Optimizely implementation and experimentation
The platform to choose when revenue moves with conversion rate. Its experimentation heritage is the real differentiator — not the CMS, which is capable but not unique.
The decision that shapes everything after it is SaaS CMS or PaaS. We will help you make that one before we quote anything else.
Commerce, subscriptions or high-volume B2B lead generation, where a percentage point of conversion is a real number. You have people who will actually run experiments — a testing tool without an owner becomes shelfware faster than any other purchase here. Content, commerce and testing under one contract is worth more to you than picking a best-of-breed tool for each. You are already on Optimizely PaaS and weighing the move to SaaS CMS.
You will buy the suite and use one part of it. That is the most common way money is wasted on this platform. Deep multi-market governance across dozens of sites — Sitecore is stronger at that scale. A content site with no experimentation ambition. You would be paying for the engine and driving in first gear — Umbraco fits better. You need a feature only the older PaaS product has, but want the SaaS operating model. Check parity before committing, not after.
What we do with Optimizely
CMS delivery
Builds on PaaS (.NET MVC) or the newer SaaS CMS, headless where it earns its keep. We are a .NET team, so the PaaS route holds no surprises for us.
SaaS or PaaS assessment
A short piece of work that answers the question properly: feature parity against what you actually use, hosting implications, and what the migration would cost.
Experimentation programmes
Getting testing into production and into a rhythm — instrumentation, a hypothesis backlog, and a cadence your team sustains after we leave.
Commerce integration
Optimizely alongside your ERP, PIM and payment stack. The integration layer is the project; we build it in .NET.
Migrations onto Optimizely
From legacy .NET platforms, with content modelling done before templates rather than after.
Support and optimisation
Version upgrades on PaaS, performance work, and keeping the experimentation programme alive once the launch excitement fades.
| SaaS CMS | PaaS CMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting and upgrades | Managed by Optimizely; versionless | You or your partner; version upgrades are projects |
| Front end | Decoupled — host on Vercel, Netlify or your own stack | .NET MVC, or headless with more work |
| .NET dependency | Low — wider choice of front-end developers | High — you need .NET people, permanently |
| Scaling | Automatic | Managed by your team |
| Best when | You want lower operational burden and front-end freedom | Regulation requires specific hosting, or you need deep .NET integration |
| Watch out for | Younger product — verify parity for the features you rely on | Upgrade debt accumulating the way it does on any self-managed platform |
Verified against Optimizely's published product documentation, September 2026.
How an engagement usually runs
Platform and model decision — two to three weeks
SaaS or PaaS, settled with evidence. Plus the content model and the integration inventory.
Build — four to nine months
Senior-only team, working in your process. Experimentation instrumented during the build, not bolted on after launch.
Run the programme — ongoing
Support, upgrades, and keeping a testing cadence going — which is where most of the platform's value actually is.
Optimizely questions we get asked
01.Should we move from Optimizely PaaS to SaaS CMS?Only once you have checked parity against the features you actually use. SaaS removes upgrade work and frees your front-end choices, which is real value if hosting and version upgrades are a burden today. But it is the younger product, and a missing capability you depend on is discovered expensively. Audit first, then decide.
Only once you have checked parity against the features you actually use. SaaS removes upgrade work and frees your front-end choices, which is real value if hosting and version upgrades are a burden today. But it is the younger product, and a missing capability you depend on is discovered expensively. Audit first, then decide.
02.Is Optimizely worth it if we don't run experiments?Probably not. The CMS on its own is capable but not distinctive, and you would be paying for the part of the suite that makes Optimizely worth choosing while not using it. If nobody in your organisation owns a testing programme, look at Umbraco for cost or Sitecore for scale instead.
Probably not. The CMS on its own is capable but not distinctive, and you would be paying for the part of the suite that makes Optimizely worth choosing while not using it. If nobody in your organisation owns a testing programme, look at Umbraco for cost or Sitecore for scale instead.
03.How does Optimizely compare with Sitecore?Sitecore is stronger for large multi-market estates and deeper personalisation; Optimizely is stronger for experimentation and commerce. Both are enterprise commitments with enterprise price tags. The full comparison, including Umbraco, is on our platform comparison page.
Sitecore is stronger for large multi-market estates and deeper personalisation; Optimizely is stronger for experimentation and commerce. Both are enterprise commitments with enterprise price tags. The full comparison, including Umbraco, is on our platform comparison page.
A short assessment that answers the question with evidence rather than preference — before it constrains everything else you build.
- Reply time
- ~1 business day
- Offices
- Sofia, Bulgaria