A migration that went beyond the surface
The original site was running an unsupported theme and incompatible with the latest version of PHP. The team also wanted to leave WP Engine for a more secure and stable hosting environment. We migrated I Care If You Listen to a shared WordPress multisite architecture alongside Innova and American Composers Forum, hosted on Pantheon.
Powered by Northright
We rebuilt the front end using Northright, Southleft’s in-house WordPress theme designed for performance, accessibility, and modularity. This gave the publication a fresh editorial experience and modern visual consistency across all templates.
Solving for Scale
With over 300 legacy users and thousands of archived posts, the migration required more than a simple export. We developed custom scripts and SQL commands to ensure that users, posts, and permissions remained intact after being moved into the shared database structure of WordPress multisite. We also migrated WordPress users to a dedicated custom post type to make managing editors more intuitive and scalable.
Results
The site launched on time and has seen significant improvements in performance and maintainability. Editors now have a cleaner, faster interface for publishing, and the new multisite setup provides a more secure and future-ready foundation.
Testimonial
“Everything was so smooth. You set clear expectations, respected our nonprofit budget, and managed complex feedback diplomatically. Everyone left the experience happy, which is rare. We’re so glad we’re staying with you for ongoing maintenance.
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