If you’re reading this, chances are you’re already dealing with a site that’s become more of a burden than an asset. You’re not alone. A lot of folks come to us with an existing WordPress build plagued by slow load times, broken plugins, dated PHP versions, and an unstable admin experience. We call these projects what they are: WordPress Rescue Projects
Immediate Fix
Most of the time, these sites are a patchwork of third-party add-ons and page builders like Elementor or Divi. The result? Bloated code, poor accessibility, terrible mobile performance, and an overall lack of maintainability. The real kicker is that the issue often isn’t just the platform, it's usually who built it. And that “who” typically isn’t someone we would refer to as a developer, but rather someone leaning heavily on plugins to cover technical gaps.
When we take on a WordPress rescue project, our first priority is to stabilize and secure your site while removing as much of the bloat as possible. This typically includes:
Removing unused or unnecessary third-party add-ons
Refactoring or eliminating any functionality dependent on outdated or unsupported plugins
Updating WordPress and all add-ons to the latest stable versions
Migrating the site to a fully managed server with resources properly matched to your traffic, appropriate backups in place, and the latest PHP server stack
Moving DNS to Cloudflare for proxy protection and centralized control of redirects, page rules, and more
(Optional but strongly recommended) Centralize your domain registration with Cloudflare to simplify management and reduce costs. And if you’re still using Network Solutions or GoDaddy, do yourself — and the internet — a favor and make the switch.
That said, this is a temporary fix. While your site will be more stable and secure, it won’t solve the deeper issues such as poor editor experience, bloated code, accessibility gaps, and inconsistent user experience. And because WordPress has a poor developer experience, we won’t enjoy working on it, and any future improvements will take more time and cost more as a result.
We’ve rescued clients across the CMS spectrum: MODX, Joomla, ExpressionEngine, Adobe Business Catalyst, Adobe Experience Manager, Craft, and of course, WordPress. Each has its strengths, but only one has consistently met our standards for security, flexibility, and performance: Statamic.
Long-term Solution
Statamic is built from the ground up for content-first, scalable websites. It delivers a beautiful editor experience, a powerful out-of-the-box toolset with little need for plugins, and a developer experience we actually enjoy. All of this without the bloat and patchwork of WordPress.
Statamic vs. WordPress
Built for Different Purposes
WordPress was originally created as a blogging platform, and over time it’s been stretched into a general-purpose CMS through an ever-growing ecosystem of plugins. That’s why the WordPress control panel and editor experience feels cobbled together. Statamic, by contrast, was built from the ground up for content-first websites. It’s purpose-built for structured content management, flexibility, and scalability. It’s modern where WordPress is legacy, and focused where WordPress is fragmented.
Secure, Fast, and Built for Developers
Statamic skips the database by default, eliminating common vulnerabilities like SQL injection. It runs on flat files with version control baked in, enabling clean deployments and instant rollbacks. On top of that, it is built on Laravel, the most modern, secure, and actively maintained PHP framework. You get a platform that’s fast, stable, and developer-friendly from day one.
Scalability
Statamic is built as a Laravel application, the same framework used to build enterprise-grade custom apps. That makes it an ideal foundation for organizations that need to grow. We often start by building a site, then help scale up to automate workflows or power operations with custom Laravel-based tools. Whether integrating Stripe for commerce or OpenAI for intelligent automation, the beauty is a single codebase to manage. Reduced cost, higher ROI.
Shared Core, Constantly Improving
Sites built from the ground up by Transform Studios are powered by a centralized core codebase we call Simple. It contains all the fieldtypes and interface blocks used across every project. These components are continuously iterated on and improved for usability, semantics, aesthetics, and accessibility. That means your site actually gets better over time. When we enhance a block based on real-world feedback, those improvements are automatically pushed to your site during the next upgrade cycle. You can even track our progress, our changelog is public.
Expert Access
When you build your Statamic site with Transform Studios, you’re getting more than just a modern CMS. You’re backed by a team that works directly with the creators of Statamic. Our lead developer is part of the Statamic core team, bringing deep platform insight and influence to every project. You’ll have access to live chat support right from the CMS control panel, and a reliable partner who can step in when internal resources shift. Whether you need ongoing webmaster support or help bridging resource gaps, we’re built to extend your team seamlessly.
Ready to Be Rescued?
If you’re struggling with your WordPress site and need help stabilizing it, we’re here to help. We’ll handle the immediate issues: security, usability, and peace of mind. But we’ll be upfront: we only take on WordPress rescue projects when there’s a commitment to eventually move to Statamic. Because no matter how much you patch it, a bloated legacy system wasn’t built for the speed and demands of today.