Harvard's WordPress Success Story: Building a News Network That Serves 1.4 Million Monthly Users
A detailed analysis of Harvard Gazette's WordPress architecture and content strategy that serves millions of monthly visitors.
Our Speakers
Jeremy Fremont
Director of Business Development
Jeremy Fremont is a digital solutions expert with over 15 years of experience helping both Fortune 500 companies and emerging startups build and grow their online presence. His expertise lies in the intersection of technology, content & business processes, making him qualified to analyze industry trends and shifts. Jeremy’s background in web design, development & performance optimization for various platforms gives him valuable insights into the technical challenges faced by enterprise publishers. His passion for creating value through digital innovation and his experience in eCommerce and accessibility provide him with an understanding of the digital publishing landscape.
Vahe Arabian
Founder and Editor in Chief
Vahe Arabian is the founder of State of Digital Publishing, bringing over 15 years of expertise in digital media publishing and SEO to the table. As a seasoned consultant, Vahe specializes in helping publishers optimize their online platforms for improved performance, user engagement, and revenue growth. His data-driven approach to content strategy and SEO has assisted numerous enterprise-level publishers in navigating the ever-changing digital landscape. Vahe’s insights are informed by his deep understanding of sustainable business models for digital media and his hands-on experience with search engine optimization, information architecture, and editorial operations.
Watch Session
In this episode, Jeremy Fremont and Vahe Arabian analyze The Harvard Gazette's WordPress implementation and content distribution strategy. They explore how Harvard manages its massive network of department microsites, examine the technical architecture that serves 1.4 million monthly users, and break down the design decisions that make the platform successful.
Inside Harvard's Enterprise WordPress Architecture: Key Lessons for Digital Publishers
A detailed breakdown of Harvard Gazette's WordPress implementation, from content distribution network to performance optimization strategies.
Powering Content at Scale
Harvard Gazette's WordPress implementation drives 231K monthly organic users on their main site, while news.harvard.com pulls in 1.4M users monthly, outperforming other prestigious university news sites like Stanford and MIT by a significant margin.
Harvard's WordPress Network
The WordPress architecture connects and manages over 100 department microsites through a central installation. Their custom content syndication system automatically distributes stories across multiple department websites while maintaining consistent branding and performance.
Technical Foundation
Harvard's implementation includes dynamic image resizing and responsive design optimized specifically for mobile users. The clean navigation structure features a visually rich hamburger menu, with lightning-fast search functionality working seamlessly across all connected microsites.
Strategic Homepage Design
Harvard's homepage showcases three featured articles using custom post types, backed by an intelligent content categorization system. Their automated content refresh system adjusts featured content based on real-time engagement metrics.
Enterprise-Level Performance
Harvard implemented server-side rendering to achieve faster page loads across their network. Their custom caching system and optimized database queries handle massive traffic volumes while maintaining performance.
Multi-Site Content Management
The multi-site WordPress configuration gives departments independence while enforcing centralized style guidelines. Their automated content syndication rules, based on sophisticated category and tag systems, ensure content reaches the right audiences.