Off-the-shelf solutions vs custom website (part 2)
Migration strategies, decision criteria and roadmap to move from an off-the-shelf solution to a custom website without losing your SEO.
After analyzing the hidden costs of off-the-shelf solutions, you're wondering how to make the transition to a custom website ? This strategic migration requires a methodical approach to preserve your assets and optimize your results.
Assess your current situation
Before undertaking any migration, a complete audit of your situation is essential.
Performance and limitations audit
Your current site reveals warning signals that must be precisely identified. Do loading times exceed 3 seconds ? Does your bounce rate exceed 70% ? These metrics indicate structural problems that only custom development can resolve. Are functional limitations becoming a barrier to your growth ? The inability to integrate your business tools or personalize the user experience signals the critical moment for migration.
Analysis of actual costs incurred
Calculate precisely your current investments :
- Cumulative subscriptions: total cost since launch
- Extensions and plugins: all paid add-ons
- Premium templates: purchased designs and themes
- Time invested: hours of configuration and maintenance
- Digital marketing: advertising budget to compensate for SEO limitations
- Missed opportunities: lost revenue due to technical constraints
Evaluation of your digital assets
Identify what can be preserved during migration. Your textual content remains your property and can be fully recovered. Your images and media, although stored on the platform, remain exportable. Your customer database, depending on platforms, can be partially recovered. However, your design, custom features and natural referencing will require strategic reconstruction.
Migration strategies according to your platform
Each platform presents technical specificities that influence the migration strategy.
Migration from WordPress
WordPress offers the most flexible migration thanks to its accessible database. Content export is done via native tools, preserving articles, pages and media. URLs can be maintained to preserve SEO. However, theme and plugin customizations require a complete overhaul. Dependency on third-party extensions disappears, replaced by optimized native features.
Migration from Wix
Wix imposes strict constraints on data export. Textual content must be recovered manually, page by page. Images require individual download. Forms and advanced features disappear completely. This migration represents an almost complete reconstruction, but frees from all technical limitations of the platform.
Migration from Shopify
Shopify allows export of products and orders via CSV, facilitating e-commerce data recovery. Product images remain accessible via their URLs. However, design and custom features require a complete overhaul. Third-party integrations must be replaced by custom solutions, often more efficient.
Migration from Squarespace
Squarespace offers limited export tools. Content can be recovered via WordPress export, but requires thorough cleaning. Galleries and portfolios require manual reconstruction. Forms and advanced features disappear, replaced by more flexible custom solutions.
Preserve your SEO during migration
Migration represents a major SEO risk that an appropriate strategy can minimize.
SEO preservation strategy
Preserving your SEO requires a rigorous technical approach :
- Complete URL mapping: each old URL redirected to its new version
- Permanent 301 redirections: signal definitive change to search engines
- Structure preservation: maintaining hierarchy of important pages
- Advanced technical optimization: Core Web Vitals improvement
- Enriched content: qualitative improvement during migration
- Continuous monitoring: position and traffic surveillance post-migration
SEO risk management
Anticipate temporary impacts on your visibility. A 10-20% traffic drop in the 2-4 weeks post-migration remains normal. Search engines need adaptation time to reindex your new site. However, technical optimizations of the custom site generally generate a traffic gain of 30-50% in the following 3-6 months.
Decision criteria : when to migrate ?
Several indicators signal the optimal moment for migration.
Critical technical signals
Your current platform shows its limits when loading times systematically exceed 4 seconds despite optimizations. Bounce rate exceeds 75% on mobile, revealing degraded user experience. Necessary business features remain impossible to implement. Monthly costs exceed €150 without notable performance improvement.
Business decision indicators :
- Blocked growth: technical limitations hindering development
- High recurring costs: subscriptions + extensions exceeding €100/month
- Outpaced competition: competitor sites more technically efficient
- Stagnant digital ROI: conversions plateaued despite traffic
- Impossible integrations: business tools not connectable
- Compromised brand image: generic design harming differentiation
The optimal moment
Ideal migration occurs during a period of low commercial activity, avoiding seasonal peaks. Your cash flow must support the initial investment without compromising current activity. The team has the necessary time to accompany the change. These conditions combined guarantee a serene and efficient transition.
ROI and financial projection
Migration to a custom website generates measurable return on investment.
ROI calculation over 3 years
Initial investment : € 5,000 - 12,000 (custom development)
Annual savings : € 1,200 - 3,600 (subscription elimination)
Performance gains : + 25 - 40 % conversions (technical optimizations)
Marketing savings : - 30 % acquisition costs (improved SEO)
Projected ROI : 150 - 300 % over 3 years
| Metric | Before migration | After migration | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loading time | 4 - 8 seconds | 1 - 2 seconds | - 75 % |
| Conversion rate | 1.5 - 2.5 % | 2.5 - 4 % | + 40 - 60 % |
| Mobile score (Core Web Vitals) | 40 - 60/100 | 85 - 95/100 | + 50 - 80 % |
| Monthly cost | €80 - 200 | €15 - 40 | - 70 - 80 % |
| Average SEO positions | Position 15 - 25 | Position 8 - 15 | + 40 - 60 % |
Sustainable qualitative benefits
Beyond metrics, migration brings profound qualitative transformation. Technological independence eliminates anxiety related to platform policy changes. Total personalization strengthens brand identity and competitive differentiation. Optimized performance improves user experience and customer loyalty. This transformation positions your company for sustainable and controlled growth.
Choose your migration partner
Migration success largely depends on choosing the right provider.
Essential selection criteria :
- Proven technical expertise: portfolio of successful migrations
- SEO understanding: mastery of referencing issues
- Strategic approach: business vision beyond technical aspects
- Complete support: from audit to post-launch follow-up
- Pricing transparency: clear costs without surprises
- Performance guarantees: commitment to results
Key questions to ask
How do you handle SEO preservation ? What guarantees do you offer on performance ? What post-launch support do you provide ? These questions reveal the professionalism and commitment of the provider to your long-term success.
Conclusion : your roadmap to independence
Migration from an off-the-shelf solution to a custom website represents much more than a simple technical change. It's a strategic transformation that repositions your company for controlled and sustainable growth.
The 3 critical steps :
1.Complete audit: precisely assess your current situation
2.Migration strategy: plan each step to minimize risks
3.Methodical execution: follow the roadmap with an expert partner
This migration transforms your recurring costs into patrimonial investment. Every euro invested in your custom website increases the value of your digital asset, unlike subscriptions that enrich platforms without belonging to you.
Technological independence is no longer a luxury, it's a strategic necessity. In a constantly evolving digital environment, only entrepreneurs who master their digital infrastructure can quickly adapt to market opportunities.