Who are you creating this for?
GAIA’s founder, Savannah Parks, M.S., is a fifth-generation Floridian and wetland scientist with 10 years of experience navigating complex regulatory processes.
Why does this product exist?
To position GAIA Environmental as a specialist, not a generalist consultant.
What business goals will this help accomplish?
Convert site visitors into leads through a CRM-connected contact form and chatbot & highlight each core service within its own page that can rank in search.
The client's old site looked like every other environmental consultant: bright greens, corporate blue, and generic copy. Savannah emphasized the importance of positioning GAIA as a company that "operates at the edge between development and preservation." That tension is her honest differentiator and guided our content and visual development.
01 · PLANNING
I co-led a brand discovery interview to understand Savannah's users and their individual priorities. We discussed her goals and how the website could best help her achieve them. This process helped us capture Savannah’s voice that my team could use as a framework for the website copy. We discussed the project timeline, audited the domain, set up a shared asset folder, and scheduled a field photo shoot.
Discovery & Planning
Apr 20-24
Interviews to establish client's needs and establish project scope.
Research
Apr 27 - May 01
Competitive analyses, user flow, and sitemap development
Branding & Design
May 11–15
Two revision rounds, written sign-off on copy and design
Optimization
May 11–15
Site build, SEO setup, chatbot, CRM, domain migration
Test & Launch
May 18-22
Cross-browser and mobile tests, WCAG check, walkthrough
CRM & support
Ongoing
Cross-browser and mobile tests, WCAG check, walkthrough.
02 · RESEARCH
I helped plan a 12-page structure with a services hub, then got written client approval before any copy or design began.
03 · BRANDING & DESIGN
I mapped how GAIA’s three audiences- landowners, developers, and municipalities move from first visit to inquiry, then created mid-fidelity desktop and mobile mockups for each page in Figma before translating them into their final design.
03 · BRANDING & DESIGN
The brand design was done concurrently with wireframe iteration. I gathered the logo, existing photos, and reference sites from the client. We went through two feedback and iteration sessions before deciding on a final design system.
Final Concept: “Field science designed like a magazine"
Savannah's preexisting photoshoot and branding struggled to showcase her high-level professional capability. We landed on a design system that reads as nature woven into a digital landscape, rather than an environmental brochure.
The editorial typography and harmonious color palette with muted greens, sandy white, and off-black highlight Savannah's high-level professional capability. It simultaneously reads as someone who actually spends time in the field, in line with her field imagery photoshoot.
HEADINGS
Alta Regular
Editorial yet authoritative
BODY
DM Sans
Clean and readable at every size
Primary/Headings
Deep Forest
Buttons/Accents
Olive
Supporting/Lines
Sage
Page Background
Warm Sand
Body Text
Off-Black
04 · BRANDING & DESIGN
Savannah works at the line between development and preservation. The final design leans into that tension. Every image is real photography of Savannah and Florida’s landscapes, with zero stock imagery.
04 · OPTIMIZATION
Page
Primary keyword
Search intent
Funnel Stage
Homepage
florida environmental consulting
Commercial/Local
Awareness→Consideration
About Savannah
savannah parks ecologist
Navigational/Informational
Trust
Why GAIA
free background research
Informational
Trust
Services
environmental consulting services florida
Commercial
Consideration→Decision
Wetland Delineation
wetland delineation florida
Commercial
Consideration→Decision
Environmental Permitting
environmental permitting florida
Commercial
Consideration→Decision
Threatened & Endangered Species Survey
protected species survey florida
Commercial
Consideration→Decision
Comprehensive Environmental Assessments
comprehensive environmental assessment florida
Commercial
Consideration→Decision
Certified Arborist & Tree Surveys
certified arborist tree survey florida
Commercial
Consideration→Decision
Civil Engineering & Site Design
civil engineering site design florida
Commercial
Consideration→Decision
Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessments
phase 1 environmental site assessment florida
Commercial
Decision
Contact
free land background research florida
Transactional/Local
Decision
05 · BUILD & SEO
MOBILE
Homepage
MOBILE
Service page
MOBILE
Contact + chatbot
05 · BUILD & SEO
This is an integral part of my process to ensure a successful project launch. It allows me to minimize strain and further troubleshooting during ongoing website management for both the client and me.
SEO optimization
Created and submitted a sitemap.xml and checked that all essential pages are properly indexed.
Ensured that each page had unique titles, meta descriptions, featured images, and share images set.
Verified proper semantic structure to elevate site visibility.
Set up a Google Analytics site with the team to track visitors and engagement.
Content Proofing
Proof read every page for copy errors or leftover placeholder text.
Verified that the client's contact information is accurate and up to date.
Ensured that the Privacy Policy and Terms pages were accessible.
Design Proofing
Scanned each page for any spacing, color, and font-system inconsistencies.
Checked that all images are optimized and don't look blurry or pixelated.
Made sure favicon is set and that all logos are optimized for every browser size.
Functionality
Verified that all forms were firing properly on the client's end and the users' end.
Confirmed that all navigation links, buttons, logos, and social media icons, are linking properly.
Tested chatbot functionality.
