Client Snapshot: Special-Lite
Special-Lite, a leader in architectural products, was dealing with a website that was dragging at a 7+ second load time, had a confusing layout, and struggled on mobile. With architects and designers relying on their site for documentation and resources, they needed a website that was fast, easy to navigate, and didn’t require constant developer involvement for updates.
The Real Problems
Special-Lite’s website wasn’t just slow; it was holding back their business:
- Frustrating User Experience: Page load times were painfully slow, and key users—architects searching for project documentation—couldn’t find what they needed.
- Mobile Shortcomings: Essential links were missing on mobile, with a navigation system that didn’t scale well to smaller screens.
- Maintenance Nightmares: Customizations by a previous developer led to frequent breakages whenever WordPress updated, leaving the site vulnerable and in need of constant repairs.
Critical Requirements:
- Speed improvements and GTMetrix “A” ratings
- Streamlined navigation for seamless document access
- Simplified content management that allowed multiple people to update the site—without a developer
Project Goals That Defined Success
These were the goals driving the project:
- Achieve GTMetrix A Ratings for page speed on both desktop and mobile.
- Faster Load Times: Bring the average down to 2 seconds per page from the original 7 seconds.
- Bounce Rate Reduction: Lower the bounce rate from 85% to something manageable.
- Mobile-Friendly and Future-Proof: Increase mobile traffic, with the flexibility to grow and scale over time.
The Strategy: Building a Fast, Flexible, and Future-Proof Website
Step 1: Comprehensive Discovery
The first step was a deep-dive into the current setup and user behaviors:
- Audit of Tech and Content: Documented the full tech stack, content inventory, and back-end setup.
- User Data Analysis: Pulled insights from Google Analytics to identify high-drop-off pages and major user flows.
- Heatmaps and User Recordings: Used HotJar to track user clicks and scrolling patterns, clarifying where visitors were struggling.
- Brand Review: Evaluated the latest brand standards to ensure alignment with the visual and functional requirements.
Step 2: Mobile-First, Simplified Design
Design was all about user flow and consistency, using Adobe XD as the main tool:
- Clear, Intuitive Navigation: Designed a streamlined navigation based on primary user needs, eliminating redundancies.
- Consistent Visuals: Developed a design system to ensure visual uniformity and improve user experience.
- Essential Fixes for Stability: Removed plugin overrides, consolidated unused plugins, and optimized images and scripts for better performance—all to keep the existing site running smoothly until launch.
Step 3: Crafting a Lean, High-Performance WordPress Site
For the build, performance and flexibility were the focus:
- Custom WordPress Theme: Built a fast-loading theme with custom Gutenberg blocks to support content flexibility.
- Performance Optimization: Implemented ShortPixel for image compression, WP Rocket for speed boosts, and Gravity Forms for flexible form management.
- Back-End Efficiency: Set up Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) and Wicked Folders to organize the back end, and used User Role Editor Pro to allow multiple team members to make safe updates.
Results: A Site That Performs and Grows with Ease
Here’s the measurable impact:
- GTMetrix A Ratings: Achieved top performance scores on both desktop and mobile.
- Load Times Slashed to 2 Seconds: Pages now load 5 seconds faster on average.
- Reduced Bounce Rate: Brought down from 85% to 60%, with further improvements after launch.
- Boosted Mobile Traffic: Mobile traffic grew to nearly 40%, a significant increase for this desktop-heavy audience.
The result? Special-Lite now has a fast, scalable site that’s easy to maintain and supports users effectively without constant development needs.
Key Insights and What I’d Change Next Time
What Worked:
- Data-Driven Discovery: Analyzing user behavior early on led to a clearer, more effective navigation design.
- Mobile-First Design: Focusing on mobile usability helped increase mobile engagement and improve the overall user experience.
What I’d Approach Differently:
- Accessibility: A deeper focus on WCAG standards would have made the site even more inclusive.
- Page Builders for Ease: In retrospect, using a page builder could have streamlined some parts of the process, though the dynamic data requirements were limiting.
Is Your Website Holding Back Your Business?
Special-Lite now has a website that’s fast, user-friendly, and easy to manage—without all the maintenance hassles. If you’re ready to transform your digital presence, Get Started today and see how a faster, smarter site can boost your brand.
