HostGator Blog Theme on WordPress

After the successful implementation of the Bluehost blog theme, I was referred to their sister company for the HostGator blog theme redesign. While the Bluehost project was more development-focused, HostGator’s team wanted full UX design, theme development, and implementation.

HostGator Blog Theme

First of all, I single-handedly took this project through UX design and development to final implementation in under six months. Significant improvements to SEO, schema markup, and customizability were the HostGator team’s most important objectives. Therefore, those requests were kept in mind throughout the design and development process.

Current Live Site

• Official HostGator Blog
• Sample Single Post — How to Promote your Blog on SnapChat
• Sample Archive Page — Marketing Tips & Tricks Category Archive

UX Planning

As a result of my blog questionnaire, I learned that their content manager was inspired by FitBit and Hubspot’s blogs. Additionally, they wanted a more modern look using colorful flat graphics, matching their new brand direction. They also liked board-style content blocks and subtle hover effects.

Sketch Concepts

Home Page Wireframe Sketch Options

Single Post Wireframe Sketch Options

Archive Page Wireframe Sketch Options

Wireframe Mockups

Home Page Wireframe

Single Post Wireframe

Archive Page Wireframe

Tools Used:

• Lean WordPress Theme Foundation: _S (UnderscoreS)
• WordPress Test Data: WP Theme Unit Test
• Framework: Bootstrap
• Class for Recent Posts Widget Adjustment: Extend Recent Posts
• Class for Category Meta Additions: Catapult Taxonomy Meta Class