Website Improvement Ideas (GitHub Pages / Jekyll)

This list is prioritized for high impact with low maintenance cost.

1) Performance wins

• Compress and resize images before committing (target <250 KB for content images where possible).
• Convert large JPG/PNG files to WebP and keep originals only when needed.
• Preload only critical assets (hero image/fonts) and lazy-load everything below the fold.
• Reduce third-party script footprint (analytics/chat/widgets) unless they provide clear value.

2) Better content UX

• Add a clear homepage value proposition: who you are, what you work on, and what to click first.
• Add featured projects/publications on the homepage with one-line outcomes.
• Add a Now / Updates section to keep the site feeling current.
• Add CTA buttons on About page (CV, email, Google Scholar, GitHub).

3) SEO and discoverability

• Fill description, social.links, and author academic profiles in _config.yml.
• Add custom Open Graph image and per-page descriptions.
• Ensure each page has one strong H1 and descriptive titles.
• Submit sitemap to Search Console and validate indexing.

4) Code quality and maintenance

• Keep content metadata consistent (title/date/venue/citation schema).
• Add a lightweight CI workflow for jekyll build and link checks.
• Document publishing workflow in README (new post, new publication, deploy checks).
• Periodically remove stale draft/template pages from navigation.

5) Accessibility

• Audit and improve alt text quality (descriptive, not generic).
• Verify color contrast and keyboard focus visibility.
• Ensure links/buttons have clear accessible labels.

6) Useful next automation

• Add an image optimization script (batch WebP + dimension checks).
• Add a pre-commit hook for front matter validation.
• Add a script to warn about missing description, teaser, and alt text.