🚀 Overview
Designed and developed a high-performance, low-maintenance website for a local business in the Lake Tahoe basin specializing in landscape, construction, and masonry materials. The platform focused on simplifying customer decision-making, improving performance, and reducing operational overhead through a static site architecture.
👤 My Role
Lead Designer & Developer responsible for end-to-end delivery, including UX/UI design, frontend & backend development, performance optimization, content strategy, and photography.
⚠️ The Challenge
- Outdated GoDaddy website with poor performance and limited flexibility
- Slow page load times and dated visual design
- Non-technical owner struggled to manage updates
- High ongoing cost for website builder and hosting
- Customers lacked tools to estimate material needs
- Limited content to educate and guide DIY and contractor customers
🛠️ The Solution
Platform & Architecture:
- Rebuilt the site using a static site architecture (Middleman)
- Eliminated need for a CMS to reduce complexity and maintenance
- Delivered a fast, secure, and cost-efficient hosting solution
Custom Calculator:
- Developed a custom JavaScript material calculator
- Enabled customers to estimate quantities for their projects
- Reduced friction in the purchasing process
Product Discovery & Filtering:
- Designed and built a custom product filtering system
- Enabled users to quickly find materials based on project needs
- Improved navigation and reduced time to product discovery
Design & Content:
- Redesigned the site with a clean, modern visual system
- Captured original photography of products and equipment
- Showcased real customer projects to inspire and guide users
Customer Enablement:
- Built a robust FAQ section to address common questions
- Added helpful resources and links for DIY project support
- Implemented customer reviews throughout the site for social proof
Business Operations:
- Added a job application section to support hiring needs
- Simplified seasonal updates (pricing, hours, products)
- Reduced reliance on the owner for ongoing site management
Performance & Infrastructure:
- Integrated Cloudflare for caching, security, and optimization
- Deployed via GitHub Pages for fast, reliable hosting
- Optimized images and assets for fast load times
📈 Outcome / Impact
- Improved page performance score from 21 → 99
- Increased engagement and time on site by 300%
- Reduced bounce rate from 77% → 23%
- Lowered ongoing costs by replacing GoDaddy platform
- Improved user experience with calculator and filtering tools
- Eliminated need for ongoing manual content management
- Increased customer confidence through reviews, project examples, and educational content
- Delivered a low-maintenance, scalable solution tailored to seasonal business needs
🧰 Tech Used
Middleman (SSG) Cloudflare GitHub Pages Bootstrap CSS Ruby on Rails GitHub