Keys to Website Admin Superstardom: Revitalize Your Co-op Website

Supercharge your Website with Interactive Widgets

Tired of your website looking a bit blah? Let's pump up the volume with some fresh media and third-party tools! There's a whole world of media, widgets, plugins, and apps out there just waiting to give your site a major upgrade.

Level Up Your Website Embeds

First up, let's talk about those boring old social media embeds. The default Facebook feed? Yawn, it's a clunky, outdated mess that doesn't even adapt to different screen sizes. It's time to ditch the drab and embrace the dynamic. Tools like Elfsight offer way cooler ways to showcase your social media content. Think sleek, customizable feeds, that focus on the quality of design and displaying multiple posts at once...not those clunky, single-post embeds.

Why Elfsight?

• Sleek Designs: Elevate your website's look and feel. Fill out your homepage layout more effectively.
• Easy to Use: Set up in minutes, no coding required. Customizable colors and various looks offered.
• Wide Range of Widgets: From social media feeds to Google Reviews, there's something for everyone to enhance their website with.

While we don't endorse Elfsight specifically, their pricing is quite affordable, and the benefits they offer can significantly enhance your website. View their full range of available widgets.

If you are looking for a second option, we use Powr.io ourselves for many web projects.

Co-op Example: Members 1st utilized embeds to improve the appearance and media present for their popular EV podcast. Check out the podcast and their awesome website, which was also built with SHiNE at https://www.membersfirst.coop/evseries.

Level Up Your Website Media

A picture is worth a thousand words, and the right image can make all the difference. If you're struggling to find the perfect visuals for your website, consider these resources:

Unsplash:

• A treasure trove of free, high-quality images that can be used without attribution.
• Search for specific topics like "energy," "sustainability," or "technology" to find relevant images.
• There is a premium option that has even more images and even 3d animated renders.

Icons 8:

• A one-stop shop for customizable icons and illustrations.
• Need a specific icon for your renewable energy page? Looking for an animated icon? With this service you are covered.
• Customize the color, size, and format to match your brand.

Touchstone Energy Gallery:

• Exclusive access to a curated collection of electric cooperative energy-related images.
• High-quality images of co-op employees, familiar locations, offices, powerlines, and more.
• Perfect for adding the cooperative family touch to your website.

The Touchstone Energy Gallery offers FULL quality images and formats. Enjoy downloading the original 25-50MB asset, and then optimize it to your liking.

Level Up Your Website Performance

Want to give your website a speed boost? Image optimization is the key. By optimizing your images, you can significantly improve your website's loading speed, search engine ranking, and overall user experience.

Why Image Optimization Matters

• Faster Load Times: Keep visitors happy and Google smiling.
• Improved Performance: Boost your website's performance.
• Enhanced Visual Appeal: Elevate your website's look.

Introducing Pixlr: Your Digital Darkroom

Pixlr is a user-friendly tool that can help you:

• Crop and Resize: Tailor images to fit your website's layout.
• Compress Images: Reduce file size without sacrificing quality.
• Enhance Images: Adjust colors, contrast, and brightness.

By compressing images to a quality level of 50-60%, you can dramatically reduce file size without a noticeable difference in visual quality. For example, the 5.6MB image below is being reduced to around 100KB, significantly improving the load time of this image by 56 times. Image how much quicker your website would load if all the imagery was optimized?

So, don't let slow-loading images drag your website down. Give your website the boost it deserves with a little image magic.

By leveraging these tools, you can create a more visually appealing and engaging website that truly shines.

SHiNE Image Optimization

All SHiNE websites now include automated Image Optimization and conversion to the latest trend in performance (AVIF).

• Superior compression: AVIF offers better compression than older formats like JPEG and PNG, resulting in smaller file sizes without significant loss in quality.
• Advanced features: AVIF supports HDR, transparency, and a wide color gamut, enhancing image depth and contrast.
• Efficient for web use: AVIF's smaller file sizes improve website loading speeds and user experience.
• Lossless compression: AVIF allows for lossless compression, preserving the original image quality.

Want the fastest website possible?

Get started with SHiNE CMS today.

Let's Go!