The Industry Forum: non-profit organisation website redevelopment

MODERNISATION, WEBSITE DESIGN, WEB DEVELOPMENT, SEO

OVERVIEW

The focus of this project was the non-profit organisation website redevelopment for Industry Forum, a well-respected entity in UK public policy.

This project focused on redeveloping the website for Industry Forum, a well-established non-profit organisation in UK public policy. 

The Industry Forum's old website, built on a template-based WordPress with an expired CMS license key, was outdated and non-functional, both in its front-end display and back-end content management. Initially, we were asked to make fixes, but due to the outdated technology, a complete rebuild was recommended and accepted.

CHALLENGE

The old website was broken, with key features missing or non-functional, and needed a complete overhaul to meet the current needs of the organisation. 

It was essential to modernise the site while keeping the wealth of historical content intact, so we had to carefully migrate a large volume of legacy data, including 120 past events, 50 articles, and 119 member profiles. This content needed to be optimised in terms of categorisation, URLs, tags, and headings to improve both user experience and SEO performance.
The main goals included:
  • Visually redesigning the website to meet modern standards and align with the organisation's branding.
  • Redeveloping the structure and content using Oxygen CMS to maintain the archive and strengthen its position in Google Search.
  • Updating critical pages, such as the 'Publications' and 'Gallery' sections, and fixing features like contact forms, the Twitter feed, and developing an 'Events' section.

SOLUTION

We started by completely redeveloping the website using WordPress integrated with Oxygen CMS, providing a flexible, SEO-friendly solution ideal for non-profit organisations, with a lifetime license—ensuring stability and flexibility for the long run. Our approach was all about making sure the site felt modern and intuitive, yet robust enough to serve its purpose as a trusted resource.

To bolster security, we added advanced protection measures including CAPTCHA, a firewall, anti-spam, and anti-malware tools. The new CMS was tailored to Industry Forum’s needs, and we provided video-based training to ensure their team could manage content easily and independently. Ensuring GDPR compliance was another crucial element, addressed through specialised plugins for cookies, notifications, and secure contact forms.

OUTCOME

The new website was a significant leap forward for The Industry Forum, offering a visually appealing, highly functional platform that mirrored their reputation as a leading non-profit organisation in public policy. 

Key outcomes included:

  • Smooth Migration & Improved Content Management: All historical content was successfully migrated, reorganised, and optimised, allowing Industry Forum's team to easily manage the site through a clean, straightforward CMS.
  • Error-Free Performance: The site was launched without any technical issues, providing a seamless experience for both the client and their audience.
  • Enhanced SEO & Training: We integrated the RankMath plugin and connected it to Google Analytics, significantly improving the website's visibility on search engines—key for non-profit organisations like Industry Forum. Basic training on using RankMath was also provided to help the client continue improving their SEO.

Impact on Search Visibility (Last 28 Days):

  • Total Impressions: 3.5K (+47.8%)
  • Total Clicks: 117 (+1.7%)
  • Unique Visitors from Search: 133 (+24.3%)

CLIENT FEEDBACK

"As the Executive Chair of the Industry Forum, I would like to express our satisfaction with the services provided by NetSwifter. We found NetSwifter by web research and selected them to help in modernising our website. Our old site was outdated, and the technology and plugins were no longer functioning, which hindered managing and updating the website.

Michael from NetSwifter not only recovered all the data from the old site but also implemented it on a new technology. In addition, he created dedicated templates for posts of various purposes, such as events or PDF publications, which make updating our website much faster and hassle-free. Contact with Michael was always direct and prompt, which accelerated the implementation of the project.

We recommend NetSwifter to anyone looking for a professional company specialising in non-profit organisation website redevelopment and web design for public policy sectors."
Rod Dowler
Founder Member and Executive Chair at The Industry Forum

SUMMARY

We repaired the broken elements of the existing website, modernised its core with a new CMS engine, and successfully migrated all legacy content.
We boosted Industry Forum's online presence by integrating the RankMath plugin, making SEO management simple and effective. We also provided training for ongoing SEO optimisation.
The updated website is intuitive, reflects Industry Forum's branding, and supports their mission to influence UK public policy.
This all improved search engine rankings and ensured their website reached more targeted audiences.
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