The Challenge
IAFF’s network of websites was running on an outdated and difficult-to-manage platform. Their internal staff struggled to update content, and the system lacked support for Single Sign-On (SSO) — a critical feature for members accessing secure content.
With 12 websites in need of modernization, IAFF wanted a CMS that was both powerful and familiar. Since many of their internal teams already had experience with WordPress, it was the natural choice for the rebuild.
The Approach
Albright Labs started with an extensive discovery process, analyzing all existing sites to understand how content was structured and how best to migrate it without interrupting the user’s experience. Special attention was given to preserving SEO equity, ensuring the association didn’t lose the visibility it had built over time.
Key challenges included:
Migrating large volumes of content from 12 separate sites.
Building custom WordPress themes for each site while keeping the brand identity consistent.
Implementing SSO for members, a feature missing in the old system.
Execution & Delivery
The migration was executed in phases:
One sprint per site for 11 of the smaller websites.
Four sprints (2 months) dedicated to IAFF’s primary site due to its size and complexity.
Deliverables included:
12 fully custom WordPress themes tailored to the association’s needs.
A smooth, full content migration with SEO preservation.
Custom content management integrations to make publishing easier for staff.
Single Sign-On implementation to unify member access across sites.
Results & Impact
The transformation was immediate:
IAFF now had a network of well-organized websites, each aligned to brand but tailored to its own unique audience.
Members experienced seamless SSO access and greater site reliability, even during high-traffic events.
Staff praised the ease of publishing and content management compared to the legacy system.
The new infrastructure provided both scalability and resilience, positioning IAFF for future growth without the bottlenecks of their old CMS.
Lessons Learned
This project highlighted the balance between consistency and uniqueness: building 12 different websites that maintained a unified brand identity while still meeting the specific needs of each audience.
It also reinforced the importance of preserving SEO equity during large-scale migrations — a critical factor in protecting digital visibility for associations with established reputations.
