Improving
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Zeotope, a microsite for Zeochem’s deuterium-labeled compound offerings, was originally built on a plugin-heavy WordPress architecture that created challenges for performance, usability, and overall brand cohesion. The site was slow on both the front end and within the CMS, and it did not align visually or structurally with Zeochem’s primary website. I was brought in to rebuild the platform with a focus on improving speed, consistency, and functional clarity while creating a more stable long-term foundation.

The project involved developing a fully custom WordPress theme with minimal plugin dependencies. Functionality that had previously been handled through third-party plugins was rebuilt natively where appropriate in order to reduce overhead and improve maintainability. This approach helped streamline the codebase, remove unnecessary complexity, and create a leaner platform that was easier to manage over time. By reducing reliance on plugins, the site became faster, more secure, and better suited to the organization’s needs.

A major part of the rebuild was realigning the interface and design system with Zeochem’s broader brand standards. The visual presentation and structural patterns were updated to create a clearer connection between Zeotope and the parent brand, helping the microsite feel like part of a unified digital ecosystem rather than a disconnected standalone property. Search and filtering capabilities were also redesigned to improve product discovery and make the user experience more efficient and intuitive.

Performance optimization was a central focus throughout the rebuild. The work addressed Core Web Vitals deficiencies, reduced technical overhead, and improved the overall responsiveness of the site. The CMS experience was also enhanced, giving internal teams a faster and more intuitive workflow for content and product management.

The result is a cohesive, high-performing custom WordPress microsite that aligns more closely with the Zeochem brand while delivering improved usability, stronger performance, and better long-term stability across both the front-end experience and day-to-day content management.