Over the past two years, I've migrated 12 client sites from traditional WordPress setups to headless Next.js architectures. Some were massive wins. A few were painful lessons. Here's an honest breakdown of when this migration makes sense — and when it doesn't.
Why Clients Wanted to Migrate
The same complaints kept coming up:
- "My WordPress site is slow." — Plugin bloat, shared hosting, and un-optimized themes.
- "I can't customize anything without breaking stuff." — Theme lock-in and plugin conflicts.
- "My developers hate working on it." — No version control, no component reuse, no TypeScript.
The Migration Playbook
After the first few migrations, I developed a repeatable process:
Step 1: Content Audit
Catalog every page, post, custom post type, and media asset. WordPress sites often have 10x more content than you'd expect — including drafts, revisions, and orphaned media.
Step 2: Choose Your CMS
Not every site needs headless. Our decision tree:
- Lots of non-technical editors? → WordPress as headless CMS (WPGraphQL) or Sanity.
- Developer-managed content? → MDX files in the repo (like this blog).
- E-commerce? → Shopify Storefront API or Medusa.
Step 3: Build the Frontend
Next.js App Router with React Server Components. Key decisions:
- Static Generation (SSG) for marketing pages and blog posts.
- Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR) for pages that update daily.
- Server Components for data-heavy pages (dashboards, admin panels).
Step 4: Redirect Map
This is where migrations fail. Every single URL must have a 301 redirect or you lose SEO value:
/old-page/ → /new-page
/?p=123 → /blog/actual-slug
/category/services/ → /services
We use Next.js middleware.ts for complex redirect logic.
Real Results
| Client | Before (WordPress) | After (Next.js) | Improvement | | ---------------------------------------------------- | ------------------ | --------------- | --------------- | | North Can Academy | LCP: 4.2s | LCP: 0.8s | 5.3x faster | | Atlas Learning Zone | PageSpeed: 38 | PageSpeed: 96 | +58 points | | InstantSuites | Bundle: 2.1MB | Bundle: 180KB | 92% smaller |
When NOT to Migrate
Be honest with yourself. Stay on WordPress if:
- The client has non-technical editors who love the WordPress admin panel and won't adapt to a new CMS.
- The site relies on 20+ plugins that would need custom rebuilding.
- Budget is tight. A well-optimized WordPress site with good hosting is fine for many businesses.
- SEO is already strong. Migration risk may outweigh the performance gains.
Portfolio Highlights
Here are some of my projects that span both WordPress and Next.js:
- Salam Secondary — Custom PHP theme with CMS integration.
- BowWow Bakery — WooCommerce e-commerce for a pet bakery.
- TG Academy — E-commerce education platform with Stripe payments.
- Candy Paradise — Shopify custom theme for a candy brand.
- House Hoppers — WordPress custom theme for real estate.
The Bottom Line
The WordPress-to-Next.js migration is worth it when performance, developer experience, and scalability are priorities. But it's not a universal answer. The best framework is the one that serves your specific business needs.
If you're considering a migration, let's talk — I'll give you an honest assessment of whether it makes sense for your site.