The challenge
The client's internal portal ran on a custom PHP CMS last touched in 2016. Every content update went through a developer, page load times regularly passed 8 seconds on the office network, and there was no way to add a new announcement type without editing code.
Our approach
We mapped the existing content into a WordPress content model — announcements, policy documents and a staff directory each became their own post type, editable through the standard editor and ACF fields. The theme was built as a lightweight child theme rather than a page builder, so every template stays fast and easy to reason about.
- Content model: 3 custom post types, mapped from the old database
- Search and filtering rebuilt without a page reload
- Caching and image optimization tuned for the office network
- Editing guide handed over as a short recorded walkthrough
"We used to file a ticket to change a sentence on the homepage. Now someone on the comms team just edits it and hits publish."
Results
The rebuilt intranet now loads in under 3 seconds on the same office network, and the comms team publishes updates directly — no developer time spent on routine content changes since launch.