Instytut-csr.net – Educational Platform on Corporate Social Responsibility
Instytut-csr.net is one of the valuable projects in my WordPress developer portfolio, realised as an educational and informational platform dedicated to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Around 2015, this website aimed to promote CSR knowledge, provide companies with practical tools, and raise awareness about sustainable development. My task was to design and implement a responsive WordPress-based site optimised for performance, usability, and search engine visibility using the technologies available at that time. This project allowed me to combine my technical skills with the mission of supporting responsible business practices.
The purpose of the site and its audience
The goal of Instytut-csr.net was to create a comprehensive source of information on CSR for entrepreneurs, managers, and sustainability specialists in Poland. The site offered educational articles, guides, and news related to corporate social responsibility. Its target audience included business owners, HR and marketing professionals, and anyone interested in implementing CSR principles within their organisations.
Site functionalities
- Knowledge base: A system for publishing articles and guides about CSR, based on native WordPress functions with categories (e.g. ecology, business ethics) and tags.
- Contact form: A facility for submitting enquiries and consultations via the Contact Form 7 plugin, which integrates with the administrator’s email.
- News section: A blog featuring the latest CSR news, optimised for frequent updates and readability.
- Responsiveness: Full compatibility with mobile devices thanks to a theme based on Bootstrap 3.
- Thematic SEO: Optimisation for phrases such as “CSR in Poland” and “corporate social responsibility”, using All in One SEO Pack and an XML sitemap.
- Project gallery: A section showcasing examples of CSR implementations in a gallery format, managed by the NextGEN Gallery plugin.
Challenges and solutions
The implementation of Instytut-csr.net required overcoming technical challenges using technologies from 2015:
- Performance with visual content: Photos and infographics were weighing down the site – I implemented Cloudflare CDN and caching with W3 Total Cache, reducing load times.
- Content management: A large number of articles required an efficient system – I customised WordPress with bespoke PHP scripts for automating publication and archiving.
- Security: I ensured site stability by updating WordPress to version 4.3, configuring caching on the Apache server, and performing daily backups with BackupBuddy.
- SEO and promotion: I optimised the content for industry-related queries using All in One SEO Pack and created unique meta descriptions for each subpage.
Tools used
WordPress 4.3, All in One SEO Pack, W3 Total Cache, WP Smush, NextGEN Gallery, Contact Form 7, Disqus, BackupBuddy, Cloudflare, Bootstrap 3, Sublime Text, Git, FileZilla, Google Analytics.
Site maintenance
After deployment, I provided comprehensive support: updating WordPress and plugins to versions compatible with 2015, performance optimisation using W3 Total Cache and Cloudflare, daily backups with BackupBuddy, and ongoing modifications to content and functionality as required by the editorial team and users.
