Services / Platform Modernization
WordPress Platform Modernization: Go Headless, Migrate to Next.js, or Migrate to Astro
WordPress consultant with 15+ years PHP experience delivering three modernization paths: headless WordPress (you keep hosting, we build the Next.js frontend), Next.js migration (add AI features, eliminate plugins), or Astro migration (content-first, exceptional performance). Security testing and deployment included in every build.
Start with a 2-week assessment to audit plugins, themes, and content—then get an honest recommendation: headless WordPress, Next.js for AI, or Astro for content-only sites.
For related migrations, explore the Drupal to Next.js migration guide and our Rails modernization service .
Headless vs. Next.js vs. Astro: Which path is right?
Quick comparison to help you decide between headless WordPress, full Next.js migration, or Astro migration.
| Feature | Headless WordPress | Next.js Migration | Astro Migration |
|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress hosting | Required (you manage) | Eliminated | Eliminated |
| Plugin management | Required (you manage) | Eliminated | Eliminated |
| Editor experience | WordPress WYSIWYG | Git/MDX or modern CMS | Git/MDX or modern CMS |
| AI features (RAG, chat) | ✅ Available | ✅ Optimized | ⚠️ Limited |
| Performance | Good (cached) | Excellent | Exceptional |
| Timeline | 8-14 weeks | 10-20 weeks | 6-12 weeks |
| Best for | Teams managing WP | AI-powered platforms | Content-heavy sites |
Need deeper detail?
For a step-by-step walkthrough of moving off WordPress, read the WordPress → Astro migration guide .
Why WordPress holds back AI product teams
WordPress was built for blogging in 2003. Modern AI platforms need vector databases, streaming responses, and serverless execution—capabilities WordPress can't deliver without major surgery.
Plugin debt
Every plugin adds attack surface. Security audits flag outdated dependencies and random updates break sites unexpectedly.
No AI infrastructure
No native vector databases, no streaming responses, no serverless execution. RAG pipelines need modern infrastructure.
Core Web Vitals failures
Bloated themes and plugins slow page loads. Google penalizes poor performance, conversions suffer.
Developer hiring challenges
PHP/WordPress developer pool is shrinking. Modern teams hire for TypeScript, React, and serverless stacks.
Not sure which path is right?
Start with a scoped WordPress assessment
In 2 weeks, we'll audit your WordPress plugins, themes, custom code, and content architecture—then recommend whether to go headless on WordPress, migrate to Next.js for AI, or migrate to Astro for content-only sites. You'll get an architecture plan, security assessment, and cost estimate before committing.
Why modernize your WordPress site?
WordPress 5/6 with legacy plugins can't run production AI workloads. RAG pipelines need vector databases, real-time embeddings, and streaming responses. AI agents need serverless execution and sub-100ms latency. Plugin bloat slows everything down.
Technical limitations
- Plugin conflicts and theme bloat break sites unexpectedly
- No native support for vector databases or semantic search
- PHP blocking model can't handle streaming LLM responses
- Security vulnerabilities from outdated plugins/modules
- No serverless AI agents or MCP servers
Business constraints
- Competitors ship AI features you can't match
- WordPress hosting and support costs balloon
- Developer hiring pool shrinking for WordPress/PHP
- Core Web Vitals failures hurt SEO + conversions
- Security audits flag outdated plugins/themes
Three WordPress modernization paths
Start with a scoped assessment, then choose: headless WordPress, Next.js for AI, or Astro for content.
Path 1
Headless WordPress + Next.js
Custom engagement
8-14 weeks
Best for teams comfortable managing WP
Keep WordPress admin (you manage hosting), modern Next.js frontend on Vercel.
What you get
- WordPress stays headless (you manage hosting/plugins)
- We build Next.js frontend deployed to Vercel
- Add RAG, chatbots, semantic search
- Security testing + deployment pipeline
- Editors keep WYSIWYG workflows
Path 2
Migrate to Next.js + AI
Custom engagement
10-20 weeks
Best for AI-powered platforms
Full migration for AI-powered platforms.
What you get
- Migrate WP Next.js or modern CMS
- Add AI features (RAG, agents, MCP servers)
- Modern auth (Clerk/Auth0)
- Security testing (pen test, prompt injection)
- Deployment pipeline (Vercel CI/CD, no WP hosting)
Path 3
Migrate to Astro
Custom engagement
6-12 weeks
Best for content-heavy marketing sites
Lightweight migration for content sites.
What you get
- Migrate WordPress Astro (Markdown or CMS)
- Exceptional performance + Core Web Vitals
- Modern developer experience
- Security hardening + deployment
- Best for blogs, docs, marketing sites
Note: For headless WordPress, you keep your existing WordPress hosting and plugin management. We build and maintain the modern frontend; we do not host or operate WordPress itself.
WordPress to Astro migration guide
Step-by-step walkthrough covering content export, component rebuild, and deployment strategies for teams moving WordPress sites to Astro.
Read the migration guide →How WordPress modernization works
Simple 3-phase approach: assess, build, launch. Legacy site stays live while we build and validate.
1. Assessment
2 weeks
- Audit plugins, themes, custom code
- Analyze content volume + media
- Security scan for vulnerabilities
- Recommend headless vs. full migration
- Architecture plan + cost estimate
2. Build
8-16 weeks
- Migrate content + preserve SEO
- Rebuild pages with modern components
- Add AI features (RAG, chat, search)
- Security testing + penetration test
- Run side-by-side for validation
3. Launch
2 weeks
- Gradual traffic cutover
- Performance tuning + monitoring
- Handoff documentation + runbooks
- Decommission WordPress if migrating
- Post-launch support available
AI features available for WordPress modernization
Whether you go headless or migrate fully, these are the AI capabilities we can add to modernized WordPress architectures.
RAG-powered search & chat
Ingest WordPress content (posts, pages, CPTs) into pgvector for semantic search and AI chat assistants. Works with headless WP or full migrations.
- Automatic ingestion from WordPress
- Semantic search across posts, pages, docs
- AI chat with citations to source content
- Updates whenever WordPress content changes
Content recommendations
AI-powered recommendations based on user behavior, content similarity, and contextual signals to increase engagement.
- Related posts with AI-powered relevance
- Personalized content feeds
- Category and tag intelligence
- A/B testing hooks built in
Document processing & automation
Automated summarization, tagging, and metadata enrichment. AI agents process documents, extract entities, and push data back into WordPress.
- Auto-tag posts with AI-generated categories
- Summarize long-form content
- Extract entities (people, places, topics)
- MCP servers for workflow automation
Important: Headless WordPress supports these AI features, but Next.js offers better performance, lower costs, and easier hiring. If your WordPress stack has heavy plugin debt or security issues, full migration is often the better long-term play.
Related modernization services
WordPress modernization pairs with these services for complete platform transformation.
Next.js AI Platform Development
Full AI platform development for teams migrating WordPress sites to Next.js with RAG, agents, and observability.
Astro Platform Development
Content-focused Astro builds for WordPress sites prioritizing performance and developer experience.
Penetration testing
Standalone security testing for WordPress sites before or after modernization.
What to expect
WordPress modernization capabilities
Whether going headless, migrating to Next.js, or moving to Astro, here's what we deliver across platform modernization projects.
Content migration
WordPress content (posts, pages, custom post types) migrates to modern stack with SEO preservation.
- Custom post types mapped to new schema
- Media library migrated with optimization
- Permalinks preserved with redirect maps
- Metadata and taxonomies carried forward
AI integration
Add semantic search, RAG-powered chat, and content recommendations to modernized platforms.
- Content ingestion for RAG pipelines
- Semantic search with pgvector
- AI chat with source citations
- Automated content tagging
Security + deployment
Production-grade security testing and modern deployment pipelines integrated from day one.
- OWASP security testing
- Prompt injection defenses for AI features
- CI/CD with automated tests
- Zero-downtime deployment strategy
WordPress modernization outcomes
Proof this approach works
Real results from WordPress modernization projects across headless, Next.js, and Astro migrations.
Headless WP + Next.js
Headless WordPress + AI
- Kept WordPress admin, rebuilt frontend with Next.js.
- Added RAG-powered knowledge base search with pgvector.
- Core Web Vitals improved from 40s to 95+.
- Zero WordPress plugin conflicts post-launch.
Next.js + AI migration
Full Next.js migration
- Migrated 500+ posts to Next.js + Sanity CMS.
- Eliminated a costly monthly WordPress hosting and maintenance bill.
- Security audit passed with zero findings.
- Developer velocity increased 4x thanks to modern tooling.
Astro content rebuild
Astro migration
- Migrated marketing site from WordPress to Astro.
- Build time dropped from 8 minutes to 4 minutes.
- SEO rankings maintained during migration.
- No plugins to update or patch ever again.
WordPress modernization FAQ
Common questions
Honest answers to the questions founders ask before migrating away from WordPress.
Should we go headless or migrate away from WordPress?
Headless WordPress keeps your existing CMS and lets us build a modern frontend + AI features. You continue managing WordPress hosting and plugins. Full migration to Next.js or Astro eliminates WordPress entirely—better when plugin maintenance and security updates are consuming too much time.
Do you manage WordPress hosting?
When you choose headless WordPress, you keep your hosting (WP Engine, Kinsta, etc.) and handle plugin maintenance. We build and maintain the modern frontend. If you want to eliminate WordPress entirely, choose the Next.js or Astro migration paths.
When do you recommend Astro vs. Next.js?
Astro is ideal for content-heavy sites focused on speed and SEO with no AI roadmap. Next.js is best when AI (RAG, chat, agents) or app-like experiences matter.
What happens to our WordPress content and media?
We export via REST API or database dump, migrate into the new stack (modern CMS, Markdown, or database), and preserve media assets. URLs get redirects and SEO metadata carries over.
What if we have WooCommerce?
We can keep WooCommerce headless, migrate to Shopify, or build custom Next.js commerce. Products, orders, and customer data migrate with zero loss.
How long does WordPress modernization take?
Headless WordPress typically takes 8-14 weeks. Full Next.js migrations run 10-20 weeks, and Astro migrations take 6-12 weeks. We run both stacks in parallel so there is no downtime.
Will we lose SEO rankings during migration?
Not when handled properly. We preserve permalinks with 301 redirects, migrate metadata, submit new sitemaps, and monitor rankings through cutover. Most sites see improved rankings thanks to better Core Web Vitals.
Can we keep using critical WordPress plugins?
Headless WordPress lets you keep the plugins you rely on while we modernize the frontend. Full migrations replace most plugins with native Next.js/Astro features or API routes. We audit your plugin list during assessment and recommend replacements.
Where you land
Migrations plug into the AI Platform Development Stack with security guidance from the AI Platform Security Guide and retrieval patterns from the RAG Architecture Guide . You leave with semantic search and RAG-ready content, not just a new theme.
Ready to modernize your WordPress site?
Start with a scoped assessment—audit your WordPress architecture and content—then get an honest recommendation: headless WordPress, Next.js for AI, or Astro for content-only sites.
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