---
title: Updating and Scaling a WordPress Multisite for a Media Group | Marco Pontili   
description: Frontend development for Gruppo HTML’s high-traffic WordPress network, serving 7M+ monthly visitors with scalable responsive UIs.   
url: https://marcopontili.com/projects/gruppo-html   
canonical: https://marcopontili.com/projects/gruppo-html   
lastmod: 2026-08-21   
author: Marco Pontili   
lang: en-US   
type: project   
---

# 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](https://marcopontili.com/assets/images/projects/htmlit/htmlit-slide-02.jpg)

Homepage of PMI.it, a major Italian business and finance news platform

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.

## Project Details

- Project: Updating and Scaling a WordPress Multisite for a Media Group
- Company: Gruppo HTML (via CodeBrain)
- Location: Rome, Italy
- Job type: Contract
- Position: Frontend Developer
- Years: 2013–2015
- Technologies: HTML5, CSS, SCSS, Vite.js, Git, GitHub, npm, JSDelivr, BrowserStack, CanIUse, CodePen