WPEngine

Building WordPress Websites, Online Forms, and Marcom Confidence

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Habitat for Humanity website screenshot

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 MetricOld Website
New Website
Google Lighthouse: Accessibility41/10098/100
Google Lighthouse: Best Practices83/100100/100
Google Lighthouse: Mobile Speed58/10070/100
Google Lighthouse: Desktop Speed53/10098/100
Google Lighthouse: Search Engine Optimization50/10093/100
WebPageTest Speed Index11.3843.422
Total Homepage File Size15.336 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 Requests40 (16 Images + 9 Scripts + 2 CSS + 8Other + 5 HTML)41 (7Images + 15 Scripts + 15CSS + 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

Collaborative Divorce Attorney Website

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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 Metricold GoDaddy website
New WordPress Website
Google Lighthouse: Accessibility48/10097/100
Google Lighthouse: Best Practices67/100100/100
Google Lighthouse: Mobile Speed24/10097/100
Google Lighthouse: Desktop Speed96/10089/100
Google Lighthouse: Search Engine Optimization91/10091/100
WebPageTest Speed Index1.9052.420
Total Homepage File Size1.302 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 Requests42 (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

Regular Website Check-ups = Better Performance

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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 MetricOld Website
New Website
Google Lighthouse: Accessibility95/10098/100
Google Lighthouse: Best Practices92/10092/100
Google Lighthouse: Mobile Speed31/10084/100
Google Lighthouse: Desktop Speed81/10095/100
Google Lighthouse: Search Engine Optimization80/10091/100
WebPageTest Speed Index7.3092.879
Total Homepage File Size2.2 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 Requests84 (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.

Personalized Website Services for Community-Based Organizations

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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 Metricold WIX websiteNew WordPress Website
Google Lighthouse: Accessibility89/10098/100
Google Lighthouse: Best Practices100/10092/100
Google Lighthouse: Mobile Speed63/10089/100
Google Lighthouse: Desktop Speed59/10090/100
Google Lighthouse: Search Engine Optimization86/10084/100
WebPageTest Speed Index3.0912.743
Total Homepage File Size2.563 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 Requests135 (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

Sitecore to WordPress CMS Migration

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Seattle Foundation WordPress website

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 Metricformer Sitecore CMS homepage (Nov 2022)
New WordPress homepage (December 2022)
Google Lighthouse: Accessibility87/100100/100
Google Lighthouse: Best Practices75/10092/100
Google Lighthouse: Mobile Speed46/10079/100
Google Lighthouse: Desktop Speed60/10099/100
Google Lighthouse: Search Engine Optimization83/10093/100
WebPageTest Speed Index9.4682.473
Total Homepage File Size5.733 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 Requests59 (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