Website Design & Maintenance

A website that reflects your community
And works for the people you serve

SmartRoots creates custom WordPress websites that help residents find information, explore programs and access services. We bring together distinctive design, connected systems and straightforward content management—so your website supports both your community and your team.

  • Custom design
  • Recreation-software integration
  • Staff training and support
Two website concepts: a municipal homepage on a desktop, with services, meetings and news, and a parks and recreation site on a tablet, with a program search and popular programs.

Illustrative website concepts

The Everyday Challenge

Your website should support your team—
not add to its workload.

When residents struggle to find information, programs are difficult to discover and everyday updates take too much effort, your website creates extra work for everyone.

A redesign should address those frustrations while giving your organization a website that reflects who you are.

  • Information that is difficult to find

    Create clearer paths to services, programs and frequently requested information.

  • Disconnected program discovery

    Help residents find relevant programs and continue toward registration.

  • Updates that slow your team down

    Give staff a manageable way to keep pages, events and announcements current.

Custom Website Design

Designed around your community,
your content and your priorities.

Your organization has its own identity and its own way of serving the community. Your website should reflect that.

SmartRoots develops a custom visual design shaped by your brand, the information you publish and the tasks residents need to complete. From navigation and page layouts to mobile presentation, we create an experience that feels like your organization.

  • Distinctive visual design that reflects your identity.
  • Clear navigation around the information residents need.
  • Purposeful page layouts for your content and services.
  • Responsive presentation across desktop, tablet and mobile.
Two website design concepts side by side: a town homepage with quick links to paying a bill, permits, recycling and parks, and a recreation site with program, park and facility cards.
Illustrative design concepts

Recreation Software Integration

Make programs easier to discover.
Connect residents to registration.

Residents should be able to explore your programs without having to understand the systems behind them.

SmartRoots has experience integrating RecTrac and Amilia, including program synchronization and program search. We connect program information with the website experience, helping residents discover relevant options and find their next step.

A three-step program discovery journey. One, find a program: a recreation website search for swimming returns twelve results. Two, explore the details: a Learn to Swim page showing ages six to eight, Saturday mornings and the Community Pool. Three, continue to registration: a panel explaining the resident will be redirected to the organization’s recreation registration platform to check availability and complete registration.
Illustrative program discovery journey
  • Synchronized program information

    Bring program information from your recreation platform into the website experience.

  • Program search

    Help residents find relevant programs through your website.

  • Clear paths to registration

    Connect program discovery with the appropriate registration destination.

Use another platform?

We can assess its integration options and define an approach based on its available capabilities.

Built for Everyday Use

A better experience for residents.
Practical tools for your team.

For residents

  • Find services, programs and information through clear navigation.
  • Explore the website comfortably on mobile devices.
  • Follow clear paths to registration and other online services.
  • Use content and layouts designed with accessibility in mind.
A community website on a phone, with a search for programs, parks and services and links to find a program, access services and read news and updates.

Illustrative website preview

For your team

  • Manage everyday content through WordPress.
  • Receive detailed training for updating the website.
  • Refer to a dedicated help site with page-specific training documents.
  • Keep guidance available as staff responsibilities change.
The WordPress editor open on a community updates page, beside a help site offering step-by-step articles on updating a page, adding an event and publishing an announcement.

Illustrative staff-tool preview

Training and guidance tailored to the website your team will manage.

From Planning to Launch and Beyond

A clear path to launch.
A plan for what comes next.

SmartRoots guides the website through discovery, design, development, migration, testing and staff preparation.

  1. Understand your priorities

    Review your website goals, resident needs, content structure and existing systems.

  2. Design the experience

    Develop the visual direction, navigation and key page layouts around your organization.

  3. Build and connect

    Develop the WordPress website and implement the agreed integrations.

  4. Migrate and review

    Help move existing content through a methodical migration process. Your team supplies, reviews and approves the content.

  5. Train and launch

    Prepare staff with detailed training and page-specific help documentation before launch.

Your team supplies, reviews and approves website content.

Optional Maintenance

Keep your website and server well managed after launch.

Our add-on maintenance plans cover website and server care, support requests and ongoing monitoring.

  • Website and server maintenance
  • Technical support and troubleshooting
  • Biweekly reports on security, site health, performance and accessibility findings

Maintenance scope is agreed separately to match your organization’s needs.

Your Website Health Report Every two weeks

  • Security
  • Site health
  • Performance
  • Accessibility findings

Findings and recommended actions

Illustrative report preview

Our Work in Practice

See the work.
Understand the thinking behind it.

Explore how SmartRoots combines custom design, program integration and staff usability in real public-service websites.

  • The Wilmette Park District website on a phone.

    Wilmette Park District

    Clearer paths to programs and registration.

    • Custom website design
    • RecTrac integration

    Resident-focused navigation, a mobile-friendly experience and connected program discovery.

    Explore the project — Wilmette Park District
  • The Park District of Oak Park website on a phone.

    Park District of Oak Park

    A connected home for programs and community information.

    • Custom website design
    • Amilia integration

    Distinctive design, organized content and clearer pathways to recreation programs and services.

    Explore the project — Park District of Oak Park

Your Questions, Answered

What to know before you get started.

  • Do you create a custom design for our organization?

    Yes. We develop the visual design around your identity, content and priorities, rather than applying the same finished design to every customer.

  • Can you integrate our recreation software?

    We have experience with RecTrac and Amilia, including program synchronization and program search. For other platforms, we assess the available integration options before agreeing on the scope.

  • Who is responsible for website content?

    Your organization is responsible for supplying and approving its content. SmartRoots helps migrate existing content from the old website to the new one through a structured process.

  • Will our staff be able to update the website?

    Yes. We use WordPress and provide detailed staff training, along with a dedicated help site containing page-specific training documentation.

  • Is maintenance included in the website project?

    Ongoing maintenance is generally an add-on service. We offer plans covering website and server care, support requests and monitoring, with the scope agreed separately.

  • How will we know how the website is performing?

    Our maintenance service provides biweekly reports covering security, site health, performance and accessibility findings.

  • What determines the project timeline?

    The timeline depends on the website’s size, design requirements, integrations, content readiness and review process. We establish milestones and responsibilities when defining the project.

Have a question about your website? Talk to Our Team

Discuss Your Website Project

What would you like your website to do better?

Whether you need a stronger design, better program discovery or easier content management, let’s discuss what would make the biggest difference for your organization.

Tell us about your current website, the systems you use and the challenges your team wants to address.

What happens next

Our team will contact you to understand your priorities and discuss the scope of your website project.

Discuss your website project

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