Project 1: Build a Small Business Website

Overview

Build a complete 5-page website for a fictional local business. This project puts together everything from Modules 1-4 and Module 6.

Estimated time: 3-5 hours

The Brief

Client: "Sunrise Coffee Roasters" — a local coffee shop and roastery that wants an online presence to attract customers and showcase their products.

Requirements:

• Professional, modern design
• Mobile responsive
• Contact form
• Location with map
• Menu/product showcase
• About the company story

Pages to Build

1. Home Page

Content to include:

• Hero section with a compelling headline and background image
  • Headline: "Freshly Roasted, Locally Loved"
  • Subheadline: "Artisan coffee roasted daily in the heart of the city"
  • CTA button: "View Our Menu"
• Featured products section (3 items): House Blend, Single Origin, Cold Brew
• About teaser (image + short text + "Learn More" button)
• Testimonial section (2-3 customer quotes)
• CTA: "Visit Us Today" with address

2. About Page

Content to include:

• Page header with title
• Our Story (2-column: image + text)
• Our Values (3 icon boxes: Quality, Community, Sustainability)
• Meet the Team (3 team members with photos)
• Stats bar (Years in business, coffees served, etc.)

3. Menu Page

Content to include:

• Page header
• Coffee drinks section (Espresso, Latte, Cappuccino, Americano, Cold Brew, etc.)
• Food section (Pastries, Sandwiches, Salads)
• Each item: name, short description, price
• Use a clean, readable layout (2 or 3 columns)

4. Contact Page

Content to include:

• Page header
• Contact form (Name, Email, Subject dropdown, Message)
• Contact info sidebar (Phone, Email, Address)
• Business hours
• Embedded Google Map
• Social media links

5. Blog Page

Content to include:

• Set as the blog posts page (Settings → Reading)
• Create 3 blog posts:
  1. "The Art of Pour-Over Coffee" (under category: Coffee Tips)
  2. "Meet Our New Spring Blend" (under category: Product News)
  3. "5 Reasons to Choose Locally Roasted Coffee" (under category: Coffee Tips)
• Each post should have a featured image, 300+ words, categories, and tags

Design Specifications

Color Palette

Fonts

• Headings: Playfair Display (Serif, elegant)
• Body: Lato or Open Sans (Clean, readable)

Photography

Use free stock photos from Unsplash or Pexels:

• Search for: coffee, coffee shop, barista, latte art, coffee beans, cafe interior

Technical Requirements

• Hello Elementor theme activated
• Global colors and fonts configured in Elementor Site Settings
• Navigation menu with all 5 pages
• Footer with address, phone, and social links
• All pages built with Elementor
• Mobile responsive (check all pages on mobile view)
• SEO titles and meta descriptions set (Yoast) on all pages
• Alt text on all images
• Permalinks set to "Post name"
• Static homepage set in Settings → Reading
• Contact form tested and working

Bonus Challenges

1. Add a "Special Offers" banner to the homepage that can be easily updated
2. Create a newsletter signup form in the footer
3. Add subtle hover animations to the menu items and buttons
4. Create a 404 error page with Elementor (search for "Elementor 404 page" — requires Pro or a workaround)
5. Add schema markup for a local business (address, hours, phone)

Evaluation Criteria

When you're done, check your work against these criteria: