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Scalable solution for 10 independent media

Website: Media Development Foundation

Duration: February 2024 – ongoing

Customer location: Ukraine

Industry: Media

Services: Custom Software Development

Tech stack: UI-UX Design ● WordPress

Dedicated team behind the project

Sergii

WordPress Engineer

Yurii

WordPress Engineer

Bohdan

Frontend developer

Taras

Junior Software Engineer

Sviatoslav

DevOps Engineer

Yevheniia

Project Manager

Iryna

UI/UX Designer

Lilia

UI/UX Designer

Volodymyr

UI/UX Designer

The client

Media Development Foundation (MDF) is a Ukrainian non-profit supporting independent journalism, especially in regions affected by the war. The organization coordinates a nationwide network of 100+ media outlets and has helped launch or relaunch 20+ regional platforms in de-occupied areas. Their mission is to make credible, accessible news available across the country.

Client achievements:

Empowered a nationwide network of independent media

MDF has cultivated a community of 100 independent local media outlets across Ukraine, collectively reaching approximately 10 million unique viewers each month.

Expanded media presence in de-occupied territories

Through its initiatives, MDF has facilitated the launch or relaunch of 20 local media outlets in de-occupied or temporarily occupied regions, enhancing access to reliable information in areas most affected by conflict.

Strengthened media expertise through mentorship

The foundation has engaged over 300 experienced media professionals as mentors, experts, and trainers, contributing to the professional development and sustainability of local newsrooms.

Supported emerging journalists

Since 2014, MDF’s Journalism Experience Program has provided internships, mentorships, and training to over 1,100 young journalists, fostering the next generation of media professionals in Ukraine.

Conducted comprehensive research on local media

MDF has produced in-depth studies, such as the “State of Local News in Ukraine 2025,” offering valuable insights into the challenges and adaptive strategies of local media outlets during ongoing conflicts.

The problem

Regional media outlets in Ukraine play a critical role in informing local communities – especially during times of war, when accurate updates about safety, aid, and logistics can save lives. But many of these outlets lacked the digital infrastructure to operate effectively.

When MDF approached Ralabs, their partner outlets faced multiple challenges:

Legacy CMS platforms that were slow, outdated, or unsecure

High cost and long timelines for custom development

Overreliance on one tech person or freelancer

Editorial staff with limited technical skills

Urgent need for mobile optimization – especially during blackouts and outages

Massive content libraries – some outlets had over 20 years of archived articles, images, and metadata that had to be preserved and migrated safely

No websites – relying only on Facebook or Telegram for publishing

Our solution

Ralabs delivered a fast, scalable solution tailored for the realities of regional newsrooms. Within weeks, 10 media outlets received modern platforms built to last.

Key elements of our approach:

Custom WordPress theme built from scratch

A flexible, performance-focused foundation shared across all sites. Designed to support mobile-first layouts and strong SEO.

Standardized architecture with modular design

A component system allowed fast rollouts and editorial flexibility while preserving each outlet’s brand identity.

Multisite setup for larger outlets

One outlet (mmedia.com.ua) was developed as a multisite with 12 sub-sites under a shared admin panel.

Custom plugin for editorial tools

Developed a lightweight plugin to support donation popups and internal promotions across all sites.

Content migration & SEO preservation

All archives, images, tags, and metadata were transferred with no downtime or data loss.

Editor-friendly CMS views

A simplified admin experience built for journalists – no coding required.

Parallel workflows

Designers, frontend and backend engineers, and data migration specialists worked simultaneously to deliver fast.

Training & knowledge sharing

Teams received onboarding and post-launch support for a smooth transition.

Key features & project strengths:

Fast MVP delivery:

From briefing to design approval in 1–1.5 weeks, and from design to live site in 2–4 weeks.

Zero onboarding delay:

Our team already understood media workflows and needs – no ramp-up required.

Mobile-first, SEO-optimized:

Caching, image compression, structured markup, and AWS-based infrastructure ensured fast load times.

Real сost savings

Up to 50% lower cost compared to traditional dev due to standardized backend and reusable modules.

Minimal maintenance overhead:

Infrastructure is stable, future-ready, and doesn’t require constant fixes.

Transformation results

By May 2025, 10 regional media outlets had launched new or improved websites with Ralabs:

April 2025 audience total

1.2 million users
5+ million pageviews

Performance gains:

Load time dropped from 7s to 1.3s

“We’ve always supported independent media in Ukraine. When this initiative came up, we knew we could deliver fast and make a real difference. Each site took about 200–400 hours depending on complexity – but the outcomes speak for themselves: growing audiences, happy editorial teams, and websites that just work.”

Stasia Yasynyshyn
Head of Business Development at Ralabs

Our clients say

Total reviews

Average rating

4.9

Source

Oleksandr Pylypenko

Editor-in-Chief, Lokator Media

“Thanks to the new design and SEO setup, our traffic grew by 25%. That’s not just a number – those are new readers who now stay with us. The redesign made the site more appealing and modern. We’ve received hundreds of positive reader comments.”

Maksym Savchenko
Editor-in-Chief, Vidbudova. Zaporizhzhia

“The site looks great – that helps our content shine. Average pageviews per user grew 4x, and the custom donation tools are working really well. Our team is more motivated, and we love how flexible the new platform is.”