Instaclustr.com
PHP 8, HTML5, CSS/Sass, JS/jQuery, Bootstrap, NPM
Highlights
- Increased organic traffic by 22% in a single quarter by adapting quickly to Google's core update in June 2025
- Achieved 50% greater visibility in Google's AI mode in Q3 2025 (twice that of Amazon in October 2025)
- Instaclustr's education center traffic increased by 10x overall throughout 2025
Instaclustr is a database management company that ensures scalable, reliable data delivery and seamless integration between open source technologies. I worked to rebuild and rebrand Instaclustr's main domain for improved performance and SEO, brand alignment with NetApp, and generative engine optimization in the growing era of AI.
Netapp brand alignment
As part of an acquisition by NetApp, the site was built on a dated theme that was inflexible and poorly optimized. Before redesigning the front end, I set up a development pipeline to utilize a CSS preprocessor and other automation tools through Gulp.js, enabling me to rapidly develop styling and templating for the new theme.
The old Instaclustr theme (left) and the new rebranded theme I built (right)
I collaborated with an in-house design team to review mockups and provide developer feedback that would ensure new features were scalable and on-brand. I used the full design specs they delivered to scope and build components with Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) in a new child theme.
New components reflected NetApp's core brand with a spark of individuality
Deep experience with ACF allowed me to summarize features into repeatable sets of fields that made components both customizable for developers and straightforward for non-technical editors.
Each component features options for fine-tuning to eliminate the need for constant code deployments.
New features
Instaclustr has a robust pricing API with node costs across data centers and regions. I accessed this API with RESTful principles so that I could program an optimized pricing page that would quickly and safely serve results to users.
The previous build copied all the API's JSON into HTML on page load, creating markup that was megabytes in weight. I wrote scripts to handle API data properly for better performance.
Instaclustr.com features a documentation area that is managed by an internal developer relations team. I worked with this team during the rebrand to accommodate their feedback and ensure that their detailed work was accessible and easy to navigate within a nested sidebar menu.
Speed and performance
Prior to my work on the site, instaclustr.com was poorly-optimized and had never passed Google's Core Web Vitals. As part of the rebrand, I implemented features across the codebase that improved average page load speeds from 6-7s to 1-2s, achieving passing scores for the best rankings boost in Google's algorithm.
(left) A few lines of JS keep submenu icons from loading till the menu is opened, lowering page weight on load.(right) Due to my work in 2024, 2025 has been instaclustr.com's first passing year for Core Web Vitals.
Generative search optimization (GEO)
I worked closely with an SEO agency to optimize content across the site for LLM consumption, improving visibility across popular AI tools and boosting traffic. With my templating work and performance improvements as a foundation, the team was able to publish 10-15 keyword-focused education guides a month that tripled AI engine engagement on our site in 2025.
The template I built for education guides is optimized for LLM consumption.
While user behaviors are changing as AI tools evolve, the lightweight theme I built enabled me to quickly adapt to algorithm updates and capitalize on new trends. My work in collaboration with the team produced clear results:
- We increased organic traffic by 22% in a quarter by adapting quickly to Google's core update in June 2025
- We achieved 50% visibility in Google's AI mode in Q3 (twice that of Amazon in October 2025)
- Instaclustr's education center traffic increased by 10x overall in 2025