SG Analytics 2x Performance Upgrade: Custom CMS to WordPress in Just 12 Weeks

WPoets aimed to deliver pixel-perfect development, unmatched performance, and seamless DevOps integration for SGAnalytics’ cutting-edge website.

The project was conducted in an agile-based flow and delivered within timelines agreed upon.

1. Discovery and Collaboration
   • We partnered closely with SG Analytics to create a detailed execution plan that adhered to the defined timeline.
   • Through stakeholder interviews, we identified key challenges, including SEO migration concerns, performance bottlenecks, and scalability limitations, which were crucial to improving time-to-market.
   • The launch deadline was set for 12 weeks, and our team worked backwards from the timeline to determine the resources and processes required to deliver a 1,200+ page website on schedule.
   • While the design was provided by the client, WPoets was responsible for end-to-end WordPress development, testing, UAT, and post-launch maintenance.
2. Website Architecture
   • Website architecture was a major component of the new website, as the architecture was carefully planned by the client’s marketing team.
   • The new information architecture introduced a three-level hierarchy (Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3) specifically for industry verticals, allowing for more structured content discovery. Other content types followed a two-level deep content silo, maintaining clarity without unnecessary complexity.
   • The “Industries” section was completely revamped, both in content and layout, to reflect the company’s AI-first positioning and offerings.
   • For other content types, the content remained largely the same, but the layouts were redesigned from scratch to align with the new brand identity and design system.
   • We implemented a mega menu to accommodate the expanded depth and breadth of the website, particularly across industry and service offerings. This provided users with intuitive, frictionless navigation across the entire site.
3. Pixel-Perfect Custom WordPress Development
   • Our team built 70+ unique templates and hundreds of Gutenberg blocks on a WordPress theme that precisely matched the client’s brand language.
   • We brought the design to life exactly as envisioned by the design and marketing teams, without relying on bloated theme builders.
   • Subtle animations and thoughtful interactions were added across the website to make the experience more engaging while keeping performance fast and smooth.
   • Reusable Gutenberg blocks were developed for hero banners, accordions, feature blocks, and data cards.
   • These components were built using Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), enabling the marketing team to dynamically create layouts without compromising consistency.
   • The client is currently running over 150 LinkedIn ad campaigns on various ad-specific landing pages and industry-specific pages.
4. Content Migration from a Non-WordPress Platform
   • We migrated over 700+ resources across various content categories, including case studies, newsletters, events, white papers, press releases, media coverage, and blog articles.
   • Blogs
     • A custom XML file was generated to automate the blog migration process into the new WordPress instance.
     • The majority of the blogs were migrated along with metadata and both featured and content images.
     • For blogs where images failed to upload, we wrote a custom script to identify missing media files and automatically re-upload them.
     • Permalinks (URL structures) were retained from the old site to ensure SEO continuity—no default WordPress slugs were used.
     • Original publish dates were preserved, including backdated entries where relevant.
   • News & Media / Press Releases
     • Published dates were carefully preserved for both media coverage and press releases.
     • Content for media coverage and press releases was migrated manually to match the new reusable Gutenberg layout blocks. This required copy-pasting from the live site to ensure consistency with the new design.
   • Case Studies
     • The majority of legacy case studies were archived, while several were rewritten and optimized to reflect the client’s AI-first positioning.
     • A robust filtering system was implemented, enabling users to search case studies by 8+ industries and 4+ capabilities.
   • White Papers
     • White paper content was manually migrated into newly designed reusable blocks.
     • Added the ability to search and filter white papers across 10+ categories, improving discoverability and UX.
   • Newsletters
     • All newsletters since 2021 (starting from Issue 1 to the latest Issue 16) were migrated and published with their original dates.
5. Maintaining SEO settings
   • Over the past five years, the client has built a robust, technically sound SEO foundation. It was critical that this effort was preserved during the migration and strategically carried forward to ensure continued growth in organic visibility.
   • With hundreds of indexed pages and a lot of structured content, preserving and enhancing SEO was non-negotiable.
   • We migrated titles, descriptions, headings (H1 to H6), alt tags, and other on-page optimizations.
   • Every legacy URL was mapped to its equivalent or improved version on WordPress. We didn’t lose any link equity during the transition.
   • Content from the legacy platform was carefully cleaned, categorized, and imported into WordPress while maintaining URL structures and SEO hygiene.
   • Internal links were preserved and, where appropriate, enhanced to strengthen site architecture and improve crawlability.
   • We actively monitored crawl errors, indexing issues, and keyword performance via Google Search Console to ensure smooth post-launch performance.
6. Performance and Maintenance
   • Manually checking over 500 webpages for PageSpeed Insights wasn’t scalable. To solve this, we developed custom in-house scripts that automate the process, analyzing five pages at a time and generating consolidated reports.
   • By simply entering the PageSpeed Insights API key, we were able to check Core Web Vitals in bulk, saving significant time and ensuring consistent performance monitoring.
   • For page speed optimization, we implemented the following strategies:
     • Implemented lazy loading for below-the-fold images
     • Preloaded critical above-the-fold resources
     • Preloaded CSS and deferred non-critical JavaScript for faster rendering
     • Deferred third-party scripts, including Google Tag Manager, to reduce render-blocking
     • Optimized image sizes to match rendered dimensions, minimizing layout shifts
     • Implemented responsive images using srcset for mobile and high-DPI optimization