Updating and Scaling a WordPress Multisite for a Media Group

Gruppo HTML
Screenshot of the PMI.it homepage, an Italian business and finance news website
Homepage of PMI.it, a major Italian business and finance news platform
Screenshot of the HTML.it homepage, a leading Italian web development resource
Homepage of HTML.it, Italy's top web development and technology portal
Screenshot of the Motori.it homepage, an Italian automotive news and reviews website
Homepage of Motori.it, a leading Italian automotive news and reviews site

Gruppo HTML was one of Italy’s major digital publishers, operating high-traffic editorial networks in tech, IT, and automotive. The company later became part of Triboo Media.

  • 7M+Monthlyvisits
  • 50,000+Platformarticles
  • 4Editorialproperties
  • 3Devicetargets

I worked on-site in Rome for two years as a Frontend Developer (HTML/CSS), contracted through CodeBrain, contributing to the core development team. I focused on large-scale WordPress engineering and responsive frontend development for websites reaching over 7 million monthly visits.

My Role

  • Developed and maintained custom WordPress themes for content-rich news media sites with 50,000+ articles (html.it, motori.it, pmi.it, webnews.it).
  • Implemented scalable responsive UIs for mobile, tablet, and desktop.
  • Built and maintained modular CSS architectures using BEM and DRY principles.
  • Optimised performance through critical CSS strategies and reduced repaint/reflow.
  • Created reusable layout modules enabling editors to publish content reliably at scale.
  • Integrated newsletter systems and banner placements, supporting core revenue streams.
  • Migrated legacy platforms to responsive, mobile-first codebases.

Content, SEO & Analytics

  • Wrote frontend tutorials and co-authored a web design guide for HTML.it.
  • Used Google Analytics and Crazy Egg to analyse behaviour and improve UX.
  • Supported SEO strategy through metadata handling and frontend optimisation.

Impact

  • Improved performance and responsiveness across multiple high-traffic content-rich websites.
  • Reduced maintenance overhead through modular CSS and reusable templates.
  • Enhanced editorial workflows by stabilising layout components.
  • Enabled consistent UX across a broad multisite network.

What I Learned

Working on high-traffic WordPress sites taught me how to build flexible, performant frontends for content-heavy platforms. I learned to balance business needs, editorial workflows, and technical constraints.