The plan
Eight problems in the brief, and how this concept solves each one
Each problem from Firstport’s brief, with what we found on the current site, what this prototype shows, and what the full project delivers.
The eight problems
Problem 1: Unclear user journeys
The brief: Visitors aren't encouraged to explore beyond funding, and growing entrepreneurs can't see their best next step.
- Today
- The menu is organised by service, not by who you are. LaunchMe and Boost Invest sit under Business support, while Step Up and Catalyst sit under Social investment, so there's no single route for growth.
- In this prototype
- Four doors on the homepage, one per audience. A next-step finder that always pairs a fund with free advice. A growth staircase from a grant to £50k+ investment. Every story, guide and fund points to related support.
- In the full build
- Journeys tested with real users in discovery, and analytics on every door and finder result so the team can see where people go next.
Problem 2: Impact and expertise are hard to find
The brief: The site doesn't show the breadth of the work, the outcomes or the expertise behind them.
- Today
- The homepage impact section is a link. The figures sit in a 35-page, 10 MB impact report PDF that isn't tagged for screen readers.
- In this prototype
- Impact on the page: long-term results, last year's numbers, outcomes against the UK benchmark, returns per £1 with sources, and 12 real stories you can filter. The executive summary becomes an accessible web page.
- In the full build
- Impact figures managed as shared content, so one update changes every page, and every report published as a web page as well as a PDF.
Problem 3: Funders and commissioners aren't served
The brief: The most important audience strategically, yet the current site doesn't cater to them.
- Today
- "Work with us" lists job vacancies. Partnering is a single email address, and nothing on the site is written for funders.
- In this prototype
- A page for funders: track record, six things they can commission (each with a real programme), evidence they can check, who Firstport reaches, how commissioning works, a short enquiry form and a capability statement to forward to a board.
- In the full build
- Enquiries routed to the partnerships team and counted, so leads from funders and commissioners can be measured, one of the brief's success measures.
Problem 4: Content changes need a developer
The brief: Many improvements need technical support, which adds cost and slows the team down.
- Today
- The current site runs on a custom-coded theme ("firstport23"), so layout changes are developer work.
- In this prototype
- Every page here is assembled from one small library of blocks: doors, numbers, fund rows, stories, steps, questions and forms. Questions, events and figures are written once and reused everywhere.
- In the full build
- An editor where the comms team builds pages from those blocks, previews and publishes them without a developer. The editing approach is to be agreed.
Problem 5: The site doesn't reflect today's organisation
The brief: The rebrand, new services and the group structure aren't represented.
- Today
- Firstport, Firstimpact and Firstfund aren't presented as one group anywhere on the site.
- In this prototype
- The About page presents the group as one family, and a switch re-skins this same site as Firstimpact using its real logo and colours, proving the template works for sister brands.
- In the full build
- One codebase and block library shared across the group, with Firstfund's brand slotting in the same way.
Problem 6: Accessibility, mobile and SEO are weak
The brief: A 2025 audit found weaknesses in accessibility, mobile responsiveness, SEO and CMS flexibility.
- Today
- The homepage heading (H1) is empty. 39 links have no accessible name, 85 images have empty alt text, and brand colours used as text fail contrast. The homepage downloads 13.2 MB.
- In this prototype
- Built to WCAG 2.1 AA: one heading per page in order, full keyboard support, a visible focus ring, and brand colours used as fills behind navy text. Display options built in, and a light, fast homepage.
- In the full build
- Testing with NVDA, VoiceOver and keyboard-only users, automated checks on every release, accessible documents and a published accessibility statement.
Problem 7: Discovery is moving to AI search
The brief: Content must be easier to find, better structured and more accessible than ever before.
- Today
- ChatGPT already sends visitors. Most pages have two conflicting meta descriptions, and some contain raw HTML.
- In this prototype
- Every page starts with an "In short" answer. Questions are answered short-version first and written once. Structured data tells search engines and AI tools what each page is, with an llms.txt guide for AI crawlers.
- In the full build
- Structured data generated by the editor, clean metadata, and monitoring of how Firstport appears in AI answers.
Problem 8: Misdirected enquiries from a similarly named company
The brief: A property management company called FirstPort sends irrelevant visitors and enquiries.
- Today
- There's no notice anywhere on the current site saying Firstport isn't the property company.
- In this prototype
- A clear notice at the top of Contact, a "flat or service charge" option that redirects without a form, and a warning that appears as soon as someone types property words.
- In the full build
- Search listings that separate the two organisations, and reporting on how many misdirected enquiries are caught.
Editing without a developer
Pages built from blocks the comms team controls
Every page in this prototype is assembled from the same small set of blocks. In the full build they become the comms team’s editing palette: pick a block, fill in the words and images, preview, publish.
Accessibility is built into each block, so a new page meets the standard without anyone remembering the rules. The editing tool itself is to be agreed with Firstport.
- Audience doorsRoutes for each type of visitor
- NumbersShared figures, updated once and shown everywhere
- Fund rows and cardsStatus set from dates
- StoriesWith a journey strip built from programme tags
- StepsA how-it-works sequence
- QuestionsWritten once, reused on every matching page
- EventsAdded once, listed wherever they're relevant
- Enquiry formsRouted to the right team
Timeline
November 2026 to launch in spring 2027
This matches the brief's dates (start in November, deliver by March, launch at the end of March or in April) and allows for the holiday break.
- November
1. Discovery
- Kick-off workshop with the comms team
- Interviews with people from each audience, funders included
- Content audit of the ~50 pages and ~360 posts: keep, refresh or retire
- Analytics review, including the property-company traffic
- Accessibility baseline against WCAG 2.1 AA
- Late Nov – December
2. Structure
- Sitemap and audience journeys
- Navigation tested with real users
- December – January
3. Design
- Visual design within Firstport's brand guidelines
- The block library: the comms team's editing palette
- Accessibility review of the designs
- January – February
4. Build
- Editing set-up with the block library
- Links into the funding portal, Launchpad and the newsletter
- Structured data, sitemap and redirects from every old address
- February – March
5. Content and testing
- Migration of retained content, plus editorial guidance
- WCAG 2.1 AA testing with keyboards and screen readers
- Performance, security and cross-device checks
- Hands-on training for the comms team
- End of March – April
6. Launch and handover
- Launch with redirects and search monitoring
- Aftercare, and optional ongoing support
How this would be built
This prototype is built in Next.js and served as a fast, static site. The full build can use the same approach, or WordPress if Firstport prefers to stay on it. Costs are set out in the proposal.