Background
Initially developed in 2014, the website began to face significant challenges as its technology platform became outdated.
Although the site continued to enjoy strong search rankings and positive user feedback, editors were unable to update or expand content—ultimately limiting growth and community engagement.
With 850 pages—including sections such as Active Living Opportunities, Parks and Open Spaces, Health and Nutrition, and a blog featuring 293 entries—the need for a modern, mobile-friendly platform became clear.
Project Goals
Modern Platform & Design
Rebuild the site on a new content management system to enable easy updates and introduce a refreshed design that aligns with Healthy Lethbridge branding.
Enhanced User Experience
Reorganize the homepage and key sections to reduce redundancy, streamline navigation, and ensure an engaging, mobile-friendly experience.
Improved SEO & Meta Info for Social Sharing
Apply SEO best practices, structured data, and Facebook Open Graph tags to boost visibility and enhance how content appears when shared.
Streamlined Content Management
Implement Craft CMS to simplify content updates and empower editors.
Ongoing Support & Maintenance
Establish a robust maintenance plan for regular updates, secure hosting, and long-term platform stability.
Approach
Content & SEO Audit
Conducted a comprehensive content and SEO audit of the legacy website to identify high-value pages, document critical metadata, and map internal links. This ensured that key content was preserved and optimized for search visibility throughout the migration process.
Data Migration to Craft CMS
Leveraged a local backup of the ExpressionEngine database to migrate all content to Craft CMS. This approach minimized costs by avoiding a full content rebuild and ensured a smooth, accurate transition, drawing on our extensive experience with similar migrations.
Visual Design Refresh
Updated the site’s visual design to reflect Healthy Lethbridge branding and contemporary web standards, creating a cohesive and engaging look.
Responsive Front-End Development
Adopted Tailwind CSS, a utility-first front-end framework, to create responsive layouts for a seamless, mobile-first user experience across all devices and screen sizes.
Optimized Site Structure & Content
Homepage: Redesigned for visual impact, clear navigation, and prominent featured content.
News & Events: Renamed and elevated to better showcase dynamic and seasonal updates.
Active Living & Healthy Eating: Renamed and reorganized to streamline content, reduce redundancy, and incorporate features like Google Maps for location-based services.
About Us: Expanded to highlight the Healthy Communities Association of Lethbridge and Area (HCALA), as well as partners, logos, and contact information.
Analytics & Reporting
Implemented Plausible, a privacy-friendly and easy-to-use alternative to Google Analytics, to track user engagement and site performance while respecting visitor privacy.
CMS Training
Provided comprehensive client training on the new Craft CMS platform, empowering editors to confidently manage and update site content.
Outcome
The launch of HealthyLethbridge.ca marks a significant step forward—a modern, mobile-first platform that unifies and enhances previous content while making navigation and resource discovery effortless for users.
With Craft CMS, editors now enjoy intuitive, efficient content management, supporting timely updates and ongoing site growth.
