When the Parksville Downtown Business Association(PDBA) approached Websites Made With Love, their goal was to create a vibrant, welcoming digital space that felt like the heart of downtown Parksville ,more than just an organizational site but a visitor-friendly guide.
The existing site felt rigid and overly branded as an association, lacking the energy and ease that casual visitors and tourists expect.
Parksville Downtown was incorporated as a not-for-profit Society in 2006 to administer Parksville’s downtown Business Improvement Area (BIA).
Lack of Organization
The previous website felt like an internal tool rather than a visitor guide. Menus like “Member Benefits” and “Board & Staff” missed the mark for travelers looking for shops, dining, or events.
Static Experience, No Movement
With no dynamic elements—video, motion, or animated slides—the site lacked engagement. The hero section was static, and the directory and about pages felt flat and uninspired.
No Way to Highlight or Schedule Promotions
The previous homepage had no way to automatically feature local businesses or tie promotions to a schedule, which limited how the team could spotlight businesses throughout the season.
Working closely with PDBA leadership, we redesigned the site to feel like a tourism-first experience—clean, content-forward, and visually inviting:
The new Parksville Downtown site feels alive and pedestrian-friendly, just like the downtown itself. Visitors can breathe in the charm, browse shops and eateries, and get a sense of the community’s vibrancy without wading through organizational pages.
The slideshow and video invite exploration, while the directory layout and event teasers provide clear discovery paths. The refreshed design aligns perfectly with PDBA’s vision for a rebrand: energetic, clean, and visitor-first, ready to grow with new signage and colour updates when the time comes.
