Girls in Tech is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating the gender gap in tech. Girls in Tech counts more than 60,000 members in 50+ chapters around the world.
We are not responsible anymore for the content or experience on the site.
The old website was built on WordPress Multisite with a page builder. Branding was not well defined and consistent even on the main site. Subsites were loosely defined, and their management was not easy. There was no layout and content consistency.
We supported our partner, Women Branding Agency Tote + Pears, in taking their client to the next level.
How the old website was branded
The main feeling was: just another WordPress site. There was no clear design language or established character that spoke for the mission. No coherency or thoughtful visual communication.
Across the subsites network, the problem was even more apparent.
How the Website performed
The website was built with a page builder that gives a poor performance. Without additional optimization, page bulders usually score the half of a clean WordPress build by Web Core Vitals indicators.
Performance Grade
66
Page Size
4.1 MB
Load Time
7.86 sec
Requests
75
0%
Mobile
Mobile optimization score by Pagespeed Insights
0%
Desktop
Desktop optimization score by Pagespeed Insights
Technical SEO Audit
Technical SEO analysis helps find and improve the most critical aspects of the site. Improving these also improves your organic traffic and usability of the site.
Indexing and crawlability
404 page set up correctlyYes
404 page set up correctlyYes
robots.txt fileYes
Resources with 4xx status code16
Links
Broken linksYes
Pages with excessive number of linksYes
Images
Broken linksYes
Empty Alt TextYes
Encoding and Technical Factors
HTTPS pages with mixed content issuesYes
Other issues we found
Missing Images
On some layouts we noticed missing images.
Readability and Categorization
Low contrast on buttons makes the text unreadable. Webinars using blogs for annuncements instead of specialized components.
Line Spacing
Line spacing could be improved. In some places is too big, yet in others, it feels too condensed.
Hosting Infrastructure
The current hosting provider was affecting the performance through oversold infrastructure.
Agenda Column Spacing
Large space between columns makes the content hard to read.
Console errors
A number of console errors found that need to be addressed.
Elements Overlapping
Part of the content is not visible as the magnifying glass element covers it.
Off-Brand
The Conference site feels Off-Brand.
Map Hard to Maintain
The content is put in a content format not easy to maintain.
Missing Subsites
There is no centralized place for controlling the list of chapters, and the map is not automatically updated.
Blog Visually Not Appealing
Too many colors and gradients make it look out of trends.
Content Redundancy
Crucial content is multiplied across the network instead of being centralized and distributed.
Keeping the branding consistent on the main site and across the chapters (WordPress subsites)
Recommending WordPress as the best CMS for nonprofits
Performance Improvements
Making event planning easier by creating a set of predefined components and pages
Making the management of international chapters easier
Allowing centralized, yet optional content distribution across the WordPress network
Building reusable and on-brand Gutenberg components that can be used everywhere
The Solution
Our partner, Women Branding Agency Tote + Pears, developed extraordinary branding, solving all the mentioned challenges for Girls in Tech. Now we were strategically able to develop unified and on-brand components and templates for WordPress on Multisite architecture and help Girls in Tech manage their site network with ease.
Some of the improvements we accomplished together
Applying consistent branding on the main site and across the chapters (WordPress subsites).
Developing a set of page templates and components for Events to standardize operations and layout.
Developed additional modules and to support the organization in improving its image and position.
Standardized the chapter’s design, components, and pages to make their education and maintenance easier.
Built a mechanism for centralized yet optional content distribution across the WordPress network.
Developed reusable and on-brand Gutenberg components that can be used everywhere.
Provided video training and recording for the site infrastructure and components for their developers.
Our Results
Aside of implementing the amazing branding that Tote + Pears developed, we made sigificant improvements in the following areas:
600%
Load Speed Increase
From 7+ seconds to almost 1-second page load makes a significant change — especially for tech-oriented organizations.
40%
Overall Performance Increase
The combined index of overall performance and technical user experience is increased by 40%.
90%
Technical SEO Issues Resolved
Within the budget, we resolved over 90% of technical SEO issues.
50%
Page Size Reduced
We optimized the page sizes to approximately 50% and decreased media size to only 30% without visibly losing on the quality.
Technical SEO analysis helps find and improve the most critical aspects of the site. Improving these also improves your organic traffic and usability of the site.
Indexing and crawlability
404 page set up correctlyYes
Resources with 4xx status code0
Resources with 5xx status code0
Links
Broken linksYes
Pages with excessive number of links0
Images
Broken linksYes
Pages with excessive number of links0
Encoding and Technical Factors
HTTPS pages with mixed content issuesYes
Other Improvements
Improved Chapter Management
Improved management for chapters, including a process for launching new subsites.
Podcast Implementation
The podcast is a new content format on the Girls in Tech website, giving more leadership opportunities.
On-Brand Gutenberg Blocks
Using designed blocks protects the branding from human errors when editing the content.
Design Separated from Content
We separated the content from the design with Gutenberg blocks, thus preventing the layout and branding consistency.
Jobs Integration
Connecting the Jobs platform with the website.
Custom Post Types
We used Custom Post Types for proper content separation and streamlining the user experience.
Centralized Configuration
More straightforward site configuration and maintenance by using custom-built Theme Settings.
On-Brand Page Templates
Protecting the brand experience through predefined page templates.
WordPress Multisite Management
Improved WordPress Subsite creation by a standardized process for creating new instances.
Streamlined Content Creation
Adding new content is easy and unified.
Content Groups
For complex content structures, we pre-made page and component groups that can be duplicated and modified.
Integrated CTAs
By placing the CTAs naturally in the content flow, we are encouraging visitors to take action.
Summary of Services for Girls in Tech
Improvements
Building Branded Components
Creating New Content Channels
Unifying the Layout
Standardizing Processes
Improving Technical SEO
Separating Content from Design
Services
Front-end Development
Back-end Development
HTML/CSS Coding
Technical Consulting
3rd Party Software Integration
Technologies
WordPress Multisite
JavaScript
Gutenberg
Bootstrap
Vue.js
Amber Anderson
Co-Founder
Tote + Pears
Finding a development partner isn’t easy. Lucky for us, we’ve found our team at MANE. Referred by a friend, Sasha and the group at MANE was everything we’d hoped for — reliable, strategic, and collaborative. They cared about our clients and easily integrated into our team. Often going above and beyond to make sure that the work that was delivered the team exceeded our expectations.