UVACswim.org

Built for an active community

The Upper Valley Aquatic Center is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization with a mission to deliver a diverse range of high quality fitness and aquatic programs, accessible to all members of its community. We’ve been working with UVAC to improve their online presence since 2014, taking a long-term approach to improve the site through multiple rounds of enhancements and a major redesign.

First, the Groundwork

In 2015, when UVAC first needed to revamp its website to better meet the needs of its constituents, we developed and led the management team through a program which enabled them to identify, categorize and prioritize their users’ needs.

The results of this cross-departmental hands-on session became the blueprint for a revised site taxonomy and site spec, which helped increase user visits 15% and content consumption by 24%.

We also helped introduce and streamline online payments for swim school programs, worked to improve website performance, and developed a successful Google Grants campaign to attract vacationers to the Splash Park.

Then, the Rebuilding

Again in 2022, UVAC was feeling the need to further improve their online presence. This time, we were brought in to redesign the site from the ground up.

In the process, we completely revised the site’s architecture, to help members and guests find and engage with the programs & information they’re most interested in.

Four user-focused goals drove the revisions:

1. Simplify the navigation structure
2. Consolidate program information that was previously scattered about the site
3. Enhance the site’s search functionality
4. Provide all content within a more accessible interface

Wrapping it all in a fresh new theme, we delivered on our promise while improving the site’s performance metrics — delivering content to users 33% faster.

We developed the new site using the Elementor framework, tightly integrated with Advanced Custom Fields and Custom Post Types. And, by enhancing CRM integrations we were able to address the Management Team’s concerns  — including improved lead generation and online sales — while simplifying and streamlining the user experience.

One of the positive responses we’ve seen really brightened our day:

“the BIG takeaway is that mobile use is WAY up…it used to be 50% but now is eclipsing all other modes of query”