How Moriyama Modernised Sir Robert McAlpine's Corporate Website

Sir Robert McAlpine needed to modernise its flagship corporate website as part of a wider digital transformation programme. The site ran on Umbraco 7, which had reached end of life.

The Challenge

Sir Robert McAlpine had to move off an unsupported Umbraco version within a fixed timeframe: a minimum viable product had to be live before the Umbraco 7 Extended Life Support (XLTS) deadline. The move could not disrupt the live site or lose the familiarity of the existing experience. It was also a chance to give editors a better way to manage content, refine that content and build a foundation for later phases.

The Approach

A phased MVP. Moriyama migrated the site to Umbraco 13, then the latest long-term support version, in phases. The MVP focused on essential functionality, platform stability and a more intuitive back end for editors, leaving room for enhancements on the wider transformation roadmap.

A better editor experience. The team replaced the older Umbraco Grid with the modern Block List, so editors build pages from reusable content blocks.

Platform modernisation. Hosting moved from Microsoft Azure to Umbraco Cloud, and Examine Search replaced ElasticSearch for native search. Content was audited and refined to cut complexity and match the company's strategic priorities.

A second upgrade. Ahead of Umbraco 13's end of life on 14 December 2026, Moriyama upgraded the platform again, to Umbraco 17. The move kept all existing content, caused no disruption to visitors, was delivered on time and brought security and compliance fully up to date.

The Outcome

The MVP went live ahead of the XLTS deadline, which reduced platform risk. Sir Robert McAlpine now has a modern, supported Umbraco 17 platform with a more intuitive editing experience and reusable content blocks. User engagement has increased, and site health now ranks in the top 10% of all websites. A refreshed user interface, built on the new platform, is under way.