WordPress to custom website · Cape Town
Move off WordPress to a custom-built website
Digital Consulting rebuilds WordPress sites as fast, custom-built websites. Your pages, words and web addresses stay the same, so Google sees the same site, only faster, with no plugins to update and far less for hackers to attack.
From R4,500, priced on how complex your site is, not how many pages it has. Cape Town based, moving websites for businesses across South Africa and abroad.
0 pluginsto update or patch
Same addressesevery page keeps its URL
SEO checkedold and new site compared
From R4,500once-off, priced on complexity
Why are people moving away from WordPress?
Cost, speed and security, mostly.
WordPress runs 39.6% of all websites (W3Techs, October 2026). A typical business site on it depends on a theme and a stack of plugins. Each one needs regular updates, each one can slow the site down, and each one can let attackers in.
In 2025, security researchers found 11,334 new vulnerabilities in WordPress and its add-ons, and 91% of them were in plugins (Patchstack). Keeping up costs time and money every month, and falling behind is how many sites get hacked.
A custom-built website has none of that. Digital Consulting builds the site’s code for your business alone, so there is no theme, no plugins, no database and no WordPress login on the live site. It loads faster, there is far less to attack, and there is nothing to update every week.
WordPress vs a custom-built website
How the three common ways to run a business website compare.
| Custom-built by Digital Consulting | WordPress | Website builder (Wix, Squarespace) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed | Fast by default: only the code your site needs | Slows down as plugins pile up | Average, and you can’t change the code |
| Security | No login, database or plugins on the live site | Plugins and logins need constant patching | Handled by the platform |
| Upkeep | Nothing to update every week | Core, theme and plugin updates, plus plugin licences | A monthly platform fee |
| Editing | Digital Consulting makes your changes for you | You edit it yourself in the dashboard | You edit it yourself in the builder |
| Ownership | You own the code and can host it anywhere | You own it, but it depends on its plugins | Rented, and hard to move away from |
| Best for | Business and service sites that must be fast and secure | Online stores and sites you edit every day | Do-it-yourself sites on a small budget |
Run an online store? WooCommerce on WordPress is usually still the right tool, and Digital Consulting builds and looks after those too.
Should you move off WordPress?
For most business websites, yes. For some, WordPress is still the better tool.
Move if…
- Your site is mostly pages about your business and services
- You pay every month for updates, fixes and plugin licences
- Your site has been hacked, or you worry that it will be
- Your site is slow, or scores poorly in Google’s speed test
- You change your site a few times a month, not every day
Stay on WordPress if…
- You sell online, with stock, orders and payments
- You or your team edit the site every day
- You rely on plugins for bookings, memberships or courses
- You publish several blog posts a week yourself
Not sure? Digital Consulting will look at your site and tell you honestly which suits your business.
How the move works
1Map your siteDigital Consulting records every page, web address, title, description, image and redirect on your WordPress site.
2Rebuild itWe design and build the new site with the same words and addresses, or improve them where you ask.
3Check itA script compares the old and new sites page by page, so no title, heading, image or link goes missing.
4Switch overThe new site goes live on your domain with redirects in place, and your WordPress site is kept as a backup.
We moved our own site first
Digital Consulting’s own website ran on WordPress until October 2026.
Digital Consulting rebuilt digitalconsulting.co.za as a custom-built site and kept all 572 of its web addresses. Before launch, a script compared every page’s title, description, headings, images and links with the old WordPress site.
- No WordPress login, database or plugins on the live site
- The mobile homepage’s main content loads in 2.0 seconds (Google PageSpeed, October 2026)
- Every blog post, category and feed moved with its web address
Digital Consulting uses the same tools and checks for every client’s move.
How much does it cost to move off WordPress?
One once-off price, fixed before we start. You own the finished site.
From R4,500 once-off
Most moves start from R4,500. The price depends on how complex your site is, not how many pages it has: a 5-page site full of features can cost more than a simple 15-page one.
- Every page and blog post moved
- Web addresses, titles and descriptions kept
- Redirects for anything that changes
- SEO check before launch
- Your WordPress site kept as a backup
- 3 hours of support after launch
What affects the price: forms, bookings and other features, how many blog posts move, and how much the design changes. You pay 50% upfront and 50% on completion. Changes after launch are covered by support plans from R990 a month. Prices last reviewed October 2026.
Moving off WordPress: FAQs
Mostly cost, speed and security. A WordPress site needs its core, theme and plugins updated all the time, and 91% of the new WordPress vulnerabilities found in 2025 were in plugins (Patchstack). A custom-built site has no plugins, loads faster and needs no weekly updates.
For most business and service sites, yes: it is faster, safer and cheaper to keep. WordPress is still the better choice if you run an online store, edit your site every day, or need plugins for bookings or memberships. Digital Consulting will tell you honestly which suits your business.
Not if the move is done carefully. Digital Consulting keeps every web address, title and description, adds redirects for anything that changes, and checks the new site against the old one before launch. Google takes a few weeks to re-read the site, so small changes in that time are normal.
Yes, through Digital Consulting. Send your change by email or WhatsApp and we make it, usually from a monthly support plan starting at R990. If you need to edit your site yourself every day, WordPress may still suit you better.
Most moves start from R4,500, once-off. The price depends on how complex your site is, not how many pages it has, so a 5-page site with lots of features can cost more than a simple 15-page one. You get a fixed quote first, then pay 50% upfront and 50% on completion.
Most moves take 1 to 6 weeks, depending on how complex your site is and how much you want to change. Digital Consulting gives you a timeline with your quote, and your WordPress site stays live until the new one is ready.
They move with the site. Each post keeps its web address, words, pictures, categories and date, and your blog’s lists, feed and sitemap are rebuilt for you. After the move, Digital Consulting publishes new posts for you.
Usually we advise against it. WooCommerce handles stock, orders and payments well, and a custom-built store costs far more to make. Digital Consulting can keep your store on WordPress and look after it with a maintenance plan.
Ready to move off WordPress?
Send us your web address and we’ll tell you what the move involves and what it costs. No obligation.