Website Brief

Overview

Better Without is my personal blog, I wanted it to be educational as well as focused on our clean lifestyle based in Ireland. It is rooted in intentional living, gentle homeschooling, wellness, and family life. The blog documents our real-life experiences as a homeschooling family in Ireland. I share thoughtful reflections, practical resources, and seasonal rhythms that support learning and wellbeing.

Better Without was created to inspire families — especially homeschooling parents — to slow down, reconnect with nature, prioritise wellness, and make conscious choices about how they live, learn, and choose a cleaner beauty regime. The blog blends storytelling with educational content, focusing on learning without pressure, wellness without perfection, and family life without excess.

All content is written from lived experience, with a warm, honest, and relatable tone. The aim is not to present an idealised lifestyle, but a realistic and flexible approach to family life, education, and wellbeing.

Type of Site

Content-led Blog / Lifestyle & Education Platform

Better Without functions primarily as a blog, supported by educational resources, affiliate recommendations, and community-driven content. It is not a brochure site, but more so like a journal designed to inform, inspire, and support families.

Clear Objectives & KPIs

1. Build Brand Authority & Trust

Position Better Without as a trusted voice in homeschooling in Ireland, wellness-focused family life, and intentional living.

KPIs:

  • Growth in organic search traffic
  • Branded search queries (“Better Without homeschool”, “Better Without Ireland”)
  • Backlinks from homeschooling, wellness, and parenting platforms
  • Time spent on key cornerstone posts

2. Grow and Engaged Community

Create a loyal audience of readers who return regularly, engage with content, and interact via email and social media.

KPIs:

  • Blog comments and social media engagement
  • Email newsletter subscribers and open rates
  • Returning visitors vs new visitors
  • Saves, shares, and clicks on social platforms

3. Drive Sustainable Website Traffic

Increase monthly traffic through SEO, social sharing, newsletters, and referrals.

KPIs:

  • Monthly sessions and unique users
  • Traffic source breakdown (organic, social, referral, direct)
  • Top-performing landing pages
  • Click-through rates from newsletters and social posts

Target Audiences

1. Homeschooling Families

  • Parents homeschooling children aged 4–12
  • Based mainly in Ireland, with international reach (US mainly)
  • Seeking flexible, seasonal, nature-based learning ideas
  • Interested in emotional wellbeing, gentle routines, and real-life learning

Why they use the site: to find relatable homeschool inspiration, curriculum ideas, wellness strategies, and reassurance that learning doesn’t need to be rigid.

2. Wellness & Conscious Living Parents

  • Parents interested in natural remedies, emotional wellbeing, slow living
  • Seeking alternatives to overconsumption and pressure-driven parenting

Why they use the site: for wellness ideas, natural learning approaches, mindful product recommendations, and lifestyle inspiration.

3. The Curious Parent / Educator

  • Teachers, childminders, educators
  • Parents curious about homeschooling
  • Looking for alternative education inspiration

Why They Use the Site: to explore homeschooling ideas without commitment and gather creative learning approaches

Functionality

HOMEPAGE

  • Clear introduction to the blog’s values and purpose
  • Featured posts (homeschooling, wellness, seasonal learning)
  • Call-to-action: newsletter sign-up
  • Highlighted collaborations or resources

BLOG

  • Categorised posts (Homeschooling, Wellness, Seasonal Learning, Travel & Learning)
  • SEO-optimised long-form articles
  • Clean reading experience

NEWSLETTER

  • Email sign-up integration
  • Prominent pop up with CTA across the site

SEARCH FUNCTION

  • Allows readers to find specific topics easily (e.g. “wellness week”, “fall homeschool”)

ABOUT

  • Introduces the blog, its objectives
  • Includes internal links
  • Like and Share

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

  • Fully mobile-responsive design
  • Enhanced loading times with optimised images
  • SEO-optimised structure and content
  • Google Analytics and console integration
  • Newsletter and Email marketing widget

FUTURE POTENTIAL FEATURES

  • Downloadable resources (printables, planners, unit studies)
  • Paid memberships or learning bundles
  • E-commerce integration for digital products

REFERENCE & INSPIRATION SITES

Inspiration Sources

What inspires Better Without:

  • Keeping track of what we are doing as a homeschooling family
  • Authentic storytelling
  • Provide educational resources and tips to help fellow homeschoolers and anyone conscious of what they put on their skin

What Better Without aims to avoid:

  • Cluttered layouts
  • Perfection-driven narratives

Visual & Content Style

  • Natural, calm colour palette
  • Minimalist layout with warm imagery
  • Real-life photography over stock images
  • Conversational, reflective writing style
  • Educational but approachable tone