Introduction
Three websites depended on an ageing Sitecore installation. We rebuilt them on Next.js and DatoCMS, with one place to manage content and a shared library of interface components.
Bennetts is a UK motorbike insurance broker. Its project brought a CMS replacement, a redesign, and the rebuild of three websites into the same engagement. The result gives its team a common platform for publishing and a reusable foundation for future work.
Why the three sites needed a shared foundation
The starting point was a Sitecore installation from 2017 that had become difficult to maintain. The websites also needed attention to design, speed, SEO, and accessibility. Replacing the CMS addressed only part of that work: the pages and the system used to build them needed to change too.
There was a second constraint. With three websites to look after, Bennetts needed a way to keep future interface work consistent. Three unrelated rebuilds would have left that responsibility spread across separate implementations.
What moved off Sitecore
We replaced Sitecore with DatoCMS, rebuilt the front end in Next.js, and used Vercel for deployment. DatoCMS became the place where the team manages content across the websites.
| Area | Previous setup | Delivered setup |
|---|---|---|
| Content management | A hard-to-maintain Sitecore installation from 2017 | DatoCMS, with content managed from one place |
| Website implementation | Three sites needing design and performance work | Redesigned websites built with Next.js and deployed on Vercel |
| Interface consistency | Future projects needed a consistent set of components | A shared UI package containing the core components |
| Routine publishing | Dependence on specialist Sitecore development | An in-house publishing workflow on the shared platform |
The project is also documented in DatoCMS’s Bennetts showcase.
A component library for the next change
We packaged the core interface components as an npm library. That gave the sites a common implementation to build on when new pages or features were needed. The design work could therefore continue through reusable components rather than having to be recreated independently for each site.
This is the part of a multi-site rebuild that matters after launch. The CMS supports publishing; the component library supports consistency as the platform changes. They solve different maintenance problems, and Bennetts needed both.
Outcomes
The published project results report a 44% improvement in mobile performance and a 24% improvement on desktop. These are the project’s reported performance changes, rather than absolute scores or a measure of search rankings.
- Mobile Performance
- +44%
- Desktop Performance
- +24%
Cost of ownership
Total cost of ownership dropped by 70% against the previous Sitecore baseline (what it cost Bennetts to run the three sites on the 2017 Sitecore install). Three changes account for it. The Sitecore licence line went away with the platform. The monolith’s hosting and surrounding infrastructure were replaced by Next.js on Vercel with DatoCMS, a lighter stack to run and to keep current. And the standing dependency on specialist Sitecore developers ended: three separate sites now share one platform that the in-house team publishes to, without queueing routine content and page changes behind engineering.
- Total Cost of Ownership
- -70%
Testimonial
Fantastic project and working experience with Bejamas. The scope was extensive, as you would expect with a multi-site build and launch, and the team took it all in their stride. Communication was excellent; feedback and options for optimisation was forthcoming, all with a high degree of skill and creativity Very highly recommended and we look forward to working Bejamas again on future projects.
Planning a move off Sitecore?
Start with the sites, integrations, publishing workflows, and costs your replacement needs to cover. Our Sitecore migration service explains the audit, migration, and operating work we can take on with your team.
