01Should you move at all
Next.js suits sites that need top speed and full design control. WordPress suits sites where many non-technical people edit many pages. Moving is worth it when speed, security or design limits are costing you, and not worth it just because Next.js is fashionable.
- Move when plugins slow the site, updates keep breaking things or design is held back by the theme
- Stay when your team edits dozens of pages a week and relies on WordPress plugins
- Consider a middle path: keep WordPress as the editor and use Next.js for the public site
02What to plan before you start
Pages and addresses
- What to decide
- A full list of current pages and their addresses, so none are lost
Content editing
- What to decide
- Where editors will write after the move, and how they publish
Plugin features
- What to decide
- Forms, search, galleries, booking, members and other features to rebuild or replace
Search settings
- What to decide
- Page titles, descriptions, structured data and sitemaps to carry across
Media
- What to decide
- Images moved, compressed and given useful names and alt text
Integrations
- What to decide
- Analytics, email tools, CRM and chat connected again
03Keeping your search rankings
- Keep the same addresses where you can, and redirect permanently where you cannot
- Carry over page titles, descriptions, headings and structured data
- Submit the new sitemap and watch Search Console for errors after launch
- Check that no test or staging pages are visible to search engines
- Expect small movements for a few weeks and fix problems as they appear
A redirect map built from a full crawl of the old site is the single most useful document in the project.
04How the move runs
- Audit the old site and list every page, plugin and integration
- Choose the editing approach and build the new site with the same content
- Rebuild forms and plugin features and connect analytics
- Test on a copy: addresses, redirects, forms, speed and phones
- Launch at a quiet time, with a way back ready
- Watch Search Console and fix issues in the first weeks
?Frequently asked questions
Will we lose our search rankings?
Not if the move is planned well. Keeping addresses, redirecting old ones and carrying across titles and descriptions protects most of what you have earned.
Can our team still edit content?
Yes. We agree the editing approach before the move, which can be a visual editor, a content tool or WordPress kept as the editor.
How long does a migration take?
It depends on the number of pages and features. After a short audit we give a timeline in writing.
What happens to our plugins?
We list each one, then rebuild the feature, replace it with a simpler option or drop it if it is no longer needed.
How do I get a quote?
Book a free 30-minute call. We follow with a written plan and quote.