to wear, how early to arrive, whether there is a free first class or a trial pass.
One clear way to sign up. If you use a booking or scheduling tool, link it from one obvious button on every page. Our guide on adding online booking compares the options.
Introduce the teachers with a photo and a few lines each.

What to keep from your old site

Your page addresses. If the old site had a "class schedule" or "directions" page, keep the same addresses or forward them, so bookmarks and search results still work.
Your story. Local shops often have a good one: who started it, why here, what has changed. Keep it, tighten it.
Reviews, especially ones that mention the atmosphere or the staff by name, with their permission.

What to do this week

Check that your hours on the website match your Google profile and your door.
Write two sentences on parking and how to find the entrance.
Take photos: the storefront, the view from the door, and three things people come in for.
Studios: make sure the schedule on the site is this month's.
Ask two regular customers what they wish the website told them.

If your current site has the right information but looks dated or is hard to update, you can see your site rebuilt first and check the hours and directions on your own phone.