Website Revamp for Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre

Project Overview

During the peak season of the tertiary admissions cycle (December - February), the website experiences an avalanche of traffic, having days when hundreds of thousands of requests are received in a few minutes.

Since the platform provides information for different audiences (parents, teachers, and applicants), the same announcements can be published multiple times under different categories. That is why every time a content change was needed, it was necessary to manually update all the pages with duplicate information.

Project Details

Industry

Education

Project Type

Website Development

Technology Used

WordPress, PHP, Custom Plugins, Load Balancing, Caching Solutions

Project Scope

Full Website Infrastructure & Plugin Development

Key Improvements

  • Load-Balanced Multi-Server Setup
  • Code/Data/Cache Optimisations
  • Reduced Plugin Overhead

Content Management Solution

Custom WordPress Plugin for Reusable Content Templates

Outcome

Faster, More Stable Website With Scalable Architecture and Efficient Content Management

The Client

Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre, also referred to as QTAC, is a centralized body that coordinates university admissions in Queensland. QTAC operates online, which is why having a reliable digital platform is a must for them. However, their website couldn’t provide smooth operations. This became a primary reason why QTAC contacted LocalTeam Australia and ordered a website revamp to overcome several shortcomings of their previous platform.

The Complexity of Managing QTAC’s Website

QTAC deals with a few unique challenges that make managing their website difficult:

  • High-Traffic Peaks
  • Content Duplication Challenges

LocalTeam’s Response to Performance and Navigation Challenges

QTAC’s old website could not handle the challenges highlighted before, so after an initial scoping session, LocalTeam developed a plan and infrastructure to transform the platform in the following way:

  • The website is now load-balanced, which helps to handle large amounts of traffic. The website runs across multiple servers to distribute user requests evenly.
  • Another important change that allows servers to handle requests faster and use fewer resources is code, data, and cache optimisation.
  • A custom WordPress plugin developed by LocalTeam resolved the issue with duplicate content management. This plugin allows for parts of a “template” to be extracted into the page, meaning the data must be created only once, and can be easily reused on multiple pages of the website.
  • Overall, the website's stability is increased by reducing reliance on a large variety of plugins. Now, the platform uses only stable options that do not slow down the website and custom plugins designed by LocalTeam that meet QTAC's requirements better than off-the-shelf products.

Ongoing Support and Lasting Results

LocalTeam continues to work with QTAC, providing support to their internal teams. We help as the website changes and ensure the platform remains updated, secure, and supported. While Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre wanted an improved platform, our cooperation resulted in a fast and stable website, along with our continued support. LocalTeam is quick to address requests, bugs, or support issues. This means that whenever QTAC needs new features or improvements, we can provide them with suitable solutions promptly.

Client's Testimonial

The success of this collaboration is best reflected in the client’s own words. Their feedback highlights not only the technical outcomes of the project, but also the strength of the partnership and the responsiveness that continues to define our work together. Below, the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre team shares their experience of working with LocalTeam.

"Glenn and his team have continued to provide exceptional service to QTAC. LocalTeam have provided support and advice to our business needs for our new website launched in 2024, and has ensured that the website functionality is always up to our standards. They continue to go above and beyond for our requests and are proactive in their responses to our enquiries. LocalTeam are always dedicated to finding a solution to every problem, and above all else, we value the open communication LocalTeam provide to QTAC."