Streamlining, scaling and saving $$$$s

The Challenge: Too many sites, too much complexity 

Picture this: a large, complex organization juggling over 100 websites across 16 different teams.

Each team was doing their own thing – some on WordPress, others on Drupal, and a bunch of other platforms too. And many without proper tech support.

Here's what they were dealing with:

• Websites that looked and worked completely differently from each other
• Heavy reliance on developers for even simple changes
• Super slow site builds and content updates
• Skyrocketing development costs
• No way to reuse content or design
• A confusing experience for visitors trying to use their sites

The Solution: One design system to rule them all

Time for a change! Their big idea? Create one shared design system that would work for all their websites.

They partnered with Squiz to bring in:

• A robust content management system
• Smart search features
• Solid data management tools
• A modular design system they could scale easily
• Plus, they added analytics tools to keep tabs on how everything was performing.

The Outcomes: Getting organized and saving big

They…

• Finally got all their websites looking and working the same way
• Saw major improvements in site traffic and user experience
• Cut down the time and money needed for each website
• Made everything more accessible for all users
• Created a system so solid it handled the huge traffic spike during COVID-19 without breaking a sweat

Here's the kicker – a marketing team that was previously held back by developer backlogs,  went from feeling technically challenged to digitally empowered.

How did they make it happen? The 6-step process

STEP 1: Discovering the Unknowns

The team dug deep to understand the full picture. What were people using their sites for? Where were the gaps? What were the biggest hurdles in providing the best experience for end users?

They discovered that instead of just focusing on the main umbrella website for the organization, they needed to focus their improvement efforts on regional sites.

After all, they uncovered, the community they serve is much more likely to rely on these for locally relevant information than a corporate site that covers issues at a state level.

They looked at what similar organizations around the world were doing to overcome the challenge of disparate sites that sat under the same umbrella brand. How were they delivering a consistent experience across them all?

They also conducted an external audit to understand the full extent of the technical challenges they were facing. Through this, they found that a lack of standardized systems was causing numerous difficulties.

In particular, a reliance on multiple CMSs was creating:

• Security risks: Without proper technical oversight, simple actions like installing new plugins could break the site or create security vulnerabilities.
• Financial risk: The inconsistent management of these platforms posed financial risks to the organization.
• Reputation risk: Technical issues and potential security breaches threatened their reputation.
• Scalability challenges: While WordPress might have been good for quick turnaround projects, it wasn't suitable for managing the majority of their digital assets efficiently.
• Consolidation difficulties: The disparate nature of these platforms made it challenging to consolidate and streamline their digital infrastructure.

Through the research phase, key high-level priorities were identified as:

• Making things easier for content teams across all sites
• Reducing the reliance and spend on developers
• Delivering better, more consistent user experiences

STEP 2: Choosing the Right Partner

Squiz was the incumbent CMS for the organization, but they had to be sure that it was the right partner for this project.

After a thorough search and inquiries into other solutions, the team chose to remain with Squiz. What won them over? The platform's ease of use, in-house support services, and the potential for major cost savings.

They adopted a collaborative model where they worked as one integrated team with Squiz. This unique approach included:

1. A combined development team
   1. Rather than the typical vendor/client relationship of having separate teams on each side, they formed a unified development team combining internal and Squiz resources
   2. They avoided the traditional "here's my spec, build it" handoff approach in favor of true collaboration
2. Shared tools & processes
   1. Worked out of the same Squiz instance
   2. Logged all tickets and managed builds together in a shared system
   3. Conducted releases as one coordinated team
   4. Used shared sprint planning and agile methodologies
3. Dedicated resources
   1. Secured dedicated developer resources from Squiz
   2. Built deep product knowledge within the Squiz team that future implementations
4. Collaborative planning
   1. Used shorter sprint cycles rather than long waterfall planning
   2. Allowed for more agile evolution and learning
   3. Enabled quick tweaking and improvements based on feedback

This integrated approach required:

• Buy-in from both organizations
• Careful planning around resource allocation
• A culture of shared ownership and responsibility across the two organizations

STEP 3: Implementing a Design System

Rather than tackling each site individually – which would be a lengthy and costly process – they got smart about it.

The team built a modular design system using Squiz's component library.

Think of it like digital building blocks – create components once, then reuse them across all sites.

They began by creating fundamental elements like buttons, links, and text styles. These basics then became the basis for bigger components like accordions and search features.

Everything was designed to be reusable across multiple sites, which was a game changer for efficiency. When they update any of these base components, the changes automatically flow through to every site using them.

This would mean faster site rebuilds for the team and easier ongoing governance at scale.

They also made sure everything was accessibility-compliant from day one, setting themselves up for long-term success.

The best part? They got it so right from the start that they haven't needed any major overhauls since.

STEP 4: Prioritizing Migration

With more than 100 potential websites to tackle, the team needed a really strategic approach to get things moving.

They identified about 50 key websites as their first wave, deliberately starting with smaller, easier projects.

This approach let them build trust and experience while testing out their design system in the real world.

Each migration taught them something new that they could apply to the next one. They were also pretty pragmatic – if they hit a roadblock with one site, they'd simply move on to the next rather than getting stuck.

This kept the momentum going while building up their experience. As they got more confident, they gradually took on larger and more complex sites.

It was a "learn by doing" approach that paid off big time.

STEP 5: Fostering Self-Reliance

The team was determined to build real internal capability rather than staying dependent on external help. They used a co-development approach that gave their team hands-on experience with Squiz right from the start.

A major focus was making sure publishers could manage their sites without constantly needing developer support.

They created simple site configuration tools and built publisher-friendly components that were actually easy to use.

The team now has access to 24/7 learning resources via Squiz to build their confidence.

What started as a project team evolved into a permanent part of the organization, growing to a team of 12 permanent staff. This transformation from project to permanent team showed just how essential their work has become.

STEP 6: Continuous Optimization

The team doesn't just launch sites and move on – they take a really thorough approach to measuring success.

After each website goes live, they conduct comprehensive 90-day reviews using a variety of tools and metrics.

They use…

• Google Analytics to understand traffic patterns
• Google Search Console to track search performance
• Hotjar to help them watch real user sessions and see exactly how people are interacting with their sites through heat mapping.

They closely monitor user feedback, satisfaction metrics, and how easily people can complete tasks.

They also keep track of cost savings and analyze how well the content is performing.

The team admits they’ve never done a 90-day review without finding ways to make things better. All these insights feed back into improving both individual sites and the overall design system, creating a continuous cycle of improvement.

From digital chaos to streamlined success

Through this practical, step-by-step approach, the organization transformed its digital presence into something that actually works for everyone – and saved a bundle doing it. Most importantly, the team is much happier with their day-to-day work now that they're not constantly fighting with their tech.

Want to see how other organizations are tackling similar challenges? Learn how marketing teams like yours are managing website with complete control and less developer bottlenecks → “The Website Transformation Playbook” for even deeper insights into accelerating your digital experiences.