online data management Archives

Building Nonprofit Websites in King County

Posted on July 13, 2021November 11, 2021

A redesigned WordPress website for The 4C Coalition – a community-based nonprofit, founded in 1999, that helps black and other youth of color succeed in school and in life. The 4C Coalition offers one-on-one mentoring, group mentoring and tutoring to 12- to 17-year-olds in King County.

Scope of Work

content migration
copywriting
creative strategy
color palette development
front-end web development
online data management
performance optimization
security hardening
search engine optimization
visual design
WordPress training and consulting

Performance

Page load speed ranks in the top 15% of sites.

WebPageTest Speed Index: 1.737 (median = ~3.591; top 10% = <1.388)

Total Page File Size: 1.3 Mb (In 2020, the median web page size = ~2.1 MB; the average page size = ~2.4 Mb)
Total Web Server Requests: 48

Web Design Team

Content Strategy: Rita Cipalla
Photography: Rebecca Sullivan
Visual Design: Joan van den Berg
WordPress Theme Development: Scott Marlow

WordPress. Fast. Affordable. Effective.

Posted on June 5, 2018June 23, 2023

Client: Pinpoint Strategic Communications

Scope of Work
Branding
Content management
Front-End web development
Performance optimization
Security hardening
Search engine optimization
Visual design

Team: Pinpoint Strategic Communications, Scott Marlow

My latest website collaboration with Tami Vileta of Pinpoint Strategic Communications – a Seattle-based marketing agency specializing in brand development, loyalty marketing, event promotion, email marketing, collateral development, and integrated campaigns.

The new marketing firm website features icon fonts, image galleries, online forms, responsive grid layouts, social media & sharing integration, and SSL protection.

Performance Metrics

Performance	WordPress Site	Benchmark
Google Mobile Speed:	71
Google Desktop Speed	85
Pingdom	91	faster than 87% of tested sites
WebPageTest Speed Index	1,350	median = ~4,493 top 10% = <1,388
Web Page Size	1.1 Mb	In 2017, average page size = ~2.4 Mb median page size = ~1.9 Mb
Web Server Requests	53	< 40 – 60 recommended

Not only is Scott an absolute expert in responsive web development, he’s willing to think out of the box to bring ideas to life, he does diligent research and utilizes resources if he’s presented with challenges and problem solves, he’s incredibly flexible, accommodating, and personable to work with, and he handles pressure-cooker deadlines with grace and calm. I would ever so highly recommend developing your site with such a partner and would do so again in a heartbeat. Thank you!
Tamara Vileta, owner, Pinpoint Strategic Communications

Cushy CMS to WordPress CMS Conversion

Posted on April 9, 2018June 23, 2023

Client: Dumas Bay Centre

Scope of Work
Accessibility Improvements
Copyediting and content migration
Front-End web development
Performance optimization
Security hardening
Search engine optimization
Visual redesign

Team: Cipalla Communications, Scott Marlow, Joan van den Berg

Dumas Bay Centre is a unique event & retreat venue owned by the City of Federal Way.

Before the website redesign, center staff were limited to editing existing website content using Cushy CMS, a WYSIWYG HTML editing tool. To add new content, city IT staff needed to upload files to the web host.

The website was migrated to a new host and WordPress was configured to allow full rich-content editing. The new mobile-friendly site features a more modern look, with image galleries, oEmbed video support, site search, SSL protection, and feedback and rental inquiry forms. All implemented with accessibility in mind.

Performance Metrics

Performance	WordPress Site	Benchmark
Google Mobile Speed:	68
Google Desktop Speed	81
Pingdom	87	faster than 87% of tested sites
WebPageTest Speed Index	1,017	median = ~4,493 top 10% = <1,388
YSlow	81	average score = 70
Web Page Size	526 Kb	In 2017, average page size = ~2.4 Mb median page size = ~1.9 Mb
Web Server Requests	27	< 40 – 60 recommended

Affiliate WordPress Website

Posted on December 1, 2017June 23, 2023

Client: Seattle CARES Mentoring Movement

Scope of Work
Copyediting
Custom Photography
Front-End web development
Performance optimization
Security hardening
Search engine optimization
Visual design

Team: Cipalla Communications, van den Berg Design, Rebecca Sullivan Photography, Scott Marlow

Seattle CARES Mentoring Movement, one of 58 city affiliates, provides school-based mentoring programs for black youth, under a King County Best Starts for Kids grant. The organization needed to quickly re-launch a mobile-friendly website in preparation for a January gala, attended by Major Jenny Durkan and other city of Seattle stakeholders. The new site also had to coordinate with National CARES existing brand identity.

The new nonprofit website, powered by WordPress, was refined over several months. Features include: an event calendar, online mentor forms, rich custom photography & videography, social media & sharing integration, and SSL protection.

Performance Metrics

Performance	WordPress Site	Benchmark
Google Mobile Speed:	78
Google Desktop Speed	88
Pingdom	77	faster than 64% of tested sites
WebPageTest Speed Index	1,147	median = ~4,493 top 10% = <1,388
YSlow	76	average score = 70
Web Page Size	884 Kb	In 2017, average page size = ~2.4 Mb median page size = ~1.9 Mb
Web Server Requests	58	< 40 – 60 recommended

WordPress to the Rescue

Posted on January 5, 2015September 20, 2019

Graphic Design by David Owen Hastings
WordPress Site Development by Scott Marlow

A mobile responsive site redesign for Snohomish County Volunteer Search and Rescue K9 Team.

This volunteer-led nonprofit previously relied on an outdated version of a DotNetNuke CMS with a non-mobile friendly layout.

Our new WordPress site is not only mobile friendly, but includes a dynamic news section for updates and alerts, as well as new members only content that volunteers can manage and maintain themselves.

Performance has been improved by reducing page size 92%, from 4.7 Mb to a respectable 371 Kb – resulting in a page load speed under 3 seconds.