zola Managed Website Operations

zola is a portal built in 2016 that supports four languages, each deployed as its own module, with switching between them. When the original developer ended technical support, Xiaozhushou took over maintenance of the site.

Project situation

The site uses PHP and MySQL on the WordPress open-source framework and is a marketing site. Each of the four languages runs its own module and switching is a redirect inside the site — the advantage is that each language can be changed independently, the price is that one piece of shared logic has to be changed four times.

Scope of service

After the original team left, the new maintainer took over the day-to-day technical work: server operations, Linux system maintenance, security patching of server application software, and adaptive changes to site features within the WordPress framework.

How it was taken on

The key to managing an older site is not rebuilding it but absorbing the technical debt without taking it offline: first map how the four language modules are deployed and what depends on what, then handle patching, day-to-day operations and feature changes as three separate lines so changes do not drag one another along.

Outcome

• The four-language portal kept running after the original team left, with no downtime.
• Server and system security patching became part of routine operations, keeping risk manageable.
• Feature changes have a clear owner, and the site can keep iterating with the business.