About: THIS OLD HOUSE

This Old House is an American home improvement media brand with a television series, magazine, and digital platform. The television series airs on PBS and follows residential remodeling projects.

• The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences honored This Old House and Ask This Old House with 20 Emmy® Awards.
• The shows have also received 105 Emmy® nominations.
• In July 2021, This Old House won “Outstanding Instructional and How-To Program” at the 48th Annual Daytime Emmy® Awards.

With estimated revenue exceeding $22M and approximately 150 employees, the brand maintains a significant presence across television, print, and digital media.

The Challenge: Editorial Constraints and Monetization Limitations

The Chorus CMS limited content flexibility and editorial efficiency.

The team faced several challenges:

• Inefficient content creation and editing workflows
• Limited SEO management flexibility
• Sluggish CMS performance
• Need for customizable DIY product content blocks
• Requirement for secure video authentication
• Monetization optimization through strategic ad placement

The Goal: Improve content management efficiency, strengthen SEO capabilities, increase customization flexibility, and enhance monetization without disrupting user experience.

The Solution: Enterprise Chorus-to-WordPress Migration

Multidots transitioned the website from Chorus CMS to WordPress, implementing scalable architecture and monetization enhancements.

Key Technical Implementations:

• Large-Scale Content Migration: Migrated over 10,000 posts while maintaining SEO rankings and feature integrity.
• Custom Gutenberg Blocks: Developed custom blocks replicating and enhancing Chorus functionality.
• DIY Product Blocks with Google Sheets Integration: Created customizable product blocks allowing real-time updates powered by Google Sheets.
• User Data Migration & Third-Party Integrations: Migrated user data using advanced tools and scripts with full third-party integration.
• Video Authentication System: Implemented secure video authentication to protect premium content.
• Google Ads Integration: Strategically embedded Google Ads within content to maximize monetization without disrupting user experience.
• Performance Optimization: Applied WordPress best practices including caching, optimized image handling, and streamlined code.

The Results: Performance, Engagement, and Monetization Growth

The migration delivered measurable improvements across performance and engagement metrics.

1. Performance Improvements

• 35% overall page speed improvement
• 15–20% improvement in mobile speed

2. User Experience Enhancements

• 25–30% improvement in overall user experience
• Dynamic, real-time updateable DIY product blocks
• Improved accessibility and content interaction

3. Monetization Optimization

• Increased ad revenue through strategic Google Ads placement
• Improved engagement without degrading user experience