migration

1. Project Background & Overview

For nearly a decade, the Homeless Hub team from York University operated its homelesshub.ca platform, the leading resource for homelessness research and studies website on Drupal 7. However, with evolving needs, the platform became less suitable. The primary issues were a slow-loading website, lack of design flexibility, and an outdated search system, as well as a heavy backend system.

The Homeless Hub wanted a more intuitive and flexible platform that could provide a simplified backend for editors, options to create pages and sections independently, improved SEO and advanced search, plus a new, modern design to match their branding, as homelesshub.ca is their flagship site. The goal was to migrate from Drupal to WordPress while addressing these challenges.

2. Challenges Faced

Migrating such a large-scale website, with over 30,000 resources and more than 10,000 contributor profiles, posed several challenges:

• Complex Content Types: The site hosted diverse resources such as books, reports, toolkits, factsheets, journals and more, all with connected taxonomies and custom fields.
• Taxonomy and Custom Field Remapping: The existing taxonomies and custom fields required reorganization to improve efficiency and ease of use for editors.
• Search Functionality: An advanced custom search was needed to handle the volume of resources while offering granular filtering options. The old search engine was slow and not pulling relevant results.
• Design Precision: A pixel-perfect design had to be implemented, ensuring a modern, user-friendly interface and interaction.
• URL Structure and SEO: Some URL structures needed to be maintained, while others had to be improved, requiring careful redirection to ensure no loss of traffic. SEO improvements were also essential.

3. Solution & Execution

Our approach to the migration was carefully planned to ensure seamless execution:

• Migration Process: We used a combination of third-party plugins and custom scripts to migrate all resources, contributor profiles, databases, and large amount of files from Drupal to WordPress.
• Taxonomy Remapping: Custom-coded taxonomies were created to match the new improved structure and existing and new fields added using Advanced Custom Fields (ACF). We combined and remapped taxonomies during the import process, reducing the number of fields and simplifying the backend for editors.
• Custom Search with Algolia: To address the need for advanced search, we integrated Algolia, creating a granular index with custom filters based on taxonomies and fields. This was seamlessly integrated into WordPress using a custom plugin to ensure fast and accurate search results.
• Design Implementation: We developed a design system in collaboration with the Homeless Hub team. Using the Divi theme, we redesigned the entire site, ensuring a modern, user-friendly interface. Rigorous testing was done across platforms (Mac, Windows) and devices (desktop, mobile) to ensure pixel-perfect design consistency.
• URL and SEO Enhancements: Resource URLs were kept intact, while new URLs were created for blogs and taxonomies. We implemented Yoast for SEO improvements and made careful redirections to ensure SEO optimization and traffic retention.
• Custom Plugins: We developed several custom plugins, including ones for fields ordering and taxonomy hierarchy management, and another for managing books with chapters and sub-chapters.

4. Unique Highlights

Several custom solutions added exceptional value to the project:

• Custom Plugins: We created custom plugins for managing content types like books with chapters and sub-chapters, as well as for taxonomy hierarchy and field ordering.
• Search Optimization: The granular Algolia search configuration resulted in an extremely fast and accurate search experience, greatly improving user engagement with the site.
• Successful Redirects: We ensured that all necessary URL redirects were in place, maintaining SEO rankings and avoiding any broken links.
• SEO Performance: Compared to the metrics before migration, the website traffic has drastically improved and the Google indexing as been extremely fast. According to GA, clicks and impressions spiked in number of days.

5. Results & Impact

The website migration resulted in significant improvements:

• Smoother Performance: The new site runs much more efficiently, with faster load times and enhanced usability.
• Simplified Backend: The backend is now intuitive, allowing editors to easily create and edit content, as well as create custom pages independently.
• Search Efficiency: Integrating Algolia greatly enhanced the search experience. The new search is now faster, more accurate, and provides users with real-time results from the vast 30,000-resource library. Users can easily filter results by various criteria, making it far easier to find relevant information quickly. This upgrade has improved accessibility and usability for researchers, policymakers, and the public.
• SEO Boost: By utilizing Yoast SEO, the website saw a significant rise in organic traffic and search rankings. Optimized content, proper URL redirects, and better site structure all contributed to this improvement. The site’s faster loading times have also positively impacted user retention, as visitors are more likely to stay and engage with the content.
• Enhanced User Experience (UX): The site is now faster, mobile-friendly, and easier to navigate. The updated design ensures a seamless experience across devices, while the simplified backend allows the Homeless Hub team to manage content more efficiently. The new platform provides a smoother, more responsive browsing experience, supporting the organization’s mission of making homelessness research more accessible.

Homeless Hub WP Website Launch

6. Conclusion

The Homeless Hub website migration from Drupal 7 to WordPress was a resounding success, achieving all of the client’s key objectives. The transition to a more flexible, user-friendly platform has empowered the Homeless Hub team to independently manage and update their site, while users enjoy a smoother, faster experience with enhanced search functionality. The project highlights the importance of meticulous planning, custom solutions, and collaboration to overcome the challenges of large-scale website migration.

With an improved design, better performance, and significantly increased traffic thanks to enhanced SEO, the new Homeless Hub website is well-positioned to continue providing vital resources and information for years to come. This project demonstrates the transformative power of a well-executed migration, where technology, design, and functionality come together to create a more efficient and user-focused platform.

Introduction

The Homelessness Learning Hub (HLH) is a project started by the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and is funded by the Government of Canada. It serves as an important resource for professional growth and strengthening community efforts in Canada’s sector that helps the homeless. The HLH provides training and materials that are based on the best methods and research with solid evidence. To improve its online learning, the HLH needed significant changes and were looking for a solid LMS system to meet their needs. Working with VerticalWave Solutions, we have been partners for many years and on many projects. Our goal was to create an engaging online platform that follows the newest standards in UI/UX design.

Challenge

The current HLH platform was created using Drupal 7, which is now old and doesn’t have the latest UI/UX design or the flexibility we wanted for a good learning experience. Our task was to update the Learning Management System (LMS). We didn’t just plan to start over, but to make it better and bigger. Our goals included adding new features, giving access to new tools, and organizing the content (like trainings, resources, and categories) to make it easier to find. We also wanted to keep the existing user database safe.

Analysis

Our collaborative analysis with HLH identified the essential attributes for a state-of-the-art Learning Management System:

• A lightweight infrastructure capable of supporting a vast user base without compromising performance.
• An intuitive LMS that facilitates easy access to content and tools, ensuring a logical progression through training materials.
• Effective content and user management capabilities.
• The flexibility to incorporate future enhancements without the need for extensive coding.
• Bilingual support, alongside custom content types, taxonomies, and functionalities.
• Advanced search and filtering options.
• Economically viable development and maintenance costs.

Solution

As experts in WordPress development, we saw its potential to better serve the HLH’s needs, offering improvements over Drupal in security, flexibility, and cost savings. We looked at various LMS options that work with WordPress and chose LearnDash for its wide range of course management tools. We also used the BuddyBoss theme and platform for its features in user sign-ups, profile handling, and tracking progress.

Our team carefully set up the WordPress system, BuddyBoss theme, and LearnDash LMS, adding special content types like collections, courses, and resources. We moved all the data from Drupal to the new WordPress LMS. This included courses, lessons, resources, collections, over 1500 users, and related media. After moving the data, we added custom UX/UI improvements and other specific features the client wanted.

Results

Launched in 2021, the Homelessness Learning Hub, powered by WordPress and enhanced with the BuddyBoss Pro theme/platform and LearnDash LMS, has evolved into a premier online training platform. It now boasts a rich array of content and advanced features, catering to the diverse needs of its users. Following several updates focused on improving visuals, UI/UX, and core functionalities, the platform has seen its user base grow from 1500 to over 8000.

VerticalWave Solutions remains committed to providing continuous support and updates, ensuring the HLH LMS remains at the forefront of online education in the homeless-serving sector.This case study exemplifies the transformative power of WordPress and LearnDash in creating an engaging, efficient, and accessible online learning environment.