WordPress and Elementor Website Build for Democracy Radio
One interesting no/low-code web development project I worked on was the rebuild of Democracy Radio, the media arm of the National Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), delivered as part of a broader project managed by Thnk Digital.
The project initially started with a prebuilt radio-focused WordPress theme from ThemeForest, but over time, the website began facing several technical and operational issues. The theme could not properly support the radio streaming service being used by the station, meaning visitors had to leave the website to listen live. Frequent plugin conflicts and update-related errors also made the platform unstable, and things eventually escalated when the hosting environment became compromised during a malware attack.
I was later re-contracted to rebuild the website from scratch. I worked with a designer who created the UI direction in Figma based on my guidance, and I handled the WordPress and Elementor implementation. During the process, the client introduced additional design changes inspired by Newstalk, which I implemented directly on the live website.
Beyond the original project scope, I also introduced several functionality improvements that I believed were necessary for a better media experience. I built and integrated a live radio player directly into the website so visitors could stream broadcasts without being redirected elsewhere. I implemented automatic Instagram feed syncing so new Instagram posts appear on the site automatically, and I integrated the YouTube API to automatically fetch and update newly uploaded videos and playlists from the station’s YouTube channel. I also ensured that videos could be watched directly on the website instead of redirecting users externally.
Additionally, I created a manageable program schedule system within WordPress, added a “Coming Soon” podcast indicator for future expansion, and carefully migrated blog content from the infected website database into the rebuilt platform without using migration plugins, helping reduce the risk of transferring malware into the new environment. To further stabilize the infrastructure, I rebuilt the website on a cleaner subdomain environment under the NILDS hosting structure and redirected the primary domain accordingly.
The final result was a significantly more stable, easier-to-manage, and feature-rich media platform tailored specifically to the operational needs of the radio station. The client was extremely satisfied with the outcome and later provided additional compensation beyond the original agreement.
Shopify Store Build for Somna.ng
Another interesting no/low-code web development project I worked on was the Shopify store build for SOMNA, a luxury home essentials brand focused on premium bedding and bath products for homes, hotels, and shortlets.
The client was setting up a physical retail operation alongside the online store, and after evaluating the business needs, Shopify appeared to be a more intuitive and operationally suitable solution than WooCommerce for the store owners and staff to manage daily inventory, sales, and store activities.
I handled the complete Shopify setup, including store configuration, product uploads, user account management, role permissions, and Point of Sale (POS) setup on iPads for in-store purchases. I also trained the store manager on how to manage inventory, products, and day-to-day store operations within Shopify.
An interesting part of the project was the theme direction. The client’s husband had previously purchased a premium Shopify theme from Envato, but despite being a paid theme, it came with several customization limitations and did not properly capture the luxury aesthetic the brand was aiming for. Instead, I rebuilt the storefront experience using a free Shopify theme and customized it to better reflect the premium, minimal, and refined identity of the brand.
One of the client’s favorite parts of the project was the hero section background video. Initially, there were discussions around organizing a physical product shoot, but I used Kling AI to create the luxury-style visual content instead, helping the client avoid the stress, logistics, and financial cost of a full production shoot while still achieving a polished brand presentation.
The final result was a clean and elegant Shopify storefront that aligned with the brand’s luxury positioning while remaining practical and easy for the business team to manage internally.
WooCommerce Store for An Online Wig Store (Coming Soon)
Some other notable websites builds in my portfolio websites are:
University Co-Working Space Website
Real Estate Software Solution Website
Note: These websites were purely website builds. In most cases, I was not responsible for SEO, as many clients in this market do not actively use SEO as a primary customer acquisition channel and are often unwilling to invest in it. Instead, they typically rely on alternative traffic sources such as social media, referrals, offline marketing, paid ads, or existing customer networks. The websites mainly serve as the digital destination where conversions or purchases happen, regardless of where the lead originally came from.
Also, most of these websites were outsourced by agencies, and they usually insisted on handling the SEO themselves, although in many cases it doesn’t really get implemented or maintained properly over time.