_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.

Median 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.

What Would WordPress Do?

WordPress is the most popular Content Management System in the world. WordPress powers 42% of all websites; and 62% of CMS-powered sites.

But not all WordPress sites are created equal.

One of my favorite tasks is showing clients the benefits of open source technology. In particular, I enjoy demonstrating Core Web Vitals for open source WordPress Themes vs. cheap, popular paid commercial themes from vendors like ThemeForest. I primarily use Google Lighthouse to evaluate sites, but I also rely on Pingdom, WebPageTest and other benchmarking tools.

This latest nonprofit project for PenMet Parks in Gig Harbor involved rebuilding a commercial theme-powered WordPress site with my favorite Theme, _Underscores.

The client’s previous page load speed was atrocious, and the website crashed on a regular basis. Worse, content contributors could not even use the CMS to make the most basic content edits due to bloated Theme and Plugin features.

By following better WordPress and web standards, web server requests were reduced 69% and page size was reduced 73%. As a result of better web development practices, page load speed improved 78%. And the parks organization can now easily, intuitively edit all of their site content.

Scope of Work

accessibility testing
brand discovery
project management
content migration
copywriting
creative strategy
art direction
color palette development
front-end web development
performance optimization
security hardening
search engine optimization
visual design
WordPress training and consulting

Site Statistics

Performance Metric	Old Website	New Website
Google Lighthouse: Mobile Performance	3/100	67/100
Google Lighthouse: Desktop Performance	12/100	92/100
Google Lighthouse: Accessibility		97/100
Google Lighthouse: Best Practices		93/100
WebPageTest Speed Index	7.176	1.831
Total Homepage File Size (In 2020, average page size was ~2.4 Mb; median size was ~2.1 Mb)	4.5 Mb	1.2 Mb
Total Web Server Requests	194	61
Estimated Mobile Homepage Load Time	~7 seconds	~1.8 seconds

Team

Photography by Chrisy Dorsey
Visual Design by Heidi Grace
WordPress Theme Development by Scott Marlow

Posted on February 1, 2021June 23, 2023

Designing Seattle Websites Since 2005

A rebuilt WordPress site for Eagle Eye Painting, a family-owned Seattle residential painting company.

This project involved cloning a commercial (paid) Theme Forest Theme (Salient) into a WordPress-approved open source Theme. Project goals were to improve performance, security, and content management. Plugins were consolidated and limited to simplify site management and improve page load speed. PHP 5.6 (deprecated in December 2018) was upgraded to version 7.3 on the existing web host. By reducing overall page size 35% and web server requests 59% – page load speed improved 3 fold.

Salient’s heavyweight Visual Composer editor was replaced by WordPress’ native Gutenberg Block Editor, customized and color-coordinated around the company’s existing brand identity. The painters can now more intuitively edit content and duplicate Portfolio template layouts to showcase new painting jobs.

Scott is the best! I highly recommend him. The “responsive” in his business name is no joke – he is lightning fast and not only knows his stuff but communicates clearly and patiently to boot. If you’re looking to replace frustration with competence and clarity, look no further than Marlow-Five-0.
Dianna Elam, office manager
Eagle Eye Painting, LLC

Scope of Work

Mobile Responsive Theming
Performance Optimization
Security Hardening
WordPress Training and Consulting

Google Lighthouse benchmarks
Mobile Page Load Speed: 84/100
Desktop Page Load Speed: 97/100
Accessibility: 100/100
Best Practices: 100/100
SEO: 93/100

WordPress Theming by: Scott Marlow

Posted on January 18, 2021June 23, 2023

DentistLink – Powered by WordPress

A redesigned website for DentistLink, a free non-profit referral service connecting Washington residents to dental care. DentistLink is supported by Arcora Foundation, the foundation of Delta Dental of Washington.

Page load speed was improved thru a 64% reduction in overall page size, a 21% reduction in web server requests, and a new WPEngine hosting platform. The new Theme integrates the WordPress Gutenberg Block Editor for more advanced layout and styling options. A Google Translate feature makes the site more accessible to under-served populations.

Scope of Work

Mobile responsive theming
Performance optimization
Security hardening

Google Lighthouse benchmarks
Accessibility: 100/100
Best Practices: 73/100
Performance: 92/100
Search Engine Optimization: 100/100

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

Posted on November 2, 2020June 23, 2023

Weebly to WordPress Website Work

A redesigned website for The Family-to-Family Health Information Center – a nonprofit organization that helps families of children and youth with special health care needs, and the professionals who serve them, to find healthcare funding.

The 1.6 Mb Weebly homepage has been converted to a 625 Kb WordPress landing page (a 61% page size reduction), with 30% fewer web server requests, which results in better mobile performance.

ADA accessibility improvements included color contrast, ARIA elements, a keyboard-navigable menu with a site search option, reduced line widths for easier readability, and a Google Translate feature.

Scope of Work

ADA (WCAG AA) accessibility improvements
Mobile responsive theming
Performance optimization
Security hardening

Google Lighthouse benchmarks
Accessibility: 98/100
Best Practices: 98/100
Desktop Performance: 98/100
Mobile Performance: 70/100
Search Engine Optimization: 100/100

WordPress Theme Development by: Scott Marlow

Posted on October 2, 2020June 23, 2023

Discover WordPress

My latest website build for Tacoma Venture Fund, investing in early stage companies in Pierce County. This new WordPress site features bold typography, accentuated with quality duotone and black & white imagery, in a clean, modern layout optimized for larger resolution monitors.

Site Statistics

Google PageSpeed Insights
Mobile Optimization: 94/100
Desktop Optimization: 99/100

WebPageTest Speed Index: 1.767 (median = ~3.519; top 10% = <1.381)

Total Page Size: 388 Kb (In 2019, the average page size was ~ 2.4 Mb; median = ~1.9 Mb)
Total Web Server Requests: 21 (3 images + 7 scripts + 6 CSS files + 2 Font + 1 HTML) Database-driven sites are performance-optimized when requests are < 20 – 40
Page Load Speed: ~2 seconds

Site Credits

Visual Design: Heidi Grace
WordPress Theme Development: Scott Marlow

Posted on July 13, 2020August 7, 2025