Client name withheld for privacy.
Summary
IT Engineering Pro, a Melbourne IT services company based in Oakleigh, built an ecommerce website for a well-known bakery. The bakery had recently been sold, and the new owners came to us without any logins for their domain, hosting or website. The previous owner had passed away, so there was no way to get those details from him.
Before we could build anything, we had to get the domain back. We transferred it into the new owners’ name through a .au change of registrant, moved the nameservers to our managed DNS, set up fresh hosting with SSL, and then designed and built the new site.
- Domain transferred to the new owners through the .au registrar
- New hosting, managed DNS and SSL, with MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records for business email
- Ecommerce website for a well-known Melbourne bakery
- Online ordering, including custom cake orders
- Mobile-friendly design that loads quickly on phones
- Easy to update, so staff can change products and prices themselves
- SEO set up from day one, including a sitemap and structured data
1. The client profile
| Industry | Bakery (food and hospitality) |
|---|---|
| Situation | New owners with no access to the domain, hosting or old website |
| Project | Domain transfer, hosting and DNS setup, website design and development, online ordering |
| Goal | Get the bakery’s website and domain back under the owners’ control, and let customers order online |
2. The challenge
When the bakery was sold, none of the website or domain details were passed on. Nobody had the registrar login, the hosting login or the admin password for the old site. Sadly, the previous owner had passed away, so we couldn’t simply ask him for them.
The domain mattered most. It’s tied to the website address and the business email, and without it the new owners couldn’t make any changes. There was no point building a new site until the domain was in their name.
Once that was sorted, the bakery wanted a website that worked well on phones, let customers order online, and could be updated by staff without needing a developer each time.
3. How we did it
Step 1: Transferring the domain
The registrar account was still in the previous owner’s name, so a password reset wasn’t an option. We applied to the .au registrar for a change of registrant and pulled together the paperwork showing the new owners had bought the business. Once it was approved, the domain was moved into their name and we had full access to manage it.
Step 2: Hosting, DNS and SSL
We set up new hosting in the bakery’s own account and moved the domain’s nameservers across to managed DNS. From there we created the A and CNAME records for the website, set up MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records so the business email sends and receives reliably, and installed an SSL certificate so the site runs securely over HTTPS. Old links were redirected with 301 redirects so existing Google listings still land on the right pages. Every login is now held by the owners, and we documented them all at handover.
Step 3: Planning the site
We sat down with the owners to understand how orders come in, from walk-ins and phone orders to custom cakes, and planned the pages and ordering process around that.
Step 4: Design and build
Most of the bakery’s customers browse on their phones, so we designed for mobile first and made sure the layout works just as well on tablets and desktops. Images are served in WebP, compressed and lazy-loaded, and CSS and JavaScript are minified with caching turned on to keep pages fast, and customers can get to any product in a few taps.
Step 5: Online ordering and custom cakes
We built the product catalogue and online ordering with a secure checkout, plus a separate form for custom cakes. Orders trigger an email notification to the bakery and a confirmation to the customer. It asks for the date, size, flavour and message up front, so the bakery doesn’t have to follow up by phone.
Step 6: SEO
Every page has its own title and meta description, clean URLs and a proper heading structure. We also added an XML sitemap and structured data, and kept pages light so they score well on Google’s Core Web Vitals.
Step 7: Testing and handover
We tested the full ordering process on iPhone, Android and desktop before going live. After launch, we showed the staff how to update products, prices and specials themselves.
4. Results
| Area | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Domain | Still in the previous owner’s name, no access | Transferred to the new owners |
| Hosting and DNS | No logins available | New hosting, DNS and SSL in the bakery’s own accounts |
| Ordering | By phone or in store only | Online ordering, including custom cakes |
| Mobile | Not built for phones | Mobile-first design |
| Updates | No admin access | Staff update products and prices themselves |
| SEO | Limited | Set up properly from launch |
5. Web design and development FAQs
This is more common than you would think. A .au domain can be moved into your name through a change of registrant with the registrar. You will need to show you own the business, usually with the sale contract and your ABN. Once the domain is yours, the hosting, DNS and email can all be set up again in your own accounts.
It is how a .au domain is moved from one owner to another. It is different from moving a domain to another provider, because it changes who actually owns it. The registrar will check that the new owner is entitled to the domain before approving it.
Customers can place pre-orders, custom cake orders and catering requests at any time, with all the details filled in up front. That means fewer phone calls and an easier time planning the day’s baking.
Yes. The site has a simple content management system (CMS), so staff can change products, prices, photos and specials from a browser, with no coding needed.
It depends on how many products you have, how you want ordering to work and what it needs to connect to. We start with a free consultation and then give you a fixed, upfront quote.
Yes. Alongside our IT support, IT Engineering Pro builds websites, handling both web design and website development for businesses across Melbourne, including bakeries, cafes and other food businesses, from our office in Oakleigh. Because we are an IT company, we also look after the domain, DNS, hosting and business email that sit behind the site.
Need a website with online ordering in Melbourne?
As well as IT support, IT Engineering Pro builds websites and online ordering for bakeries, cafes and small businesses in Melbourne, with the domain, DNS and hosting looked after by the same team. Free consultation and fixed, upfront quotes. We also provide managed IT, remote technical support and on-site support across Melbourne.
Call +61 3 9570 4742 · info@itepro.com.au · Request a free quote
IT Engineering Pro, 172 Warrigal Rd, Oakleigh VIC 3166. Open Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm.