A fully custom WordPress theme for an independent training consultancy specialising in LDSS funding, apprenticeships, commercial training, and Oliver McGowan mandatory training — with a distinctive scallop header, animated sections, and a DNS migration that kept Microsoft 365 email running throughout.
Emma Khan runs The Links Training & Consultancy — an independent consultancy helping Health & Social Care employers access funded training through the LDSS Funding Scheme, apprenticeships, commercial programmes, and Oliver McGowan mandatory training. Emma's value is her expertise and her network: she knows the funding landscape, knows the providers, and gets employers the right training at the right cost — often free.
The challenge was building a site that made that proposition immediately clear. Emma isn't a training provider — she's the person who navigates the system on your behalf. Every page had to communicate that clearly, build trust quickly, and push visitors to get in touch with Emma directly rather than looking elsewhere.
The brief covered a full custom WordPress theme with a distinctive brand identity, a suite of service pages each with full schema markup and SEO structure, a partner network page to attract training providers into Emma's ecosystem, and a seamless DNS migration from GoDaddy that preserved the existing Microsoft 365 email setup throughout.
The palette — magenta #e0007a, navy #1a2a4a, and steel blue #4a7ab5 — was chosen to feel professional and trustworthy while standing out from the generic blue-and-white training sector aesthetic. Fraunces (a high-contrast serif) handles headlines, giving the brand a confident, premium feel. Lexend handles body text and UI elements for clean, readable copy at all sizes. The result is a brand that feels credible, modern, and distinctly Emma's.
One of the most distinctive elements of the site is the scallop header — a custom CSS design where the logo badge drops below the header bar into a circular element, clipped to show only the portion below the line. On desktop the brand name is split either side of the logo: "The Links Training" in magenta on the left, "& Consultancy" in steel blue on the right. Built entirely in CSS with clip-path and box-shadow — no images or JavaScript required.
Each service has its own dedicated page built to rank and convert — LDSS Funding, Apprenticeships, Commercial Training, Oliver McGowan Training, Courses, and Partners. Every page follows the same structural discipline: clear hero, stats bar, content sections, FAQ accordion with FAQPage schema, and a magenta CTA strip. Service schema, BreadcrumbList schema, and Organisation schema run across the full site. The LDSS page in particular is a comprehensive hub — stats, course grid, eligibility checker, and full FAQ — targeting employers searching for LDSS funding by name.
Skills for Care confirmed that Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training is eligible for LDSS funding in 2026–27 — a significant commercial opportunity. We built a dedicated page positioning Emma as the expert guide for employers navigating their Oliver McGowan compliance obligations. The page explains Tier 1 and Tier 2, the funding eligibility, and the retrospective claim opportunity — all without giving away detailed pricing, keeping the enquiry flowing to Emma.
The domain was registered with GoDaddy and using Microsoft 365 for email. Rather than switching nameservers — which would have replaced GoDaddy's entire DNS zone — we used the A record and CNAME method: updating only the A record to point to the Hostinger server IP, leaving all Microsoft 365 MX, CNAME, SPF, DKIM, and SRV records completely untouched. Email continued working throughout. The site was live within an hour of the DNS change with zero email downtime.
Training Consultancy Website Case Study: This case study details how Mako Digital designed and built a custom WordPress website for The Links Training & Consultancy, an independent Health & Social Care training consultancy based in Wigan run by Emma Khan. The project included a fully bespoke WordPress theme with a magenta, navy and steel blue palette, Fraunces and Lexend typography, a custom scallop header, animated hero sections, and a full suite of service pages covering LDSS funding, apprenticeships, commercial training, Oliver McGowan mandatory training, courses, and a partner network.
The project also covered SMTP2GO email configuration for reliable contact form delivery, DNS migration from GoDaddy using the A record and CNAME method to preserve Microsoft 365 email throughout, Service and FAQPage schema markup across all pages, Google Search Console verification, and SSL installation via Hostinger. Every Mako Digital project includes our 10-point delivery checklist covering design, lead handling, domain setup, email, security, SEO, performance, analytics, and ongoing support.
Whether you're a training provider, consultancy, or professional service — we'll build a site that positions you properly and drives real enquiries.