Active Minds

Charity's Web Upgrade

How we helped a mental health charity turn a 55% increase in traffic into 24% increase in donations

WordPress Development
Web Design
Brand Refresh
SEO
Performance Optimisation

Active Minds Project Details

Work With Us

Project Summary

Client: A mental health charity

Service: WordPress development, website design, brand refresh, SEO and performance optimisation

Result: An accessible, low carbon-footprint website with a visually engaging interface, optimised for performance, security and SEO

The Client

Active Minds is a mental health charity that provides counselling services and advocates for universal access to mental health-related services.

The Goal

The goal was to create an accessible website with an approachable, user-friendly interface, faster loading speeds and comprehensive optimisation for search engines. All this had to be done with a sustainability mindset. The site had to be energy efficient to maintain a low carbon footprint.

The Problem

Active Minds had only minimal online visibility. Their activities were largely limited to the confines of two small offices. Staffed by 7 staff members and 18 volunteers of wide-ranging ages, some have struggled getting a handle on modern communication technologies.

Their website was constructed with an amateur web builder. The interface was cluttered and confusing, colours were not contrasted enough to meet accessibility standards, and the email system was not sufficiently protected. This led to limited reach/discoverability, little direct contact with existing clients, and a lack of momentum and support for their advocacy goals.

Our Solution

We first sat with the Active Minds team to understand the core values of the charity, the needs of their clients and how they could be addressed effectively and sustainably. Following an audit of the website, its interface, SEO and general performance were identified as the main issues. This helped us draft a strategy that aimed to balance ease of use with efficiency. We felt the environmental aspects of the charity should govern the overall functionality, keeping elements simple and light while remaining pleasing and approachable for visitors to use.

We began simplifying the web pages by stripping out all unnecessary clutter. This resulted in a much roomier, user-friendly interface. Performance was optimised by cleaning up CSS and JavaScript and crushing all visual information down to keep the site nimble and energy efficient.

In addition to aesthetics, we paid special attention to developing a website with a low carbon footprint. This green approach aligns with Active Minds’ mission of promoting mental health and well-being while minimising environmental impact. The result is a website that not only appeals to the eye but also functions as an accessible platform for anyone seeking support or information from Active Minds.

Titles, meta-tags and meta-descriptions were assigned to their logical spots, pages were correctly indexed, and internal links were planted throughout the site for easy navigation. The font family was limited to one type with three variations and selected for maximum readability. Email configurations were reset to ensure mail was not bouncing or being deferred to the spam folder.

The colour palette, formally a mix of yellows and greens, was replaced with cooler purples and blues. This produced a much softer and more approachable appearance and married well with contrasting call-to-action buttons, links and other accessibility-minded elements.

New security protocols were introduced to plug an alarming number of vulnerabilities. Security headers and firewall rules were set up, XML RPC was disabled, and new login and SPAM protection protocols were implemented.

The Result

The new Active Minds website was completely transformed. Gone were the messy and confusing service pages, replaced instead with streamlined and spacious areas with clearly demarked sections.

Performance was massively improved. The energy-saving techniques really paid off, as the interface now felt light and responsive. Communication channels were now free-flowing thanks to a dynamic email system sorely missing from the old configuration.

The bounce rate was reduced, and organic traffic increased by 55%. This led to a residual increase in financial donations, which rose by 24%.

Overall, the website revamp was a tremendous success. The Active Minds team were excited by the changes. They were encouraged by the new email system and were particularly pleased with the efficiency of the whole set-up. Sustainability was what they wanted. Sustainability is definitely what they got.

They went above and beyond to ensure our satisfaction

I had a great experience collaborating with Altlier. The entire process was smooth and efficient, with excellent communication throughout. They executed our briefs perfectly and went above and beyond to ensure our satisfaction. Altlier have played a vital role in our mission of providing mental health support to those in need, and we already noticed an increase of people reaching out to our services.