How a Boxing School Website Was Built: From Elementor to a Hand-Coded Theme

The starting point: a heavy page builder

The old site ran 27 plugins, including Elementor and the plugins that came with it. Page builders give a quick start, but they add a lot of styles and scripts to every page; over time the site slows down and one update can break another.

The client's content, photos and WordPress dashboard had to stay. So instead of rebuilding the site, we kept WordPress and moved only the presentation to a hand-coded theme.

Backup first, then work locally

Before touching anything, we took a full backup of the site's database. The new theme was written against a copy running on our computer, not the live site, so the live site was never affected during the design rounds.

Three design directions

The client's request was clear: the site should look professional, catch the eye and have plenty of motion. In the first round we prepared a hard look inspired by boxing posters, in the second a bright and soft one. We reviewed both together and dropped them.

The third direction worked: a deep dark background, glass-like surfaces, a red glow and gold accents, with motion that appears as you scroll. The two earlier designs stayed on record, so going back was possible.

From 27 plugins to 5

Since the theme is hand-coded, the Elementor family and the plugins it needed were no longer required; the plugin count dropped from 27 to 5. Fewer plugins means fewer updates, fewer conflicts and a smaller attack surface.

Launch and after

The new theme went live on 17 September 2026. In the following weeks, at the client's request, a Photos page and a "Programını oluştur" (build your program) button were added and the gallery grew with new photos from the gym.

The site is live today at boks.web.tr. If you are planning a similar move or redesign, you can write to us.