CTE Website Multisite Migration and Management
Migrated and consolidated multiple Time to Teach (CTE) regional websites into a unified WordPress multisite network, improving performance, stability, and long-term maintainability for over 300 network sites.
Technologies Used
Project Metrics
Architecture
Multisite consolidation with shared plugins and themes
Deployment
Migrated 6+ primary regional sites into a centralized multisite network
Integration
Unified content management across 300+ subsites
Performance
Reduced server load by 40%
Compatibility
All sub-sites fully responsive
Challenges
- Fragmented hosting across multiple domains and subdomains
- Duplicate plugins and conflicting themes causing instability
- Slow backend performance and editor lockups after updates
- Inconsistent layouts and widget structures across hundreds of sites
Solutions
- Consolidated multiple regional websites into a single WordPress Multisite
- Migrated and optimized a 200GB network database with custom scripts
- Created unified theme framework with reusable template files
- Rebuilt conditional widget areas for page-specific layouts
- Implemented CDN and object caching to improve load speed
- Configured MegaMenu and responsive styling for consistency
- Replaced unstable plugins with secure, well-maintained alternatives
Results
- Simplified content management for the entire CTE network
- Reduced maintenance costs and plugin conflicts
- Improved uptime and editing speed
- Stabilized backend and resolved Visual/Text editor issues
- Long-term scalable solution for ongoing educational programs
Project Overview
The CTE (Time to Teach) network maintained multiple regional websites running on fragmented hosting environments. Each site used different themes, plugin versions, and database structures — resulting in high maintenance costs, instability, and severe performance degradation.
The objective was to migrate and unify all regional sites into a single, well-structured WordPress Multisite network while maintaining each site's unique identity and data integrity.
The final multisite network consisted of over 300 subsites, weighing more than 200GB, and utilized a unified codebase for scalable management.
Key Features
- Centralized WordPress Multisite structure with shared resources
- Unified content management system for regional teams
- Optimized database for large-scale educational content
- Responsive front-end styling and mobile compatibility
- Conditional widget areas and templating for flexible layouts
- MegaMenu setup and navigation improvements
- Integrated CDN and object caching for faster load times
Architecture & Implementation
The solution involved a complete multisite architecture redesign:
- Migrated 6+ primary regional sites and their content into one network.
- Developed a new, lightweight parent theme to standardize layout and branding.
- Refactored custom widgets and conditional display logic for the new environment.
- Performed diagnostic and code cleanup of existing plugins and deprecated functions.
- Implemented responsive page templates, header/footer components, and widget areas for consistent UX across subsites.
- Configured caching, CDN integration, and Nginx optimization to handle increased traffic.
Key Innovations
Large-Scale Data Migration
A specialized migration workflow was created to safely transfer hundreds of subsites and over 200GB of content into a stable WordPress Multisite configuration without downtime.
Theme Framework Refactor
Rebuilt the Cronus-based theme into a flexible framework with modular page templates, custom widgets, and improved conditional logic.
Performance & Stability Improvements
- Reduced backend latency and fixed Visual/Text editor conflicts post-WordPress 4.3.1 updates
- Optimized query performance and implemented object caching
- Upgraded unstable plugins and standardized the plugin set across the network
Technical Excellence
Integration Architecture
- WordPress Multisite Core: Unified plugin/theme management
- PHP/MySQL Optimization: Clean queries and reduced load
- Nginx Configuration: Enhanced request handling and caching
- CDN Integration: Faster global content delivery
Scalability
Designed for ongoing growth, the multisite network supports:
- 300+ subsites under one dashboard
- Shared resources and centralized updates
- Scalable hosting architecture for future regional expansions
Implementation Results
“Anton did excellent work for us. He came up with solutions to our difficult multisite website issues. He was also patient and kind in answering all of our many questions. We enjoyed working with him!”
— Rick Dahlgren, CTE / Time to Teach (ctewebsite.com)
Business Impact
- 40% reduction in server load
- Simplified management for six regional teams
- Improved editor stability and faster publishing workflows
- Reduced operational overhead and maintenance costs
- Scalable foundation for future regional site rollouts
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