Headless WordPresswith Next.js
Keep the WordPress editor your team already knows. Get a Next.js front end that loads fast, ranks, and doesn’t break when a plugin updates.
You’re reading one right now: this site’s blog is written in WordPress and served by Next.js on Vercel.
What headless WordPress with Next.js means
Headless WordPress keeps WordPress as the content editor and database, but replaces the WordPress theme with a separate Next.js front end. Editors keep writing in wp-admin. Visitors get pages that Next.js renders from the WordPress REST API or GraphQL, cached at the edge.
The payoff is speed and control over the front end. The cost is that WordPress themes and front-end plugins stop rendering, so the decision depends on how your site is built today.
How this site runs headless
The same setup I build for clients, running on the page you’re reading.
WordPress stays the editor
Content lives in WordPress. Editors publish in wp-admin exactly as they do today.
Next.js renders the pages
Pages are prerendered and cached, so visitors never wait on PHP or the WordPress database.
Publish triggers a refresh
A webhook revalidates the changed post, the blog index, and the sitemap within seconds.
SEO fields carried over
Titles and descriptions come from Rank Math. Schema, sitemap, and IndexNow run in Next.js.
Is headless worth it for you?
I’ll tell you if it isn’t. More detail in WordPress vs Next.js: when it’s worth it.
Good fit
- Content team already lives in WordPress and should keep it
- Page speed and Core Web Vitals are costing you traffic or sales
- You need a custom front end that a theme cannot deliver
- The same content feeds a website and an app
Probably not worth it
- A small brochure site that works fine today
- The site depends on page builders like Elementor or Divi
- Many front-end plugins (forms, sliders, shops) must keep working as-is
- No developer will maintain the front end after launch
What you get
How the project runs
Audit
Map content types, plugins, URLs, and what must not break
API
Expose content through REST or GraphQL with SEO fields
Front end
Build the Next.js pages, cache, and revalidation
Launch
Redirects, sitemap, Search Console, then monitor ranks
Headless WordPress FAQ
What is headless WordPress with Next.js?+
Headless WordPress keeps WordPress as the content editor and database, but replaces the WordPress theme with a separate Next.js front end. Editors keep writing in wp-admin. Visitors get pages that Next.js renders from the WordPress REST API or GraphQL, cached at the edge.
When is headless WordPress worth it?+
It is worth it when page speed, a custom front end, or sharing content with an app matters more than drop-in plugins. It is usually not worth it for a small brochure site that depends on page builders or many front-end plugins, because those plugins do not render in a Next.js front end.
Will I lose my SEO when moving to headless WordPress?+
Not if the migration carries it over. I keep every URL or redirect it, read titles and descriptions from your SEO plugin such as Rank Math, rebuild the sitemap and schema in Next.js, and revalidate pages the moment an editor publishes.
Can my team still use the WordPress editor?+
Yes. Writers and editors keep the same wp-admin, blocks, and media library. Publishing a post triggers a webhook that refreshes the affected Next.js pages, so changes go live without a redeploy.
Where does a headless WordPress site run?+
The Next.js front end usually runs on Vercel, and WordPress runs on your existing host or a small VPS behind it. Visitors only hit the fast front end, so the WordPress server can stay small and private.
Not sure headless is right for your site?
Send me the URL. I’ll tell you whether headless is worth it, what would break, and what it would take, before you commit to anything.