Background of HKICF
HKICF, a.k.a The Hong Kong Inter-School Choral Festival, an engaging and interactive music educational platform catering to primary and secondary school choirs in Hong Kong, was in need of WordPress development assistance to add a new feature and address existing website issues.
Thanks to Kelvin‘s charismatic personality, unwavering determination, his goodwill vision, and the continuous support of his capable team, HKICF has become a household name in the primary and secondary education sector.
Despite the festival’s success, they became aware that relying on outdated information and performing repetitive manual tasks with their admin team were impeding their progress. While our initial plan was to implement new features and provide quick fixes, a deeper investigation revealed the necessity for a complete rebuild to support HKICF’s ambitious growth plans.
HKICF’s Challenges & Opportunities
Static WordPress Admin Interface Design
One major hurdle was that HKICF outgrew its original backend design, leaving the admin staff unable to make updates beyond the constraints of the initial interface. This limitation severely hindered the ability to keep the website dynamic and up to date. Additionally, the lack of expandability within WordPress constrained the ability to customize and scale the website according to their evolving requirements.
Limited Time for Updates
The administrative team at HKICF struggled to find time for regular website updates due to their heavy workload. This led to outdated information and a lack of real-time communication. To address this, HKICF aimed to streamline their website management processes and automate tasks.
Scaling Manual Operations, e.g. Offline Donations
HKICF realized that their offline donation processes were not scalable, limiting their ability to expand their reach. They desired a more streamlined online donation system to engage a wider audience and facilitate seamless contributions. By implementing secure and user-friendly online donation mechanisms, they aimed to enhance the donor experience and establish a sustainable fundraising model.
Website Conversion and Impact
HKICF recognized the importance of converting attention into leads and showcasing their impact. However, there was a gap in their existing website that stops them from fully reflecting their achievements and attract participants. They wanted something to better communicate their accomplishments, engage potential participants, and secure support from stakeholders.
Strategies
Non-Coder-Friendly WordPress Admin User Interface Design
Companies often find themselves frustrated with WordPress becuase of how unfriendly it can be. This frustration is exacerbated when developers build WordPress websites without considering future updates. To fully leverage WordPress, it is crucial to prioritize the creation of a well-designed and user-friendly administrative interface that caters to team members who lack coding skills, as it is the key to ensuring a pleasant WordPress experience.
I made the most of the opportunity and dedicated time to gain a deep understanding of the organization’s operational dynamics and the vital information that could significantly impact their daily functioning. Having identified these crucial elements, my next step was to convert them into user-friendly interfaces that required minimal explanation, enabling effortless do-it-yourself updates.
Dynamic Event Schedule
Despite having a team of no more than 11 staff members, HKICF successfully manages a staggering number of over 100 events within 6-8 months. The volume of inquiries received by the team regarding event arrangements is overwhelming.
Last year, the team resorted to posting event information in a PDF format. However, this year, I have harnessed the capabilities of the event module along with dynamic search functionality to alleviate the team’s burden of answering queries that can easily be handled by a dynamic-search-powered event module.
Lead Generation for HKICF’s Targeted Audiences
Enabled PDF downloads on the website, providing a valuable lead generation opportunity by capturing user information in exchange for downloadable resources.
Google Sheet Integration
A Google Sheet integration for recording entries, ensuring a centralized and organized system for managing participant registrations and data.
Online Shop for Souvenirs
Developed a dedicated online shop feature on the HKICF website, offering a wide range of souvenirs that were designed by Orange Chan for customers to browse and purchase.
One-Time and Recurring Donations for HKICF
Set up a donation system that accepts one-time and recurring donations, a flexible approach for supporters to contribute to HKICF’s mission.
Streamline Bookings with Booking System
A booking system offers significant advantages for managing more than 9 staff members’ availabilities and handling 30 event bookings within a two-week timeframe. It centralizes scheduling, eliminating manual coordination and providing real-time updates. Customers can easily make reservations online, reducing administrative tasks. The system detects conflicts and generates reports for insight into staff utilization and operational efficiency. Ultimately, it streamlines management, enhances productivity, and improves customer satisfaction.
Unlimited Updates Maintenance Service Package
Hiring developers can be a costly endeavor, particularly for NGOs that are in the process of expanding and scaling their operations. These organizations need to allocate their resources primarily towards their programs, rather than spending excessive time managing a team and coordinating their efforts. The most effective approach is to provide marketing support that eliminates the challenges of translating marketing jargon to developers and coding language to marketers.
As such, I offered HKICF a support package that includes unlimited update requests, ensuring that their website consistently reflects their latest progress. It’s incredibly challenging to keep up with all the new updates by constantly engaging external agencies and freelancers. This approach often involves painful trade-offs when scoping the work, and these external parties may not always possess a comprehensive understanding of the program’s core priorities. By offering my maintenance package, I aim to alleviate these difficulties and ensure that the website accurately represents what is truly important to the organization.
Results
In conclusion, the case study demonstrates the significant positive impact of the implemented changes on the website’s performance and overall success. The Page Insight score saw a remarkable improvement, increasing from approximately 60 to a minimum of 90 across all four tests. This enhancement in performance directly contributed to a notable 115.556% increase in signups, with the number of CCM signups rising from 90 to 194.
Furthermore, the website’s visibility and reach experienced substantial growth. The average position in organic Google Search results improved by 23%, indicating a higher ranking and increased visibility to potential users. The impressions from organic Google Search also witnessed an impressive 89% increase, resulting in a wider audience reach and potential for engagement.
Notably, the average engagement time on the website saw a remarkable 336% increase. This suggests that users found the website more engaging and compelling, spending more time exploring its content and offerings.
Importantly, the positive outcomes of these improvements extended beyond the website’s metrics. The organization felt a greater sense of comfort and confidence in focusing on growing their programs and making a more significant impact in the community. They were relieved from the burdens of grappling with web technologies and budget constraints, allowing them to allocate their resources towards meaningful endeavors.
Overall, the case study highlights the substantial benefits that arise from prioritizing and optimizing website performance. The improvements in various metrics, increased user engagement, and enhanced organizational focus collectively contribute to the success and growth of the organization.
