A Guide from Elementor to the WordPress Block Editor: How to Improve Performance, SEO, and Maintenance.

Does Removing Elementor Automatically Improve Website Performance?

Current Challenges

Many websites initially adopt Elementor due to its drag-and-drop, No-Code approach. However, as websites grow and user needs evolve, site owners encounter issues such as:

• Slow loading pages, particularly on sites with complex layouts and excessive animations
• Low Google PageSpeed Insights (PSI) scores, affecting performance, SEO, and user experience
• Overly bloated HTML structure, reducing search engine indexing efficiency and harming SEO rankings
• Over-reliance on caching and optimization plugins, which attempt to compensate for underlying issues without addressing the root cause

According to the WordPress 2023 User Survey by WP Tavern, over 58% of WordPress users have fully or partially switched to the Block Editor (Gutenberg), while the market share of Elementor and other page builders has begun to decline. This suggests that as WordPress continues improving the Block Editor’s performance and usability, more developers and website owners are reassessing the long-term value of No Code tools.

Additionally, Google Web.dev highlights that excessive reliance on JavaScript-powered page builders can negatively impact Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), affecting website speed and loading experience. While this doesn’t directly impact SEO rankings, practical site optimization strategies should prioritize user experience and real-world performance improvements.

The findings indicate that removing Elementor alone won’t automatically boost site performance, but transitioning strategically to a lighter, more efficient WordPress Block Editor can significantly improve loading speed and overall user experience.

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3 Best Strategies for an Effective Transition

Option 1: Full Migration to the Block Editor – The Lightest Solution

Ideal For

Websites looking to eliminate Elementor and willing to redesign their pages. Best suited for small businesses, personal blogs, or content-focused websites. While Full Site Editing (FSE) and Block Themes offer additional flexibility, they may not be ideal for all users due to a steeper learning curve.

Transition Steps

1. Rebuild pages using the WordPress Block Editor, structuring content with native blocks.
2. Use global styles and custom CSS to standardize website design, reducing unnecessary inline styles.
3. Remove excessive animations and third-party add-ons to minimize JavaScript execution and improve loading times.

Expected Outcomes

• Cleaner HTML structure, reducing excessive div layers
• Higher Google PageSpeed Insights scores, improving performance and SEO
• Greater SEO flexibility, avoiding unnecessary embedded CSS from Elementor

Further Reading

• How to Add Custom CSS to WordPress: 5 Methods

How to Add Custom CSS to WordPress: 5 Methods Including Block Editor & Elementor

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Block Editor + The 3rd party ones (Stackable, Greenshift)

Ideal For

Websites seeking some design flexibility while prioritizing performance improvements. Suitable for business sites needing branding consistency, animations, and a visually engaging experience. Stackable and Greenshift pair well with popular themes like Blocksy.

Transition Steps

1. Gradually replace Elementor with Stackable or Greenshift, maintaining design flexibility while reducing overhead.
2. Leverage CSS Custom Properties to ensure consistent styling across the website instead of the redundancy made with Elementor.
3. Use lightweight pure CSS animations or built-in features from Stackable and Greenshift instead of heavy and complex JavaScript from Elementor or related add-ons.

Advantages

• Balances design flexibility and performance by reducing unnecessary JS / CSS loading
• Maintains SEO friendliness, ensuring compatibility with Google Core Web Vitals
• More customization options with reduced long-term maintenance costs

Further Reading

Top 3 WordPress Themes Comparison: Blocksy, Astra, OceanWP – Site Demos & Futuristic Features

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Keeping Some Elementor Pages but Optimizing Performance

Ideal For

Websites with extensive existing content that cannot fully migrate to the Block Editor in the short term, such as e-commerce platforms or media sites.

Transition Steps

1. Keep Elementor for critical landing pages (e.g., homepage, sales pages), but migrate content-heavy sections to the Block Editor.
2. Disable Elementor’s built-in typography, animations, and lazy loading, opting for native browser support to reduce JS load.
3. Streamline existing Elementor layouts with custom CSS, reducing inline styles that impact performance.

Further Reading

• 測速 – 3 秒內開網頁、Google PSI (Page Speed Insight) 之類的檢測工具的分數，重要嗎？
• Google 的台語版科普！ 以海產店為例的 2021 年 Core Web Vitals 網站體驗核心指標官方講解

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Future of Content Editing: Cross-Platform Compatibility, AI, and Efficient Workflows

Managing website content is no longer just about writing and publishing—it requires integration with various SaaS tools, AI collaboration, cross-platform data synchronization, and automation workflows. In this evolving landscape, the WordPress Block Editor (Gutenberg, and then Site Editor has come) offers greater flexibility and compatibility than traditional page builders like Elementor, making it the preferred choice for modern content creators and digital marketers.

Mobile-Friendly and Optimized Loading Experience

• Uses a lightweight HTML structure, reducing unnecessary JS/CSS and improving Google PageSpeed Insights scores.
• Allows administrators and content editors to create and manage content from mobile devices, enhancing workflow efficiency.
• Eliminates reliance on additional frameworks or complex layouts, ensuring faster page loading times.

Markdown, Google Docs, and SaaS Tool Integration

• Native Markdown support, enabling developers and tech writers to efficiently create documentation and blog articles.
• Seamless Google Docs to WordPress conversion, minimizing formatting adjustments and boosting productivity (via Google’s official support).
• API integration for Notion and Trello, enabling real-time content synchronization and streamlined collaboration across teams.

AI-Driven Automation and Content Optimization

• AI-powered draft generation and title suggestions, with tools like Jetpack AI Assistant and Notion AI.
• Automated content formatting adaptability, ensuring smooth Markdown, HTML, Google Docs, and JSON conversion for multi-platform content management.
• AI-driven content structure analysis and optimization, guaranteeing alignment with Google SEO best practices.

The Pitfalls of No-Code Website Builders / SaaS

Any website-building or web design SaaS service that promotes No Code, such as Elementor, Framer, or Webflow, can make website creation easier. However, many users fail to utilize these tools effectively, leading to common, recurring issues that impact long-term site performance and maintainability:

• Low technical barriers ≠ Easy maintenance – Many users adopt Elementor without understanding WordPress’s internal architecture, making long-term optimization difficult.
• Drag-and-drop editing ≠ High performance – Excessive inline CSS and JavaScript dependencies slow down website speed and degrade efficiency.
• Plugin and theme ecosystems ≠ Flexibility – Some premium No Code tools are tied to proprietary page builders and add-ons, limiting long-term compatibility and customization options.

According to the article: Can a No-Code Website’s SEO Be Good? by AppMaster, No-Code platforms can support basic SEO configurations. However, they often fall short in content structure optimization, loading speed, and Schema Markup support, which are essential for long-term SEO success.

對於企業或長期營運的網站來說，最重要的仍是：

• 掌握基本的 CSS、結構化數據、SEO 設定
• 選擇適合未來擴展的工具，而非只考慮短期便利性

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Why Page Builders Are Not Suitable for Article Editing

While page builders like Elementor are designed for static pages (e.g., home pages, landing pages), they are not ideal for writing blog posts or managing long-form content. Many users mistakenly use Elementor to create hundreds of blog articles, leading to content structure issues, performance degradation, and increased maintenance difficulties.

Block Editor vs. Page Builders: The Best Choice for Article Editing

According to the official WordPress documentation, the Block Editor (Gutenberg) is the recommended content editor for WordPress articles and blogs. In contrast, page builders should only be used for static landing pages.

Core Benefits of the Block Editor

• Native support: Ensures long-term stability and compatibility with WordPress core updates.
• Lightweight structure: Avoids excessive div layers and unnecessary embedded JS / CSS.
• Future-proof compatibility: Block Editor content remains adaptable across different themes and future WordPress versions.

Compared to page builders, the key disadvantage Include:

• Excessive JavaScript and CSS loading negatively impacts website performance and loading speed.
• Limited compatibility with automation tools or SEO plugins, such as Yoast SEO, which may struggle to properly interpret Elementor content.
• High maintenance costs, as theme or Elementor plugin updates may cause layout inconsistencies or formatting issues.

Case Study: Migrating Blog Content from Elementor to the Block Editor

A B2B company previously relied on Elementor for managing nearly a hundred blog articles. Their internal marketing team, aiming to reduce costs, created all content using Elementor. However, this led to several challenges:

• Overly complex HTML structure, making it difficult for Google to crawl and affecting SEO rankings.
• Poor content editing experience, causing inefficiencies for the marketing team in formatting and content updates.
• High conversion costs, as the company found that pages created with Elementor did not seamlessly adapt when switching themes or restructuring content.

Ultimately, the company decided to migrate all content to the WordPress Block Editor using a batch conversion approach. Their new workflow included:

• Standardized article templates and formatting, reducing reliance on visual page builders.
• Global CSS and theme-based styling, minimizing inline CSS clutter and improving consistency.
• Automated shortcodes and snippets, ensuring that dynamic content remains sustainable for long-term maintenance.

Best Practices for Content Management: Block Editor + Automation Tools

Instead of relying on Elementor’s drag-and-drop approach, which complicates long-term maintenance, adopting a structured content management strategy is more efficient:

1. Full-site transition to the WordPress Block Editor (some people take it as Gutenberg, but that’s not entirely correct) for a future-proof, native content editing experience.
2. Consistent global design rules, using themes and CSS to maintain a uniform site appearance.
3. Automated content workflows, such as:
   • Code Snippets – Using the WordPress Code Snippets plugin or functions.php to automatically apply styles or functions to specific content types.
   • Dynamic content modules – Leveraging ACF (Advanced Custom Fields) or WPCode for structured content blocks that eliminate manual content formatting.
   • Marketing and AI-powered content tools – Integrating Notion, Google Docs, ChatGPT, or other AI-based assistants for streamlined content creation and optimization.

Avoid Using Elementor for Article Editing & Ensure Long-Term Maintainability

To ensure long-term website stability and SEO performance, it is recommended that all articles be created using the WordPress Block Editor rather than Elementor or other page builders. This not only guarantees better content management but also reduces future migration and maintenance challenges.

If your website still contains a large number of articles edited with Elementor, now is the time to plan a transition. Implementing a standardized content management strategy will enhance website performance, maintainability, and SEO optimization in the long run.

📌 Further Reading: The official WordPress documentation

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Conclusion: Transitioning from Elementor Is More Than Just Changing Tools

Elementor, as a No Code tool, has undoubtedly lowered the barrier to website creation. However, it also introduces challenges related to performance, SEO, and long-term maintenance. According to the WordPress 2023 Survey: Block Editor on the Rise, Positive Feeling about Contributing Drops by WP Tavern, the adoption rate of the Block Editor has exceeded 60% and continues to rise. In the future, it is expected to become the standard website-building tool within WordPress.

Switching from Elementor is not just a technical decision but about long-term website performance, user experience, and sustainable content management.

The Best Strategy for a Faster, More Scalable Website

To ensure long-term website success, the ideal approach includes:

• Fully utilizing the Block Editor: Ensuring long-term SEO compatibility and reducing performance bottlenecks.
• Optimizing the customization of CSS and themes: Using standardized design rules to maintain consistency and minimize unnecessary styles.
• Managing content properly: Using the Block Editor for all blog content to avoid reliance on page builders for article formatting.

According to WordPress User Survey Indicates Rising Frustration by Search Engine Journal, Block Editor adoption has increased from 37% in 2020 to 60% in 2023, signaling a shift towards native WordPress tools instead of third-party page builders. Meanwhile, Reasons to Love the WordPress Gutenberg Block Editor by WPVIP highlights that enterprise-level users prefer the Block Editor due to:

• Greater flexibility in content management
• Streamlined long-form content editing
• Improved compatibility with future WordPress updates and maintenance ease

In a post “Elementor is super slow, tried everything and can’t figure it out” on Reddit’s r/elementor forum, many users report slow performance, rendering glitches, and poor editing experience when using Elementor for managing long-form content. These issues further underscore why transitioning to the Block Editor is not just beneficial—it’s essential for long-term website scalability.

Considering the data and industry trends, if your website still relies on Elementor for content editing, now is the time to plan a transition. Moving back to the Block Editor as the standard content management approach will help ensure better SEO performance, improved page load speed, and long-term maintenance flexibility.

Next Steps: Future-Proof Your Website for SEO, Performance, and Maintenance Efficiency

Whether you fully adopt the Block Editor, integrate Stackable or Greenshift, or gradually phase out Elementor, your content strategy should prioritize:

• Performance Optimization – Ensuring a lightweight website, faster loading speeds, and higher Google PageSpeed Insights scores.
• Sustainable SEO Growth – Avoiding unnecessary embedded code, making content easier to index, and improving long-term search rankings.
• Scalability & Maintenance – Guaranteeing that every page and blog post remains fully compatible with future WordPress updates, reducing technical debt.

📌 Further Reading: How to Add Custom CSS to WordPress: 5 Methods Including Block Editor & Elementor