When the Union of Liberian Associations in the Americas (ULAA) migrated their website to a new server, they faced a nightmare scenario. The most recent backup was gone, and the only available version of their site was more than seven years old. For an organization serving thousands of members, this meant more than just an outdated look; it meant lost credibility, slow communication, and a lack of trust online.
This project shows what happens when a website is rebuilt with strategy in mind, not just patched together. More importantly, it reveals why investing in a custom website is often the difference between holding a brand back and helping it thrive.
ULAA’s old backup wasn’t just missing design polish. It lacked basic functions modern audiences expect:
For a community-driven organization, this created an immediate disconnect. Members could not find accurate information, upcoming events, or even a clear sense of who represented the association.
This is a common challenge we see when organizations rely on outdated templates or neglected sites. According to Forbes, a poorly maintained website can directly hurt brand credibility and customer trust.
Instead of trying to patch the old version, we rebuilt the ULAA website from the ground up with a modern, responsive design. Every feature was created to balance flexibility for the ULAA team with a seamless user experience for visitors.
Here’s how we approached it:
1. A Dynamic Hero Slider
We created a custom slider post type using ACF (Advanced Custom Fields) and Elementor’s loop builder. This gave ULAA the freedom to update their homepage hero section with new visuals and messaging at any time, without technical knowledge.
2. Showcasing Leadership Transparently
We designed a dedicated team section where the association’s leaders and board of directors are introduced. Built with ACF rather than a third-party plugin, this setup is lightweight and easy for the association to manage over time.
3. Smarter Event Management
To strengthen member engagement, we created a custom event post type with fields for event name, date, time, and location. Each event automatically generates its own single event page, where visitors can learn more and register with ease.
4. Faster, Cleaner Performance
By reducing reliance on heavy plugins and instead using custom fields, the new website is faster and more stable. This ensures that visitors don’t abandon the site due to slow loading times.
Why This Matters for Organizations and Small Businesses
What happened with ULAA is not unique. Many businesses and organizations depend on outdated backups, cheap templates, or “quick fixes.” However, as ULAA’s experience demonstrates, the real cost emerges later in the form of poor user experience, weakened branding, and lower trust.
A custom website doesn’t just look good. It:
For small businesses in particular, the return on investment (ROI) of a custom site is measurable in terms of stronger customer trust, improved lead generation, and long-term scalability.
