Taiwan West Coast Development Association Web🌐
Project Links
🌐 Website: Taiwan West Coast Development Association Website
Project Overview
As a technology volunteer for the Taiwan West Coast Development Association (台灣西海岸發展協會), I architected and maintained the organization’s official website. This is a completely free-cost web project that leverages open-source tools and free services with fundamental-to-intermediate web technologies, providing the association with a stable and easy-to-maintain online information platform.
Role and Responsibilities
- Technology Volunteer: IT support for the association
- Website Architect: Planning and building the foundational website structure
- Frontend Customization: Basic HTML and CSS adjustments
- Content Quality Assurance: Ensuring accurate information is transmitted across the internet
Technology Stack (All Free and Open Source)
| Item | Technology | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Static Site Generator | Hugo | Free |
| Version Control | GitHub | Free |
| Hosting Platform | Cloudflare Pages | Free |
| Frontend Development | HTML / CSS | Free |
| Architecture Type | Static Site | Free |
Core Features
1. Light and Dark Theme Toggle
Users can choose between light and dark themes based on preference. The theme switching is implemented through simple CSS variables.
2. Dynamic News Updates
A news section on the homepage allows the association to easily publish announcements and event information through Hugo’s content management system.
3. Beautiful Web Design
Utilizing fundamental modern design principles to ensure the website displays and functions properly across mobile, tablet, and desktop devices.
4. Member Information Directory
A dedicated members page that organizes and showcases team member information, enhancing organizational transparency.
5. Embedded Interactive Map
A map feature that visually displays the association’s service area and key regions of focus.
6. News and Media Library
A dedicated section that collects related news coverage, building a repository of media records and organizational credibility.
Website Navigation Structure
The website’s navigation menu is clear and comprehensive, covering eight main functional sections:
- Home: Organization introduction and key information
- Latest News: Dynamic announcements and event information
- About: Association background and mission
- Members: Team member introductions
- Activities: Events and activities hosted by the association
- News: Media coverage and news articles
- Contact Us: Communication channels and forms
- Donations: Donation and sponsorship options
Cost Advantages
The defining characteristic of this project is that it is completely free:
No Server Costs: Cloudflare Pages provides completely free static website hosting with no monthly or annual fees.
No Domain Costs: Integrated with Cloudflare’s free DNS service.
No Database Costs: Static websites require no database; all content is stored as files in GitHub.
No Complex Maintenance Costs: No need to purchase expensive servers, CDN services, or monitoring tools.
Perfect for Non-Profits: All resources are open-source and free software, fully complying with non-profit organizations’ budget constraints.
Appropriate Technology Difficulty
The technologies used in this project are all fundamental-to-intermediate level:
- Hugo provides ready-made themes and templates
- GitHub and Cloudflare Pages integration is straightforward—simply push code for automatic deployment
- HTML/CSS adjustments are basic web development skills, requiring no complex backend logic
- No need to learn complicated frontend frameworks or server management
Anyone with basic web knowledge can take over and maintain the project.
Project Structure and File Management
Website content is organized through a clear folder structure that allows association staff to easily edit content:
content/
├── _index.md # Homepage content
├── authors/ # Member information
├── contact/ # Contact information
├── donate/ # Donation page
├── event/ # Event information
├── news/ # News and media
├── newest/ # Latest updates
├── opportunities/ # Other opportunities
├── privacy.md # Privacy policy
└── terms.md # Terms of use
All content is stored in Markdown format, requiring no code writing. Association members can easily edit and update content.
Next Phase: Analytics and Optimization
This project has built-in space for subsequent data analysis and search engine optimization, which can be handed over to the association’s marketing team:
Google Analytics Integration
- Task: Set up Google Analytics tracking code to monitor visitor numbers, traffic sources, page duration, and other metrics
- Purpose: Understand user behavior and optimize website content and navigation
- Responsible Party: Association marketing team
SEO Optimization Research and Implementation
- Task: Conduct keyword research, optimize page titles and descriptions, and improve website structure
- Purpose: Increase the association’s website visibility in search engines, attracting more potential members and supporters
- Specific Directions:
- Optimize Meta tags and Open Graph information for each page
- Create content aligned with search intent
- Build a strong internal linking structure
- Monitor keyword ranking performance
- Responsible Party: Association marketing team
Continuous Improvement
The marketing team can regularly adjust website content and structure based on Analytics data feedback to continuously enhance online impact.
Practical Outcomes
This project demonstrates how to build a professional online information platform for a non-profit organization with minimal cost using open-source and free tools. Without complex technology, it achieves:
- Accurate and timely information delivery
- Good user experience across devices
- An architecture that is easy to maintain and extend
- Zero-cost ongoing operations
The technical foundation is complete, with analysis and optimization work easily handed off to the marketing team.
This project is continuously maintained. Feedback and suggestions from association members are welcome.