Web design Archives - Marlow FIVE-0

Personalized Website Services for Community-Based Organizations

Posted on March 29, 2023April 1, 2023

A quick turnaround WIX-to-WordPress website conversion for Nursing Evolutions, an Everett-based organization providing 24/7 specialty pediatric care.

Nursing Evolutions needed a modernized website, with improved search engine optimization features, to help with nurse recruitment.

Scope of Work

Branding & Visual Design
Performance Optimization
Search Engine Optimization
WordPress Theme Development
WordPress Training & Consulting

Performance

Homepage size has been reduced 22% to 2 Mb, within the industry median. More importantly, web server requests, which contribute the most to page load latency, have been reduced 63%, from 135 to 50. To help facilitate the migration from WIX to a self-hosted WordPress platform, DNS was moved to a Content Delivery Network.

Before & After Performance Comparison

Performance Metric	old WIX website	New WordPress Website
Google Lighthouse: Accessibility	89/100	98/100
Google Lighthouse: Best Practices	100/100	92/100
Google Lighthouse: Mobile Speed	63/100	89/100
Google Lighthouse: Desktop Speed	59/100	90/100
Google Lighthouse: Search Engine Optimization	86/100	84/100
WebPageTest Speed Index	3.091	2.743
Total Homepage File Size	2.563 Mb (177 Kb Images + 1.9 Mb Scripts + 54 Kb CSS + 264 Kb Fonts + 74 Kb Other + 122 Kb HTML)	2.008 Mb (947 Kb Images + 810 Kb Scripts + 123 Kb CSS + 103 Kb Fonts + 31 Kb Other + 42 Kb HTML)
Total Web Server Requests	135 (10 Images + 69 Scripts + 3 CSS + 37 Other + 10 Fonts + 6 HTML)	50 (12 Images + 14 Scripts + 10 CSS + 3 Fonts + 6 Other + 5 HTML)
Estimated Mobile Homepage Load Time	~3 seconds	~2.7 seconds

WebPageTest Speed Index: median = ~3.591; top 10% = <1.388
In 2022, the average page size = ~2.4 Mb and median page size = ~2.1 Mb.
Database-driven websites, like WordPress, are more performance optimized when server requests are < 40 – 60.

Scott Marlow is an exceptional developer who is dedicated to delivering high-quality work within the given time frame.
Throughout the entire process, Scott Marlow remained highly responsive and communicative, keeping us informed of the progress and addressing any concerns or questions we had promptly. He was able to manage the project’s deadlines effectively and delivered on every commitment he made.
Scott’s in-depth knowledge of WordPress development enabled him to provide valuable insights and suggestions on how to optimize our website’s performance and user experience.
Gabrielle D’Ambrosio, Partner

Site Credits

Visual Design: Terri Nakamura
WordPress Theme Development: Scott Marlow

Identifying Usability Problems. Developing Effective Websites.

Posted on March 12, 2023April 1, 2023

A recently redesigned website for Henry M Jackson Foundation, a Seattle-based nonprofit diversifying and democratizing public policy by broadening access to public policy graduate study programs; and encouraging young legislators to build relationships across party lines through cross-partisan dialogue, debate, and action.

Despite using a WordPress-approved Theme, the foundation’s previous mobile site speed was sluggish, primarily due too excessive number of Plugins and associated Javascript. Our goal was to improve benchmark performance, while modernizing the brand identity and improving ease of use.

Scope of Work

Accessibility Consulting
Performance Optimization
Visual Design
WordPress Theme Development
WordPress Training & Consulting

Performance

Mobile page load speed was improved significantly by reducing web server requests 66%, from 102 to 35 and by reducing overall page size 54%, from 1.196 Mb to 551 Kb.

Accessibility

Improvements include higher contrast colors to better adhere to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) color contrast ratio guidelines; increased font sizes; increased vertical rhythm; a navigation skip link; and text links with 2 visual indicators.

Before & After Performance Comparison

Performance Metric	old website	New Website
Google Lighthouse: Accessibility	94/100	100/100
Google Lighthouse: Best Practices	83/100	92/100
Google Lighthouse: Mobile Speed	56/100	88/100
Google Lighthouse: Desktop Speed	97/100	98/100
Google Lighthouse: Search Engine Optimization	93/100	92/100
WebPageTest Speed Index	4.036	3.318
Total Homepage File Size	1.196 Mb (636 Kb Images + 253 Kb Scripts + 145 Kb CSS + 177 Kb Fonts + 13 Kb HTML)	551 Kb (317 Kb Images + 113 Kb Scripts + 106 Kb CSS + 16 Kb Fonts + 12 Kb HTML)
Total Web Server Requests	102 (7 Images + 47 Scripts + 41 CSS + 4 Font + 2 Other + 1 HTML)	35 (5 Images + 11 Scripts + 14 CSS + 2 Fonts + 2 Other + 1 HTML)
Estimated Mobile Homepage Load Time	~4 seconds	~3.3 seconds

WebPage Test Speed Index: median = ~3.591; top 10% = <1.388
In 2022, the average page size = ~2.4 Mb and median page size = ~2.1 Mb.
Database-driven websites, like WordPress, are more performance optimized when server requests are < 40 – 60.

Site Credits

Visual Design: Erik Fadiman
WordPress Theme Development: Scott Marlow

Sitecore to WordPress CMS Migration

Posted on December 19, 2022February 2, 2023

Committed to Accessible WordPress Websites for Nonprofits

This project involved cloning the existing Seattle Foundation visual layout and design from a website powered by Sitecore into a new more accessible, performance-optimized site powered by a WordPress Content Management System.

Foundation staff wanted a CMS that was simpler and easier to maintain. Project challenges included poorly structured Sitecore-exported XML data files, a low contrast color palette, and a short timeline. Content management was the primary dependency for the new website launch, since hundreds of posts needed to be migrated.

The site is working great! We love it and you did a fantastic job.
Jason Jystad, IT Operations Director

Scope of Work

Accessibility Consulting
Database Content Migration
Performance Optimization
WordPress Theme Development

Performance

Mobile speed index improved 69%, from ~9.5 to 2.5 seconds [source: WebPageTest]. This was achieved by reducing overall homepage size 89% – from 5.7 Mb to 639 Kb, and significantly reducing Javascript 95% – from 2.2 Mb to 112 Kb. Overall, web server requests, the primary contributor to slow page loads, decreased 49%. Finally, DNS management was moved to a Cloudflare CDN for better performance, redundancy and security.

Accessibility

Improvements include higher contrast colors to better adhere to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG); increased font sizes; a navigation skip link; and removal of auto-rotating content sliders.

Before & After Performance Comparison

Performance Metric	former Sitecore CMS homepage (Nov 2022)	New WordPress homepage (December 2022)
Google Lighthouse: Accessibility	87/100	100/100
Google Lighthouse: Best Practices	75/100	92/100
Google Lighthouse: Mobile Speed	46/100	79/100
Google Lighthouse: Desktop Speed	60/100	99/100
Google Lighthouse: Search Engine Optimization	83/100	93/100
WebPageTest Speed Index	9.468	2.473
Total Homepage File Size	5.733 Mb (3.01 Mb Images + 2.2 Mb Scripts + 398Kb CSS + 162 Kb Fonts + 67 Kb HTML)	639 Kb (302 Kb Images + 112 Kb Scripts + 69 Kb CSS + 150 Kb Fonts + 21 Kb HTML)
Total Web Server Requests	59 (24 Images + 19 Scripts + 8 CSS + 7 Other + 1 HTML)	30 (8 Images + 3 Scripts + 9 CSS + 3 Other + 1 HTML)
Approximate Homepage Load Time (mobile)	~9.5 seconds	~2.5 seconds

WebPage Test Speed Index: median = ~3.591; top 10% = <1.388
In 2021, the average page size = ~2.4 Mb and median page size = ~2.1 Mb.
Database-driven websites, like WordPress, are more performance optimized when server requests are < 40 – 60.

Seattle Foundation manages over $1 billion in philanthropic investments. 2022 marks the 1-year anniversary of the Foundation’s REPAIR initiative (Racially Equitable Philanthropy Aimed at Initiating Relationships), with a minimum investment of $25 million to Black-led organizations around Seattle; and its Center for Community Partnerships striving to achieve greater racial and economic equity in the region. The Foundation also incubated SkillUp Washington – a workforce funders collaborative connecting employers, post-secondary training and low-income adults.

WordPress Theme Development: Scott Marlow

Building WordPress Websites with Equity and Accessibility in Mind

Posted on July 13, 2022February 2, 2023

Sometimes a website with reasonable benchmarks can still perform poorly. This dental foundation website is a perfect example. The former site’s 2.2 Mb page size was well within the industry median; and 84 server requests is above optimum, but certainly not atrocious. Still, migrating from a custom-coded Theme to a WordPress-approved Theme (_Underscores) significantly improved perceived page load speed, despite server requests increasing and page size decreasing nominally.

Benchmark Analysis

Performance Metric	Old Website	New Website
Google Lighthouse: Accessibility	95/100	100/100
Google Lighthouse: Best Practices	92/100	100/100
Google Lighthouse: Mobile Speed	31/100	73/100
Google Lighthouse: Desktop Speed	81/100	91/100
Google Lighthouse: Search Engine Optimization	80/100	83/100
WebPageTest Speed Index	7.309	1.926
Total Homepage File Size	2.2 Mb ( 1.36 Mb Images + 574 Kb Scripts + 156 Kb CSS + 110 Kb HTML)	1.7 Mb (1.28 Mb Images + 295 Kb Scripts + 63 Kb CSS + Kb Fonts + 124 Kb HTML)
Total Web Server Requests	84 (25 Images + 32 Scripts + 16 CSS + 11 Other + 1 HTML)	92 (64 Images + 15 Scripts + 8 CSS + 3 Other + 2 HTML)
Estimated Mobile Homepage Load Time	~7.3 seconds	~ 1.9 seconds

WebPage Test Speed Index: median = ~3.591; top 10% = <1.388
In 2021, the average page size = ~2.4 Mb and median page size = ~2.1 Mb.
Database-driven websites, like WordPress, are more performance optimized when server requests are < 40 – 60.

Scope of Work

Accessibility auditing, consulting and remediation
Performance optimization
Security hardening
WordPress training & consulting

Web Design + Development Team

Visual Design by David Owen Hastings
WordPress Theme Development by Scott Marlow

Accessible Websites You Need. Content Editing Features You Want.

Posted on June 30, 2022February 2, 2023

A new WordPress Theme for Base Supply Center, operated by The Lighthouse for the Blind. This new Gutenberg block-powered Theme replaces the former Avada Theme. Website improvements include:

mobile-friendly phone numbers;
increased font sizing with improved line-height for readability;
improved color contrast;
and table-less HTML layout.

Scope of Work

Accessibility auditing, consulting and remediation
DNS management
Performance optimization
Security hardening
WordPress training & consulting

Benchmarks

Performance Metric	Underscores Theme
Google Lighthouse: Accessibility	100/100
Google Lighthouse: Best Practices	92/100
Google Lighthouse: Mobile Speed	67/100
Google Lighthouse: Desktop Speed	89/100
Google Lighthouse: Search Engine Optimization	91/100
WebPageTest Speed Index	2.396
Total (Discover) Page File Size	2.09 Mb (1.4 Mb Images + 528 Kb Scripts + 81 Kb CSS + 138 Kb Fonts + 20 Kb HTML)
Total Web Server Requests	90 (26 Images + 38 Scripts + 16 CSS + 6 Fonts + 3 Other + 1 HTML)
Estimated Mobile Homepage Load Time	~2.6 seconds

An optional HTML Table Caption
WebPage Test Speed Index: median = ~3.591; top 10% = <1.388
In 2021, the average page size = ~2.4 Mb and median page size = ~2.1 Mb.
Database-driven websites, like WordPress, are more performance optimized when server requests are < 40 – 60.