Wordpress

Building WordPress Websites, Online Forms, and Marcom Confidence

A website redesign and rebuild for Habitat for Humanity of Kitsap County. This new custom-branded WordPress website replaces a 2017 volunteer-built static HTML site, which was not mobile-friendly, despite a significant amount of site visits from mobile devices.

The WordPress CMS with a Block Editor-integrated Theme enables the new marcom staff to intuitively edit content, as well as create rich, modern layouts. Google Lighthouse benchmarks across the board were significantly improved.

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 improved considerably by reducing overall page size 96% from 15.4 Mb to 618 Kb, 1/4th the median homepage size.

Before & After Performance Comparison

Performance Metric Old Website
 New Website
Google Lighthouse: Accessibility 41/100 98/100
Google Lighthouse: Best Practices 83/100 100/100
Google Lighthouse: Mobile Speed 58/100 70/100
Google Lighthouse: Desktop Speed 53/100 98/100
Google Lighthouse: Search Engine Optimization 50/100 93/100
WebPageTest Speed Index 11.384 3.422
Total Homepage File Size 15.336 Mb (14.6 Mb Images + 933Kb Scripts) 618 Kb (148 Kb Images + 290 Kb Scripts + 133 Kb CSS + 49 Kb Fonts + 11 Kb HTML)
Total Web Server Requests 40 (16 Images + 9 Scripts + 2 CSS + 8Other + 5 HTML) 41 (7 Images + 15 Scripts + 15 CSS + 2 Fonts + 1 HTML)
Estimated Mobile Homepage Load Time ~11.4 seconds ~3.4 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

WordPress Theme Development: Scott Marlow

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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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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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Identifying Usability Problems. Developing Effective Websites.

Henry M Jackson nonprofit foundation website screenshot

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

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