My approach focused on giving Backcourt Collective a digital foundation that could support what the organization needed at launch without trying to build every part of its long-term vision at once. With ideas around community programming, Sub-Collectives, memberships, partnerships, and future resources all developing at the same time, the first priority was creating clarity around the brand, its audiences, and what the website actually needed to accomplish.

That strategy carried through the entire project. Rather than treating branding, website structure, copy, and development as separate deliverables, each phase informed the next: the brand strategy shaped the messaging, the messaging shaped the sitemap, and the sitemap became the blueprint for the WordPress build.

Phase 1: Brand & marketing strategy

• Researched Backcourt Collective’s existing presence and the broader Portland women’s basketball landscape to understand its positioning and opportunities.
• Led discovery around Backcourt’s long-term vision, audiences, community role, partnerships, brand voice, and website needs.
• Developed the Brand Voice Guide and Marketing Plan to establish a clearer foundation for messaging, positioning, and future growth.
• Defined distinct audience groups and considered how Backcourt could communicate differently with fans, creatives, community organizers, sponsors, and organizational partners.

Phase 2: Website architecture & content

• Translated the completed brand and marketing strategy into a sitemap before beginning design and development.
• Refined the architecture into six core pages with distinct roles and calls to action, separating community participation through the Sub-Collectives from partnership and collaboration opportunities through Work With Us.
• Structured the site around clear user pathways for newsletter signups, community involvement, and partnership inquiries.
• Wrote website copy using the messaging established during the strategy phase.
• Kept future ideas such as more advanced membership and directory infrastructure in the roadmap rather than building functionality before Backcourt was ready to use and maintain it.

Phase 3: WordPress design & development

• Built the approved website structure in WordPress, carrying Backcourt’s existing visual identity and newly established messaging into the digital experience.
• Developed responsive layouts across desktop, tablet, and mobile and implemented custom interactive functionality where needed.
• Built the Blog and Contact infrastructure to give Backcourt room to publish content and grow its digital presence over time.
• Worked through multiple rounds of client feedback, refining page layouts, typography, imagery, color treatments, CTAs, and mobile behavior as the visual direction developed.

Phase 4: SEO, QA & client handoff

• Implemented foundational on-page SEO, including metadata, heading hierarchy, alt text, image optimization, and schema considerations.
• Connected Google Analytics and Google Search Console to establish tracking and search visibility from launch.
• Conducted final QA across responsive layouts, forms, links, content, accessibility, and site functionality.
• Worked through final client feedback and design refinements before launch, including page-specific copy, imagery, and layout adjustments.
• Completed the project with a WordPress tutorial and detailed maintenance documentation covering content updates, backups, security, caching, plugin maintenance, and analytics so Backcourt could manage the website independently.

The final site gave Backcourt Collective a clear digital home for both sides of its work: building community around women’s basketball and developing relationships with organizations that want to support or collaborate with that community. Just as importantly, the website was built around what Backcourt could realistically manage at launch, while leaving a flexible foundation for its membership, content, and community infrastructure to expand over time.