Navigating the Digital Seas: Greenpeace Australia Pacific’s Website Revamp
Why We Embarked on this Journey
In the vast ocean of the digital world, a website serves as the anchor for an organisation’s online presence. Our website isn’t just a virtual space but a platform through which we share our stories, engage supporters, and drive action towards a greener, more sustainable world. However, as the tides of technology and audience expectations evolved, our website found itself navigating choppy waters, struggling to stay afloat amidst the changing currents. It became clear that our digital flagship needed a major overhaul. The mission? To transform our online presence into a dynamic hub of engagement and advocacy.
Recognising the need for a digital overhaul, we set sail on a journey to update our website. Not just for a fresh coat of paint, but to lay down a sturdy foundation that aligns with our organisational strategy and empowers us to better connect with our audience.
The Journey
Buckle up, because our website overhaul was a rollercoaster ride of challenges and triumphs. From migrating thousands (2529) of posts from a labyrinth of custom fields, to bringing to life our new brand identity guidelines with a custom P4 child theme, every step was a leap into the unknown.
Our voyage commenced with a comprehensive assessment and consultation around our current website’s strengths and weaknesses. Like seasoned sailors, we navigated through the choppy waters of website audits and staff surveys, uncovering hidden treasures of insights and challenges. We discovered dwindling user engagement, outdated content, and a navigation system as murky as the ocean depths.
Armed with this knowledge, we charted a course towards a new destination — Planet 4, Greenpeace International’s sophisticated Wordpress theme and engagement platform. This decision wasn’t just about a change in scenery; it was a strategic move to leverage the power of a global platform designed to support our storytelling endeavors and drive supporter engagement.
With the guidance of the talented Carolina Romo Angulo (P4 Lead Designer), the first leg of our journey involved crafting a new information architecture and sitemap, laying the groundwork for a website that would not just inform but inspire. This endeavor was not without its challenges, as it coincided with GPAP’s campaign strategic, three year planning including significant change to the program’s priorities, campaigns and structure. Yet, it was within this whirlpool of transformation that we found clarity and purpose, weaving our newfound insights into the fabric of our digital presence.
The next leg involved unravelling the maze of thousands posts and pages from our old WordPress site to the P4 platform. It was a Herculean task, with a huge amount of support and patience from the incredible Sagar Deshmukh (P4 Developer). The migration was daunting and fraught, requiring meticulous planning and execution. There were huge sighs of relief when we finally saw our website populated with our many years of campaigning content.
Customising the P4 theme to align with our brand’s new look and feel was another major milestone. From tweaking layouts to fine-tuning typography, every detail was scrutinised to ensure a cohesive user experience that embraced the individual GPAP brand, while fully respecting the hard work and detail gone into the P4 master design.
But perhaps the most rewarding aspect of our journey was the camaraderie we found within the global P4 team. It was like having a digital cheer squad, cheering us on as we navigated the intricacies of our website migration and optimisation. Shoutout to Toni Garcia (P4 Product Manager), Nikos Roussos (P4 Tech Lead) and Sagar Deshmukh (P4 Developer) for holding our hands through the process — we couldn’t have done it without you!
Key learnings (and mistakes!)
As with any voyage, ours wasn’t without its fair share of challenges and learnings. We encountered stormy seas of technical complexities and resource constraints, but through perseverance and collaboration, we weathered the storm.
One crucial lesson? Never underestimate the importance of regular website maintenance. Like a ship in need of constant upkeep, a website requires ongoing attention to ensure smooth sailing.
Special mentions and a shoutout
No voyage is complete without acknowledging the hands that helped steer the ship. We extend our deepest gratitude to the dedicated teams at GPI, whose unwavering support and expertise guided us through uncharted waters. Special thanks to Toni and Nikos, whose commitment to our project never wavered, even in the face of rough seas. We also want to express our appreciation to the GPAP team and wider organisation for their encouragement and collaboration throughout this journey.
Our journey to revamp our website wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows — but boy, was it worth it! It was a testament to GPI’s and GPAP’s commitment to harnessing the power of digital technology for positive change. It may have at times been a challenging journey, but the destination was well worth the effort. With a sleek new website as our digital flagship, we’re more equipped than ever to amplify our message, engage supporters, and drive meaningful change.
As we hoist our sails towards the digital horizon, we do so with renewed purpose and determination. We look forward to the continued collaboration with the global Planet 4 community, where every voice and idea contributes to the journey ahead.
Author: Kara Bishop, Website Marketing Specialist and Planet 4 Migration Project Lead, Greenpeace Australia Pacific.
