EdTech marketing platform modernization
How I rebuilt a higher-ed marketing site on Next.js and Payload CMS — PageSpeed from the low 30s to the 90s, three product stories, and a CMS editors can use.
Client
Higher-ed software company
Engagement
Discovery + weekly builds, then ongoing care
Tech Stack
Related services
The Challenge
What was the problem?
A higher-ed software company needed their public site to do a simple job: explain three products (data, migration, and archiving) and make it easy to request a demo. The existing marketing site was outdated and slow. PageSpeed scores sat in the low 30s. Search was effectively unused. Editors could not update copy without a developer, so product pages drifted out of date. The site also failed the buyer it was meant to serve. A visitor from a college or university could not tell which product fit their problem, or what to do next. That is a content and information-architecture problem as much as a performance one.
The Solution
The approach
I designed and built a new marketing site from scratch with Next.js and a custom Payload CMS setup. The work focused on performance, on-page SEO, accessibility, and a content model editors could actually use. The visual system is quiet on purpose: clear hierarchy, consistent components, and one conversion path per product. Data, migration, and archiving each get their own story, then share a demo request flow. After launch I stayed on for maintenance and incremental SEO and performance work, so the site could keep improving instead of freezing at handoff.
Discovery and IA
Reviewed the old site, mapped the three product stories, and wrote the paths a higher-ed buyer should take to a demo.
Design system
Built a small set of page and component patterns so new pages stay consistent without a redesign each time.
Build
Shipped Next.js with Payload CMS so editors can change copy, pages, and media without waiting on a deploy.
Search and speed
Added structured data, meta tags, and Core Web Vitals work until Lighthouse scores sat in the 90s.
Handoff and care
Left the content model, hosting, and a short operating note so the team can keep shipping updates.
Results
What changed
Outcomes from the work as shipped — no extra claims beyond what is on this page.
Modern public site that can explain three products without a sales call
PageSpeed scores improved from the low 30s to the 90s
Demo requests and qualified leads increased after launch
On-page SEO in place: structured data, titles, and meta descriptions
Editors can update content; I stay on for monitoring and small improvements
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Gallery
Visual Details
A closer look at the interface and design decisions.
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