The Accommodations Group of Salt Spring Island has recently debuted a revised site, completely renovated by Charles Buchwald & Friends. The challenge was to retain the successful look and feel of the established site and coordinate with print materials for a more consistent marketing identity, while updating the site engine, adding new features and functionality, and allowing volunteer staff to easily manage site changes.The former site was divided between an underused WordPress blog, and a number of difficult to maintain HTML pages. To enable easy editing by the client, the blog and all new pages were folded into an updated WordPress installation. The basic CMS was extended with a number of plugins, to allow:
- a custom dynamic menu
- an attention-grabbing home page slideshow
- a compact but comprehensive list of local businesses
- custom search functions
- custom contact form
- randomized listings
In addition, WordPress’ blog functionality was repurposed to create a simple member directory. By managing the member directory, news, and special announcements for their site, the AGSSI gains improved search engine rankings, a more current site, and reduced administration costs.
CB&F creativity extends beyond design and programming to creative business strategy. To ensure the highest quality and variety of images for the home page slideshow, arrangements were made with local photo licensing and stock photography house Saltspring Photography. Images are managed by Saltspring Photography in exchange for prominent linking.