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Case Study

Whittles Bakery — Pemberton, Wigan

A custom website for a third-generation family bakery re-opened in 2024. Warm, handcrafted design, a full product showcase, opening times, Google Maps, and full local SEO schema — built to put a proper Wigan institution exactly where it belongs on Google.

Client Whittles Bakery
Industry Local Bakery & Food
Location Pemberton, Wigan
Scope Website Build & Local SEO
whittlesbakery.co.uk
Whittles Bakery website built by Mako Digital
Three generations of baking. One page to tell the story.

Whittles Bakery is a family institution on Tunstall Lane, Pemberton. Third generation, re-opened in 2024, and doing things exactly the way they have always been done — everything homemade, from scratch, every single morning. Hot pies, pasties, cold pies, fresh cream cakes, sandwiches, bacon barms, pie and peas with gravy, and of course the legendary Kebab Pie: a creation so unlikely and so brilliant that people travel from across Greater Manchester just to get one.

They needed a website that matched the bakery. Not a template, not a menu platform, not something that looked like it was built for a chain. Something warm, handcrafted, and honest — that told the story, showed the food, and made it effortless for people to find them, know when they are open, and get in touch.

A single well-structured page was the right call. Everything a visitor needs — the story, the full product range, opening times, address, directions, and contact form — presented cleanly without fuss, loading fast, and set up properly for Google from day one.

Nine sections. Every single one handmade.
🥧

Hot Pies

Meat & potato, chicken & mushroom, steak — made fresh every morning

🥐

Pasties

Golden flaky crust, packed with filling, a Whittles staple

🫙

Cold Pies

Meat, pork and pattie pies — proper handmade pastry, quality fillings

🎂

Cakes

Fresh cream cakes, scones, and celebration cakes — all handmade

🥪

Sandwiches

Freshly made each morning with quality ingredients, ready to go

🥓

Bacon Barms

Crispy bacon on a fresh soft barm — the way your morning should start

🍽️

Pie, Peas & Gravy

A Wigan classic done right — homemade pie, mushy peas, proper gravy

Coffee & Hot Drinks

Freshly made coffee, tea, and hot drinks to go

8 out of 10 delivery checklist services included
Website Design & Build

Website Design & Build

Single-page custom WordPress theme — warm, handcrafted design with cream and dark tones, full product showcase across 9 menu sections, story section, and visit info

Built-in CRM & Lead Handling

Built-in CRM & Lead Handling

General enquiry contact form with WP SMTP — captures name, email, phone, and message, routed directly to the bakery team

Gallery / Portfolio Pages

Gallery / Portfolio Pages

Not included in this project

Domain Setup & DNS Configuration

Domain Setup & DNS Configuration

Domain registered and DNS configured on Hostinger with SSL and all records set up correctly from launch day

Email Setup & Deliverability

Email Setup & Deliverability

WP SMTP configured for reliable contact form delivery with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records ensuring inbox placement

Security Hardening

Security Hardening

SSL certificate, login hardening, and automated backups on Hostinger hosting

Google Readiness & Indexing

Google Readiness & Indexing

LocalBusiness schema with full bakery details, BreadcrumbList schema, FAQPage schema, Google Search Console setup, and XML sitemap submitted on launch day

Performance & Core Web Vitals

Performance & Core Web Vitals

Optimised images throughout, mobile-first responsive design, LiteSpeed caching, and clean lightweight single-page template

Analytics & Conversion Tracking

Analytics & Conversion Tracking

Not included in this project

Launch, Support & Handover

Launch, Support & Handover

Full go-live with DNS verification, form testing, and walkthrough — the bakery team can update their own content without needing developer support

Warm, honest, and fast — just like the bakery itself
01

Design That Reflects the Brand

A bakery with three generations of heritage and a product range made entirely by hand needed a design to match. We used warm cream backgrounds, rich dark tones, and a layout that feels crafted rather than templated. The hero section leads with the Whittles logo and the bakery's core promise — everything homemade, from scratch, every morning — before scrolling into the story section and the full menu showcase. Nothing corporate, nothing generic. Every design decision was made with the bakery's character in mind.

02

Single-Page Structure, Zero Confusion

A single well-organised page covers everything. The sticky navigation anchors visitors to each section — Our Story, What We Bake, Visit Us, Get in Touch — so the site is effortless to use on mobile or desktop. Each of the nine menu sections has its own image and description, with the Kebab Pie given its own featured callout because, frankly, it earns it. Opening times and address are displayed clearly in the Visit Us section, with a direct link to Google Maps for directions.

03

Local SEO & Schema Markup

For a local bakery, appearing in "bakery near me" and "pie shop Wigan" searches is everything. We implemented full LocalBusiness schema declaring the bakery name, address on Tunstall Lane, opening hours (Tuesday to Saturday, 8am to 2:30pm), and business category. FAQPage schema covers common questions about the bakery. BreadcrumbList schema throughout. Google Search Console verified on launch day, XML sitemap submitted, and key pages indexed immediately.

04

Contact Form & Email Delivery

The enquiry form captures name, email, phone, and message — clearly marked as a general enquiry form rather than an order form, since orders are taken in person at the bakery. WP SMTP is configured to deliver every submission reliably to the Whittles inbox. Clean, simple, no-nonsense — exactly the way the bakery operates.

A proper Wigan institution, properly online
9
Menu sections
showcased on site
3
Generations of baking
told in the story section
8/10
Delivery checklist
services included
1
Page. Everything
a visitor needs.
Day 1
Google indexed
and live
Legend
The Kebab Pie —
now officially on the internet

Local Bakery Website Design Case Study: This case study details how Mako Digital designed and built a custom website for Whittles Bakery, a third-generation family bakery in Pemberton, Wigan that re-opened in 2024. The project included a single-page custom WordPress theme with warm handcrafted design, a full nine-section product showcase covering hot pies, pasties, cold pies, cakes, sandwiches, bacon barms, pie and peas, coffee, and the legendary Kebab Pie — alongside opening times, address, and Google Maps integration.

The project also included full LocalBusiness schema markup with the bakery address, opening hours, and business category, FAQPage and BreadcrumbList schema, Google Search Console verification, XML sitemap submission, WP SMTP contact form configuration, and SSL and performance optimisation on Hostinger. Every Mako Digital project includes our 10-point delivery checklist covering design, lead handling, domain setup, email, security, SEO, performance, analytics, and ongoing support.

Common questions about local business websites
Yes. Whittles Bakery is a great example — a third-generation family bakery in Pemberton, Wigan that re-opened in 2024. We built a single-page custom website that tells their story, showcases their full product range across nine menu sections, displays their opening times and address clearly, and includes a Google Maps link for directions. The design is warm and handcrafted, reflecting a proper local bakery rather than a chain or franchise.
Absolutely. Even businesses that don't sell online benefit enormously from a website. When someone hears about Whittles Bakery and wants to know where they are, what they sell, or what time they open — the first thing they do is Google it. Without a website, that search either comes back empty or leads to outdated information on third-party directories. A clean, well-structured website with proper LocalBusiness schema means Google can confidently show the right information to the right people at the right moment.
LocalBusiness schema is structured data that tells Google exactly what your business is, where it is, when it is open, and what it does. For Whittles Bakery we implemented full LocalBusiness schema including the business name, address on Tunstall Lane, opening hours (Tuesday to Saturday, 8am to 2:30pm), and business category. This makes the bakery eligible for rich results and Google Maps integration, and dramatically improves how the business appears in local searches like "bakery near me" or "pie shop Wigan".
For most local food businesses, yes — a single well-structured page covers everything a potential customer needs: who you are, what you sell, where you are, when you are open, and how to get in touch. Multi-page sites make sense when you have a lot of content to organise across distinct topics. For Whittles, a single page scrolls beautifully through the story, the product showcase, opening times, location, and contact form — everything a visitor needs in one clean, fast experience.
The Kebab Pie is the stuff of local legend. Originally created as a one-off for the Wigan Beer Festival in the 90s — sliced doner meat, chilli sauce, onions and peppers, all wrapped in Whittles homemade golden shortcrust pastry. It was never supposed to stay on the menu. It never left. People travel from across Greater Manchester specifically for it. We gave it its own featured section on the website because, frankly, it deserved one.
Yes. Mako Digital is based in Wigan and Whittles Bakery is one of several local Wigan businesses we have built websites for. We have a deep understanding of the local market and genuine connections with businesses across Wigan, Pemberton, Leigh, and the surrounding areas. If you are a local business looking for a proper website, get in touch.
It comes down to every design decision — the colour palette, the typography, the tone of the copy, and the photography. For Whittles we used warm cream backgrounds, rich dark tones, and a design language that feels handcrafted rather than templated. The copy leads with the story — three generations, re-opened in 2024, everything made by hand each morning. That story is the heart of the brand, and the website reflects it. Corporate templates can't do that. A bespoke build can.

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