_Underscores

Underscores, or _s, if you prefer, is a starter WordPress Theme. It has been the foundation of Automattic’s Twenty-xx Themes, which is why it’s called Underscores. It’s also called the 1000-hour head start theme because it includes years of refinements by dozens of WordPress theme experts.
Better. Faster. Stronger. And open source.

Learn more about _S in A 1000-Hour Head Start: Introducing The _s Theme.

WordPress 5.0Median Performance Metrics

Page Size: 484 Kb
WebPageTest Mobile Speed Index: 1.762
Google Lighthouse Mobile Speed: 75
Google Lighthouse Desktop Speed 90

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.

The Web Developer for People of All Races

screenshot for El Centro de la Raza

Another performance-optimized website rebuild from a ThemeForest template Theme to an open source WordPress Theme.

El Centro de la Raza provides 43 programs and services in 9 different service areas for children, youth, families and seniors around King County. The website features a new events calendar, language translation, and more dynamic program content in a more accessible Theme. The Gutenberg Block Editor provides more streamlined editing, with a plethora of layout and design options for content contributors.

Scope of Work

  • Accessibility Consulting
  • Branding & Visual Design
  • Content Migration
  • Performance Optimization
  • Search Engine Optimization
  • Security Hardening
  • WordPress Theme Development
  • WordPress Training & Consulting

Performance

Page load speed significantly improved since 2022. By reducing overall page size 88%, from 11.5 Mb to 1.4 Mb, and reducing web server requests 19% from 64 to 52, average mobile page loads have improved from ~11 to ~3 seconds.

Before & After Performance Comparison

Performance Metric Old Website
 New Website
Google Lighthouse: Accessibility 88/100 98/100
Google Lighthouse: Best Practices 92/100 92/100
Google Lighthouse: Mobile Speed 39/100 87/100
Google Lighthouse: Desktop Speed 54/100 99/100
Google Lighthouse: Search Engine Optimization 79/100 77/100
WebPageTest Speed Index 10.729 3.024
Total Homepage File Size 11.5 Mb (10.1 Mb Images + 853 Kb Scripts + 136 Kb CSS + 31 Kb Other + 42 Kb Fonts + 42 Kb HTML) 1.366 Mb (1 Mb Images + 239 Kb Scripts + 123 Kb CSS + 22 Kb HTML)
Total Web Server Requests 64 (18 Images + 18 Scripts + 14 CSS + 10 Other + 4 HTML) 52 (13 Images + 14 Scripts + 22 CSS + 1 Other + 2 HTML)
Estimated Mobile Homepage Load Time ~11 seconds ~3 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.

Site Credits

Visual Design: Pixel Lighthouse
WordPress Theme Development: Scott Marlow

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Make Your WordPress Website an Accessible Website

An accessible, performance-optimized site rebuild for Safer Homes, Suicide Aware – a public health campaign focused on “lethal means safety” to help reduce suicides and self-harm through safe firearm and medication storage practices.

The Safer Homes team distributes lockboxes for medications and firearms, educates participants in suicide risk, and encourages secure, proactive storage for both firearms and medications.  The organization’s main outreach efforts include:

  1. SAFER (Suicide Awareness for Firearm owners & Education Resources) – in-person lockbox giveaways
  2. TeleSAFER – remote lockbox distribution
  3. Targeted Interventions – a cultural competency training for medical and mental health providers
  4. Firearms industry training & outreach to promote suicide awareness and increase temporary, out-of-home emergency firearms storage
  5. Quarterly, public, free firearms safety webinars with an emphasis on suicide prevention

Scope of Work

  • Accessibility
  • Performance Optimization
  • Search Engine Optimization
  • Security Hardening
  • Visual Layout & Design
  • WordPress Theme Development

Performance

To optimize performance, overall page size, at 582 Kb, is 80% below the median industry homepage size of ~2.4 Mb, and server requests have been reduced 74%, from 159 to 42. These improvements increased mobile page load speed index 6 fold, to an acceptable 3 seconds.

Accessibility

To conform with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Level AA – site updates included keyboard-navigable navigation; skip-to-content links; form field labels; semantic HTML; mobile-friendly ‘click-to-call’ phone numbers; and high color contrast palette.

Performance Metricold websiteNew Website
Google Lighthouse: Accessibility70/10089/100
Google Lighthouse: Best Practices58/10092/100
Google Lighthouse: Mobile Speed45/10086/100
Google Lighthouse: Desktop Speed53/100100/100
Google Lighthouse: Search Engine Optimization69/10098/100
WebPageTest Speed Index12.1552.925
Total Homepage File Size2.96 Mb ( 1.35 Mb Images + 809 Kb Scripts + 435 Kb CSS + + 351 Kb Fonts + 76 Kb HTML)582 kb (77 Kb Images + 175 Kb Scripts + 77 Kb CSS + 254 Kb Fonts + 13 Kb HTML)
Total Web Server Requests159 (43 Images + 67 Scripts + 37 CSS + 6 Fonts + 3 Other + 3 HTML)42 (7 Images + 16 Scripts + 14 CSS + 4 Fonts + 1 HTML)
Estimated Mobile Homepage Load Time~12 seconds~2.9 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

WordPress Development: Scott Marlow

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Collaborative Divorce Attorney Website

Collaborative divorce lawyer website

The latest website launch for Shoreline attorney Ginger Boyle, who specializes in collaborative divorce and divorce mediation.

This project involved rebuilding a non-mobile friendly GoDaddy Site Builder website into a more accessible, mobile friendly WordPress site. Web server requests – the primary factor in slow page load speeds – were reduced 20% from 42 to 34, and overall homepage size was reduced 45% from 1.3 Mb to 715 Kb. Google Lighthouse mobile speed benchmarks improved from 24 to 97/100.

Performance Analysis

Performance Metric old GoDaddy website
 New WordPress Website
Google Lighthouse: Accessibility 48/100 97/100
Google Lighthouse: Best Practices 67/100 100/100
Google Lighthouse: Mobile Speed 24/100 97/100
Google Lighthouse: Desktop Speed 96/100 89/100
Google Lighthouse: Search Engine Optimization 91/100 91/100
WebPageTest Speed Index 1.905 2.420
Total Homepage File Size 1.302 Mb (144 Kb Images + 80 Kb Scripts + 20 Kb CSS + 1 Mb Fonts + 9 Kb HTML) 715 Kb (125 Kb Images + 295 Kb Scripts + 93 Kb CSS + Kb Fonts + Kb HTML)
Total Web Server Requests 42 (4 Images + 10 Scripts + 2 CSS + 24 Fonts + 2 HTML) 34 (6 Images +11 Scripts + 12 CSS + 3 Other + 2 HTML)
Estimated Mobile Homepage Load Time ~2 seconds ~2.4 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.

Branding & Visual Design: Heidi Grace
Portraiture: Ingrid Page-Sheldon
Videography: The Crouch Group
WordPress Theme Development: Scott Marlow

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Regular Website Check-ups = Better Performance

mobile dental van website

A modern refresh for Arcora Foundation’s SmileMobile van, a 3-chair mobile dental office that brings oral health services to babies, children, youth, pregnant/postpartum people and adults in Washington State who have limited options for dental care. The new site features a mobile-friendly event calendar, as well as translation tool for under-served communities.

Mobile performance was significantly improved by reducing web server requests 63% and overall page size 77%.

Accessibility improvements included skip-to-content links, keyboard-navigable navigation, semantic HTML, and a higher contrast color palette.

Scope of Work

Accessibility Remediation
Performance Optimization
Search Engine Optimization
Visual Design & Layout

Performance Analysis

Performance Metric Old Website
 New Website
Google Lighthouse: Accessibility 95/100 98/100
Google Lighthouse: Best Practices 92/100 92/100
Google Lighthouse: Mobile Speed 31/100 84/100
Google Lighthouse: Desktop Speed 81/100 95/100
Google Lighthouse: Search Engine Optimization 80/100 91/100
WebPageTest Speed Index 7.309 2.879
Total Homepage File Size 2.2 Mb ( 1.36 Mb Images + 574 Kb Scripts + 156 Kb CSS + Kb HTML) 509 Kb (153 Kb Images + 128 Kb Scripts + 77 Kb CSS + 150 Kb Fonts + 12 Kb HTML)
Total Web Server Requests 84 (25 Images + 32 Scripts + 16 CSS + 11 Other + 1 HTML) 31 (6 Images + 11 Scripts + 11 CSS + 1 Font + 2 HTML)
Estimated Mobile Homepage Load Time ~7.3 seconds ~2.9 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.

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Personalized Website Services for Community-Based Organizations

Pediatric nursing website screenshot

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

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