Recovery Center Website Redesign

Behavioral Health / Web Design / SEO / WordPress / Information Architecture

A two year digital transformation spanning website design, search visibility recovery, content strategy, and patient acquisition

Across three generations of a behavioral-health website, I restored search visibility after a Google penalty, replaced high-risk SEO practices and low-quality content, and rebuilt the experience around credibility, accessibility, and prospective-patient needs.

Project Overview

I led a multi-year digital transformation for a behavioral healthcare organization, redesigning and developing multiple generations of its WordPress website while supporting marketing, admissions, and patient-acquisition goals. The work included recovering organic visibility after a Google penalty, replacing harmful SEO practices and low-quality content, and improving the pre-admission experience for prospective patients and their families. I also helped connect the website experience with call tracking, CRM workflows, and internal operations to create a more credible and cohesive path from initial research to treatment.

WordPress Pagelines Page Builder Bootstrap HTML/CSS/PHP/Javascript Technical SEO End-to-End SEO Content Strategy Information Architecture Brand Identity Design

Challenge

The organization’s digital presence had been weakened by outdated websites, inconsistent content, harmful SEO practices, and a Google penalty that reduced organic visibility. Prospective patients and their families were often searching for help during stressful, time-sensitive situations, yet the online experience did not provide a clear or credible path from initial research to contacting admissions. The challenge was to restore search performance and trust while creating a more cohesive experience across the website, marketing content, call tracking, CRM workflows, and operational teams.

The organization faced a weakened digital presence due to outdated websites, inconsistent content, harmful SEO practices, and a Google penalty. The goal was to restore search performance and trust while creating a cohesive online experience for prospective patients and their families.

My Skills

Applied WordPress development, responsive web design, information architecture, technical SEO, content strategy, CRM and call tracking integration, and creative direction.

WordPress

Designed, developed, and maintained responsive WordPress websites across multiple iterations of the organization’s digital presence.

Pagelines Page Builder

Built and maintained responsive WordPress page layouts using the PageLines visual page-building framework.

Bootstrap

Used Bootstrap to create responsive, mobile-friendly layouts and maintain visual consistency across the website.

HTML/CSS/PHP/Javascript

Used custom HTML, CSS, PHP, and JavaScript to extend WordPress, refine page layouts, and create responsive interactive experiences.

Technical SEO

Identified and corrected technical SEO problems that contributed to a Google penalty, helping restore organic search visibility.

End-to-End SEO

Managed SEO from technical remediation and keyword strategy through content development, on-page optimization, implementation, and performance monitoring.

Content Strategy

Restructured and developed content around prospective patients’ questions, emotional needs, and journey from initial research to contacting admissions.

Information Architecture

Reorganized navigation and content hierarchies so patients and families could find treatment information and take the next step more easily.

Designing a More Credible Path to Care

Morningside’s digital presence extended well beyond its primary treatment website. I supported a portfolio of specialized web properties that included Discovery Houses for sober living, Spectox Laboratories, and a dedicated Bipolar Treatment Center, each serving a distinct audience while connecting people with appropriate services and support. At the same time, Hasinai Ranch—a higher-end recovery center outside Austin, Texas—was in development and required its own emerging brand identity and digital direction.

Across these properties and multiple website iterations, I worked to make complex treatment information easier to understand, establish credibility, and create clearer paths to insurance verification, admissions, and direct support. The examples below show how the broader digital experience evolved across treatment programs, supporting services, content campaigns, and new recovery brands.

Morningside Recovery v3 Website: Built with the PageLines page builder, Version 3 introduced a clearer treatment-content hierarchy, prominent admissions and insurance-verification paths, and a responsive structure designed to help patients and families find information and take action quickly.

First Responder Treatment Campaign: Through a paid-content partnership with the Los Angeles Times, we extended our first responder addiction-treatment campaign beyond the organization’s website. The campaign connected educational content about occupational trauma and addiction with specialized treatment resources and a direct path to admissions.

Sugar Is the New Cocaine Blog and Social Media Post: Working with our in-house content writer, I guided the development of “Sugar Is the New Cocaine” to connect addiction education with growing public interest generated by documentaries such as *Fed Up* and *Sugar Coated*. It became our most popular blog post, generated multiple phone inquiries, and directly contributed to two treatment admissions.

Morningside Campaign Graphics and Brand Development: In addition to the website work, I expanded into campaign graphics and brand development. I created the *Morningside’s Got Talent* graphic, the Adventure Program logo, and the visual identity and promotional concept for Hasinai Ranch, a planned recovery center outside Austin, Texas.

Four Generations of the Website: My role expanded substantially across four generations of the organization’s primary website. I began by troubleshooting the original site, repairing issues caused by data corruption, and making minor content and design updates. Version 2 was developed as a rapid replacement for the unstable original experience.For Version 3, I took direct ownership of the website’s design and development, building it myself with assistance from a small support team. By Version 4, my responsibilities had grown from individual contributor to digital team lead. I hired and managed two developers, a content writer, an SEO specialist, and a social media specialist, directing the broader strategy and coordinating the website, content, search, and social channels.

Discovery Houses: Built with the same PageLines framework, the Discovery Houses website gave Morningside’s sober-living program a distinct identity while clearly presenting its men’s and women’s residences, amenities, and direct 24/7 contact path.

Bipolar Treatment Center:This specialized website extended the organization’s digital strategy to people seeking treatment for co-occurring bipolar disorder and addiction. It combined targeted educational content with prominent insurance verification, inclusive program information, and a direct contact path for prospective patients and families.

A Unified Patient Journey: I designed and built the Version 3 homepage using WordPress and PageLines, with support from a small production team. The modular experience brought treatment programs, locations, blog content, insurance verification, accreditation, and a direct assessment form together in one responsive journey—giving prospective patients and families several clear paths to learn more and contact admissions.

Improved Structure and Clearer Paths

I reorganized the homepage around the questions prospective patients and families were most likely to ask: what treatment was available, where care was provided, what made the organization different, and how to get help. Clear navigation, scannable program sections, current educational content, insurance verification, and a direct assessment form created a more understandable path from initial research to contacting admissions.

Better Content and a Stronger Search Foundation

I replaced thin, inconsistent, and search-driven copy with clearer content organized around treatment options, patient questions, and admissions needs. Working with an in-house writer, I strengthened core service pages, expanded useful educational content, and aligned page structure, metadata, internal linking, and keywords with sustainable SEO practices—helping rebuild credibility with both prospective patients and search engines.

Clearer Paths to Admissions

Because visitors arrived with different levels of urgency and readiness, I created several clear ways to begin the admissions process. Prominent phone numbers, insurance verification, treatment and location information, and a direct assessment form allowed prospective patients and families to choose the next step that felt most appropriate—without having to search through the site for help.

Building Trust at a Critical Moment

People researching addiction treatment are often making urgent decisions while experiencing fear, uncertainty, or emotional exhaustion. I strengthened trust by making accreditation, accepted insurance providers, treatment options, facility locations, staff expertise, and inclusive programs more visible. Clear language and direct access to help made the organization feel more credible, transparent, and prepared to support patients and their families.

Distinct Programs for Different Needs

Rather than presenting treatment as a single, standardized experience, I gave greater visibility to the programs and services that addressed different patient needs. Pet-friendly treatment, LGBTQ+ inclusion, outdoor and experiential therapy, alumni support, specialized mental-health care, and multiple facility locations helped prospective patients recognize where they might feel safest, most understood, and best supported.

A Flexible, Scalable Website System

I built Version 3 as a modular WordPress system using PageLines, reusable layouts, and consistent content patterns. This allowed the team to add new treatment programs, locations, articles, campaigns, and supporting services without redesigning the site each time, while maintaining a cohesive experience as the organization’s digital portfolio continued to grow.

Version 4 — From Builder to Digital Team Lead

For Version 4, my role shifted from hands-on website production to digital leadership. I hired and managed two developers, a content writer, an SEO specialist, and a social media specialist, setting priorities and coordinating their work across the website and supporting channels. Although I did not personally design or develop the final site, I led the team responsible for its strategy, content, search visibility, implementation, and ongoing digital presence.

Version 4 — A Modern Platform with a Stronger Sense of Place

For Version 4, we replaced PageLines with a custom WordPress theme built using the Roots Sage framework. Sage introduced a more professional development workflow—including Gulp, Bower, and npm—that made the codebase more structured, maintainable, and scalable. As digital team lead, I directed the strategy and coordinated the developers, content writer, SEO specialist, and social media specialist.

I also hired photographer Ross Laurence to produce original Orange County imagery that gave the site an authentic Southern California identity. Because we marketed heavily to prospective patients in Wisconsin, the coastal environment, climate, and distance from familiar surroundings became meaningful parts of the treatment story rather than simply decorative imagery.

A fourth-generation website reflecting the recovery center's evolution with a sharper identity and modernized experience.

Services Provided

My responsibilities evolved alongside the organization’s digital presence. I began with hands-on troubleshooting, WordPress development, design, and SEO, then expanded into content strategy, user experience, branding, campaign development, and admissions optimization. By the fourth website generation, I had moved into a leadership role—building and directing a multidisciplinary digital team while coordinating the organization’s broader website, search, content, and social media strategy.

Digital strategy and project leadership
WordPress design and development
Website troubleshooting and data recovery
Information architecture and user experience
Responsive front-end development
PageLines and Roots Sage implementation
Content strategy and editorial direction
Technical and on-page SEO
Google penalty remediation
Admissions and conversion-path optimization
CRM and call-tracking coordination
Brand identity and graphic design
Photography and creative direction
Paid-content campaign development
Team recruitment and management
Cross-channel digital marketing coordination