We are happy to announce the May launch of the new website for Kilauea Lodge, a charming resort offering country inn lodging, a restaurant and wedding & event facilities minutes from Volcano Village on the Island of Hawai’i.
When they called Pat at InsideOut Solutions about a new website design, Kilauea Lodge owner Lorna Larsen-Jeyte and office manager Janet Coney knew the resort’s current website was showing its age. Following that initial phone conversation, in which Pat showed Lorna how far behind the times the website actually was and provided examples of our recent designs, Lorna requested a proposal for a website with a custom responsive WordPress theme. In a follow-up email she thanked Pat and noted, “You may be bringing us into the 21st century!”
The new Kilauea Lodge website looks its best on all devices due to its custom responsive WordPress Theme.
The proposal Pat submitted was about more than just updating the website’s code; it was a comprehensive plan to build an entirely new website presence for Kilauea Lodge to better show off what makes it such a special Hawaiian country inn no matter what device is used. The result is a beautiful, easy-to-navigate responsive website that fully conforms to the new Google mobile-friendly algorithm.
The Kilauea Lodge Story
Built in 1938 for the YMCA, Camp Hale O Aloha was a popular camp for local children as they explored the Island of Hawai’i’s volcanoes. In October of the year it was founded, the International Fireplace of Friendship, made from stones and coins from all over the world, was dedicated.
Lorna and Albert Jeyte purchased the camp in 1986 and completely refurbished it to become a unique country inn, gourmet restaurant and picturesque event venue. They also offer off-site vacation rentals close to the resort. Kilauea Lodge is located near Volcano Village and is just a mile from Volcanoes National Park, making it an excellent base for experiencing “The Big Island” now known as the Island of Hawai’i. It is convenient to area volcano explorations, bird watching, wine tasting, hiking, golfing, the town of Hilo and much more.
BEFORE: The previous Kilauea Lodge website felt cramped at desktop monitor resolutions and had no mobile version. 
AFTER: The new Kilauea Lodge website looks great no matter what device is used to view it.
About the Previous Kilauea Lodge Website
Their previous website launched in October of 2007. After nearly 8 years of service Lorna and Janet understood the need for a complete rethinking of the inn’s marketing presentation for this new website.
Setting the Scene for a Hawaiian Country Inn – The Layout
Beth, our lead web designer, worked with Lorna and Janet to create a completely new “look and feel” for the website – one that would take full advantage of the custom responsive web design it would receive during development. Careful consideration went into selecting the design elements that create a layout that represents the idyllic Hawaiian setting of the lodge without distracting from the page content. Larger photos, especially in the new header section, were carefully selected to best show off the property, lodging, restaurant, event facilities and cottage rentals. Janet’s response to the proof Beth submitted says it all about the result: “We are excited about the look!”
From Conception to Custom Responsive WordPress Theme – The Development
Proper coding is priority #1 when we build a custom responsive WordPress theme.
A few minor adjustments to the layout were all that was needed before it was given to Taylor, our WordPress developer, to build a custom WordPress theme and use it to create the basic structure for the responsive website, which includes:
- Responsive web design automatically adapts the layout design elements to web browser resolution to match the specific device is being used
- Sticky navigation menu and social sharing bars remain in view as a visitor scrolls down the page
- WordPress content management system offers a powerful blog platform for growing the lodge’s internet marketing efforts and effortless updating of page text & photographs
- HTML 5 code and CSS 3 styling that conforms to the recommendations of Google Developers and the World-Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards
- Custom WordPress plugins and post types developed by InsideOut Solutions specifically for its lodging clients, including the Rooms post type which offers easily managed room description, type of accommodations, an amenities list, photo gallery, rate information, availability link and more
Putting It All Together – The Fill-in
Each image and each word in the on-page text was given careful consideration during the fill-in process.
Once Taylor had the WordPress site and theme coded and designed, Beth worked with Lorna and Janet’s materials to enter all the content. All-new photographs, carefully cropped and optimized, were required to take advantage of the custom responsive WordPress theme and the text was rewritten to fit the new pages, refine the marketing “voice” from the owners, and provide a more comprehensive message about just how special their Hawaiian resort really is.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) on page content and “behind the scenes” code were applied during the proofing process and, before the site launched, redirects were created for all search engine-indexed URLs of the previous website to ensure “page not found” errors would not have a negative impact on search engines or visitor experience. The new Kilauea Lodge website was submitted to the search engines after its launch so that the new site’s pages could be quickly indexed.
Get Your Own Custom Responsive WordPress Theme from InsideOut Solutions
Custom WordPress websites developed by InsideOut Solutions that are over four years old will typically require a full responsive redesign. If you have a custom WordPress website we designed that’s four or less years old we can provide you with a cost-saving responsive upgrade. Don’t have a WordPress website? We’ll build you one with a custom responsive WordPress theme. Contact us today for a quote to keep your website’s internet marketing effectiveness ahead of the competition.