NSHEN faced significant challenges with their website that made it difficult to manage and use effectively. Overall performance, editor experience and design implementation fell short of their needs.

Key features of the site, including most pages, were not displaying correctly, and adding new content to critical sections like the Bioethics Book Club and Lending Library pages was cumbersome. Additionally, the site’s speed and technical SEO scores were below par.

Solutions

To address NSHEN’s issues, the solution was rebuilding the theme using the Gutenberg editor and Full Site Editing (FSE). This transition simplified the editing experience by enabling the client to easily manage and update content. With FSE, site-wide settings for spacing and margins could be adjusted globally, resolving the frustrating front-end issues that had plagued the site.

screenshot of NSHEN layout issues BEFORE theme rebuild
Layout issues BEFORE
screenshot of NSHEN layout issues AFTER theme rebuild
Layout issues FIXED
screenshot of NSHEN homepage editor before
screenshot of NSHEN homepage editor after

The homepage editor BEFORE switching to Gutenberg vs. AFTER switching to a Gutenberg enabled custom theme from Tibbits Consulting!

Next, I created a new custom template for the podcast section. This template ensured that all associated information was displayed correctly and that each podcast was properly embedded for seamless playback.

For the Bioethics Book Club and Lending Library pages, I converted them into custom post types. This structured approach made it significantly easier for the NSHEN team to manage content while adding new functionality, such as a “Reserve This Book” button that links to a form for requesting a book reservation directly.

screenshot of Lending Library before

The editing experience for Lending Library content BEFORE…

screenshot of NSHEN Lending Library custom post type
screenshot of NSHEN Lending Library page editor

Now adding content is as simple as creating a new “post”. Add the title and a featured image and done. The Lending Library page editor shows editable content and the individual books are now automatically populated via a Query Loop Block for the Lending Library custom post type.

screenshot of Lending Library page before
Lending Library page BEFORE…
screenshot of Lending Library page after
Lending Library page AFTER

This completed the site rebuild using a custom WordPress theme designed with performance, accessibility, and SEO best practices in mind. The site is now much easier to edit and managing content is EASY! By resolving technical SEO issues and optimizing the site for speed, the new website also delivered a dramatic improvement in Core Web Vital scores across the board.

NSHEN page speed report before
NSHEN Page Speed Report after custom theme build

Page Speed Insight scores before and after moving to a Tibbits Consulting custom theme show a remarkable improvement!

Results

The revamped NSHEN website is now a fast, accessible, and user-friendly platform that supports their organizational goals. By replacing the outdated ACF-based editor with Gutenberg and FSE, the NSHEN team gained full control over their content, enabling them to manage updates effortlessly and maintain consistency across the site.

The new podcast template improved the visibility and functionality of their audio content, while the Lending Library and Bioethics Book Club pages now feature intuitive custom post types and enhanced functionality. These updates have saved the NSHEN team countless hours and frustration, while also improving the user experience for site visitors.

The performance improvements speak for themselves. The site now operates at lightning speed, even without relying on caching, and technical SEO scores have improved significantly, positioning the site for long-term success in search rankings.

This project demonstrates Tibbits Consulting’s commitment to delivering tailored, innovative solutions that address both client needs and expectations.

Client Testimonial

Krista MleczkoSkerry, Nova Scotia Health Ethics Network