The next version,
built on what you have
We build and upgrade Optimizely CMS sites, from CMS 11 or 12 to CMS 13, with search rebuilt on the Optimizely Graph service and commerce upgraded alongside, so you know what each move involves before it starts.
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You’re in good company
A few of the companies we’ve worked with.
When each upgrade starts from scratch
CMS 13 came out on March 31, 2026, and Optimizely is planning a major version of its PaaS CMS each year, so each version is expected to have a shorter run than earlier ones had.
A site upgraded once every few years, as a project of its own, has to be learned again each time: which add-ons it carries, what its search is built on, and which parts of its code reach into the platform. For the move to CMS 13, the upgrade guide Optimizely publishes names packages from other makers as the largest area of effort.
So the work is making each upgrade routine: what the site relies on, listed and kept current, tests that show what changed, and an owner for every add-on.
What we build
Each add-on and integration gets its CMS 13 version, a replacement or a plan, and a named owner. Every upgrade runs on a copy of your site first, kept apart from the live one, so what changed is known before anyone relies on it.
Sites on CMS 13
Sites built on CMS 13 and .NET 10, rendered with MVC and Razor, or headless, with a separate front end built on the JavaScript SDK from Optimizely, and deployed to DXP or to servers you run. The .NET code under them is written to the standard of our .NET Development work.
Upgrades to CMS 13
From CMS 12, or straight from CMS 11 where it suits the site, following the upgrade guide and the list of breaking changes Optimizely publishes. The database step can’t be undone, so the database is saved in full before each upgrade, and the upgrade runs on a copy first.
CMS 12 on .NET 10
A CMS 12 site and its packages retargeted to .NET 10, which Optimizely has confirmed CMS 12 is compatible with, so the framework under the site keeps getting security fixes from Microsoft while CMS 13 is planned.
Search rebuilt on Graph
Site search, listings and filters moved from Search & Navigation to the Optimizely Graph service, which much of CMS 13 depends on, and run beside the old search until the results match.
Pages your editors build
Content models for Visual Builder, made from your existing pages and blocks, so editors arrange experiences from sections and elements themselves, with a live preview beside them.
Commerce Connect
Commerce Connect moved from version 14 to 15 at the same time as the CMS, with order processing taken off the old workflow engine onto the processor-based order APIs, and catalog entries edited in Visual Builder.
Many sites and languages
Several sites on one installation, each set up as an application, which CMS 13 uses in place of sites and carries over from your setup, with their languages managed and translated in the CMS itself.
Integrations
Your other systems connected through the REST API in CMS 13, the Optimizely Graph service, external content and Optimizely Connect Platform where they fit, each integration with only the access it needs.
AI where it helps
The Optimizely Agent Platform, with agents and tools that work with your content in CMS 13 on DXP, since it needs Opti ID, and an MCP server for CMS 13 that brings the same tools to the assistants your team uses, each set up with only the access it needs.
- Connecting any of your systems:Systems & API Integration
- Automation across your tools:Workflow Automation
- Other .NET work:.NET Development
- Care once it’s live:Support & Maintenance
- Developers in your own team:Hire developers for Optimizely CMS sites
What the move to CMS 13 involves
CMS 13 runs on .NET 10, and much of what a CMS 12 site is made of carries across: MVC rendering stays supported, Visual Builder works with existing pages and blocks, and existing Dojo property editors keep working.
What changes depends on what the site uses. Its search, its commerce and where it’s hosted each set part of the work, and the upgrade guide names packages from other makers as the largest part of it.
So the upgrade is scoped from the site itself, part by part, before any of it starts. Mark what yours uses.
Your site
Search & Navigation
Not on your siteSearch & Navigation isn’t supported in CMS 13, so your search is rebuilt, on the Optimizely Graph service or a search service you choose.
Commerce Connect
Not on your siteCommerce Connect 14 doesn’t run on CMS 13, so commerce moves to version 15 at the same time as the CMS.
Your own servers
Not on your siteOn your own servers, CMS 13 runs without Opti ID, which is offered only on DXP, so the Optimizely Agent Platform and the embedded DAM aren’t available.
Your own editor tools
Not on your siteDojo property editors keep working, and new ones can be plain JavaScript; tools built on the old plugin system are rebuilt, since CMS 13 removes it.
Whatever the site uses, CMS 13 runs on .NET 10 and newer.
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Which versions are looked after
Optimizely maintains two major versions of the CMS at a time, the current one and the one before it, which today means CMS 13 and CMS 12. Since April 10, 2026, CMS 11 and earlier get no ongoing fixes or patches, apart from severe security issues raised by customers or partners. Optimizely doesn’t force upgrades or remove access to older versions.
Under the CMS, .NET has dates of its own, set by Microsoft: .NET 8 reaches the end of its support on November 10, 2026, and .NET 10, the long-term support version, is supported until November 14, 2028. CMS 13 requires .NET 10, and Optimizely has confirmed that CMS 12 is compatible with it.
Commerce Connect 14 goes with CMS 12, and version 15 with CMS 13. CMS SaaS is the other way to run the platform: Optimizely runs it, and no custom code runs in its process.
So each site is kept on a maintained version and a supported .NET, and the next major version is planned before it arrives.
Start with the parts the upgrade will meet
The review covers each site: its CMS version, its .NET version and where it’s hosted, on DXP, on your own servers or on CMS SaaS; its search, Search & Navigation or the Optimizely Graph service, and every listing, filter and search box built on it; its add-ons, each with its CMS 13 version, a replacement or no route yet; the custom code, initialization modules, scheduled jobs, editor tools and admin pages, checked against the breaking changes Optimizely lists; the content, its page and block types, shared blocks and what Visual Builder can use as it is; the sites and languages, and how the site works out which one it’s serving; the commerce, its Commerce Connect version, order processing and catalog; each integration, what it reads and writes, its access and the APIs it uses; how editors sign in, and what Opti ID would change; and the tests, what exists and what an upgrade would be checked against today.
The first step, tried on a copy, is one of four: a copy of the site upgraded to CMS 13 to find what breaks, a CMS 12 site retargeted to .NET 10, one section’s search rebuilt on Graph beside the old one, or one page type modeled for Visual Builder.
At the end you have a written review and a proposal for that first step.
Questions worth asking
Should we move to CMS 13 now, or stay on CMS 12?
Both are maintained today, new features go only into CMS 13, and Optimizely plans a major version each year. Staying on CMS 12 for a while can suit a site whose add-ons or search haven’t moved yet; moving now can suit a team that wants Visual Builder or the Optimizely Agent Platform sooner. It turns on your add-ons, your search and where you host, so we lay out both routes for your sites, and the choice and its timing stay yours.
What does .NET 8’s end of support mean for our CMS 12 site?
Your site keeps running, but after November 10, 2026, Microsoft no longer sends security fixes for .NET 8. Optimizely has confirmed that CMS 12 is compatible with .NET 10, which Microsoft supports until November 14, 2028, so a CMS 12 site can move to .NET 10 without waiting for the CMS 13 upgrade. Where the site also runs Commerce Connect 14, its .NET support is checked first. We retarget the site and its packages on a copy, then the live site.
We’re on CMS 11. Can we go straight to CMS 13?
Optimizely says a direct upgrade from CMS 11 to CMS 13 is technically supported, with most of the work in moving the site to .NET 10, and that a heavily customized site may be better upgraded in smaller steps. The upgrade guide is written for sites already on CMS 12, so we try the route on a copy of your site before you choose it. Since April 10, 2026, CMS 11 has been outside the versions Optimizely maintains, apart from severe security issues raised by customers or partners.
What happens to our site search?
CMS 13 doesn’t support Search & Navigation, so your site search, and the listings and filters built on it, are rebuilt, on the Optimizely Graph service or on a search service you choose. Much of CMS 13 relies on Graph for delivering content too. We rebuild one section first and run it beside the old search until the results match, then move the rest.
Should we move to CMS SaaS?
CMS SaaS is the version Optimizely runs for you, and no custom code runs in its process. CMS 13 is the PaaS version, with your own code inside the application, on DXP or on your own servers. A site with a lot of custom code in the CMS usually stays on CMS 13; a simpler site, or one whose code already lives in a separate front end, may suit CMS SaaS. We look at what your code does before you choose.
Can our editors build pages without a developer?
Yes, within the content models set for them. In Visual Builder, editors arrange experiences from sections and elements, with a live preview beside them, and your existing pages and blocks keep working. At launch, Optimizely listed two gaps: a shared block can’t be an element inside a section, and Visual Builder doesn’t support the Optimizely Forms and Language Manager add-ons. We build the models so your editors aren’t waiting on a release.
We sell through Commerce Connect. What changes?
Commerce Connect 14 doesn’t run on CMS 13, so commerce moves to version 15 at the same time as the CMS. Version 15 replaces the old workflow engine with processor-based order APIs, removes the APIs for storing card details, and has catalog entries edited in Visual Builder. We move your order processing and catalog on a copy first.
Can we keep hosting it ourselves?
Yes. CMS 13 runs on servers you manage, with editors signing in without Opti ID. Opti ID is offered only on DXP, so what needs it, the Optimizely Agent Platform and the embedded DAM among them, isn’t available on your own servers, and the Optimizely Graph service runs in the cloud either way. Setting up and running those servers is the work of our Cloud, DevOps & Security team.
Can one installation run all our sites and languages?
Often, yes. In CMS 13 each site is an application, carried over from your existing sites by the upgrade, and each one’s languages are managed and translated in the CMS. How much the sites share, from content types to blocks, is a decision for your teams, and we set it up the way they decide.
Can you connect it to our CRM, product data or other systems?
Yes. CMS 13 comes with a REST API, external content can bring records from other systems into the CMS through the Optimizely Graph service, and Optimizely Connect Platform fits where it’s the right route. We start by agreeing where each record is kept and edited, then give each connection only the access it needs, tried on a copy first.
Can AI assistants work with our content?
On CMS 13, in the ways Optimizely offers. Once Optimizely has set it up for you, the Optimizely Agent Platform brings agents and tools that work with your content on DXP, since it needs Opti ID, and an MCP server for CMS 13 offers the same tools to other assistants your team uses. We give each assistant only the access it needs.
Can you take over our existing site?
Yes. We read the code and the add-ons first, write down who looks after each part, and begin with one piece of work you pick, working with your own developers if you have them.
How do you keep our site secure?
On CMS 13 and CMS 12, Optimizely fixes severe bugs and security issues, and we apply each fix on a copy first. Under them, .NET stays on a version Microsoft supports. Editors sign in with the roles you set, through Opti ID on DXP or your own sign-in on your servers, and no integration reaches more than it needs.
What does it cost?
It depends on your sites, the add-ons and search around them, and the first step you choose. Before any work starts, you get a written proposal with the scope, the price or rate, and how you pay.
Can we hire developers for our own team?
Yes. Within 48 hours of your request we introduce developers who know the platform and work in your time zone. You meet them first, and decide who joins.
OPTIMIZELY® is a trademark or registered trademark of Optimizely North America Inc. or its related entities, and the other Optimizely product names on this page may be too. Microsoft is a trademark of the Microsoft group of companies. Webair is independent of Optimizely and Microsoft, and isn’t sponsored by, endorsed by or affiliated with either.
Let’s build it better
Tell us which CMS version, search and add-ons each of your sites runs on. We’ll agree on a first step in a short call.
Thanks, we’ll be in touch soon.
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