Elementor to Breakdance or Gutenberg migration, with custom blocks

A site built with Elementor tends to get heavy over the years: every page loads a pile of CSS and JavaScript files, each addon wants its own licence and updates, and an editor who only wants to change a price lands in a builder where one wrong click breaks the layout. The same goes for WPBakery and Divi.

We move the site from Elementor to Breakdance or to the native Gutenberg block editor in WordPress. URLs and content stay the same, the header, footer and templates are rebuilt in the new tool, and repeating content gets custom blocks that an editor fills in like a form. Which editor fits is a decision we make together after a free review: Breakdance when the site needs freer design and dynamic templates, Gutenberg when the goal is as few plugins as possible and the simplest editing.

What the work includes

• Inventory. We list every page, Elementor template, global widget, form and popup, and mark what moves as is, what gets simpler and what has no equivalent in the new tool.
• Header, footer and templates. We rebuild the header, footer and the single, archive and page templates in the new editor. On a multilingual site we build them per language, as on the Ranna Surfiküla site built with Breakdance.
• Global styles. Colours, typography, buttons and spacing are set once globally rather than page by page, so a later change applies across the whole site.
• Page rebuild. Every page keeps its URL and content. The design stays recognisable, but we tidy the places where the old solution was clumsy: a pixel-perfect copy is not always a sensible goal.
• Custom blocks. For repeating content we create Breakdance global blocks or custom elements, or ACF-based Gutenberg blocks: team card, price table, FAQ, service list. The editor fills in fields and the styling comes automatically. In the Nordenbeauty shop we solved complex layouts the same way with Breakdance global blocks.
• Forms and popups. Elementor forms and popups are re-created with the same recipients, confirmation email and, where needed, the CRM or newsletter connection.
• Removing the old builder. After checking, we remove Elementor, its addons and leftover shortcodes and clean the database so no page shows raw [elementor-template] text.
• Speed check before and after. We measure Core Web Vitals before the migration and after it, so the result is visible in numbers rather than a feeling.
• Short training. We show the editor how to change pages and add new blocks in the new editor.

Typical situations

The site runs Elementor with five or six addons, the mobile Core Web Vitals result is red and a caching plugin does not help because the weight is in the page code itself. Or the Elementor Pro licence and addons cost more each year than the site is worth, yet without updates the errors start piling up. Or the editor is afraid to touch pages because every change shifts something, so every text correction ends up with a developer. Or a previous agency built the site with the layout done by hand on each page separately, so changing one colour means going through every page.

What we need from you

• Access to the WordPress admin and the server (FTP or SSH) to set up a development copy.
• A decision between Breakdance and Gutenberg after our recommendation; for Breakdance, a licence if you do not have one yet.
• A list of pages that are no longer needed, since there is no point in moving them.
• Form recipients and popup rules (when and to whom they are shown).
• One person who reviews and approves the rebuilt pages.

What is not included

• A new design. If you want a fresh look along with the migration, see website redesign.
• Recreating one to one the features of Elementor-only addons (complex animations, special counters) when there is no equivalent; we offer a simpler replacement or drop the element.
• Deeper speed work at the server, cache and image level; speed optimisation is a separate job.
• Functionality that goes beyond a block, such as custom data types and integrations; that is a custom plugin.
• Changing the theme without changing the builder, see moving to a new theme.

Who it suits

It suits you if the site is on WordPress and built with Elementor, WPBakery or Divi, and the problem is speed, licence cost, the number of plugins or an editor that is too complicated for your team. If you also want a new design, it is more sensible to do both as part of a redesign. If there is a page builder but the real problem is a slow server or unoptimised images, start with speed optimisation instead. After the migration, WordPress training helps the editor get comfortable with the new tool faster.