The verdict in three sentences
Migrating a B2B site from WordPress to a headless stack (Next.js + CMS) costs €18,000 to €40,000 in Berlin in 2026, content migration included at €3,000 to €8,000. The gain is measurable: +40 to 60% on LCP, -70% security incidents and -20 to -30% annual maintenance. ROI materialises in 18 to 30 months depending on traffic volume and the current cost of incidents.
The migration budget, line by line
A headless migration is not just a theme swap: you separate the back office (CMS) from the front end (Next.js), which changes the cost structure.
| Item | 2026 detail | Cost (EUR) |
|---|---|---|
| Headless architecture | Next.js + CMS setup (Sanity, Strapi…) | 4,500 – 10,000 |
| Front-end development | Components, pages, design system | 7,000 – 15,000 |
| Content migration | Articles, media, SEO | 3,000 – 8,000 |
| Integrations | CRM, forms, analytics | 1,500 – 4,000 |
| Redirects & SEO | 301 map, hreflang, sitemap | 1,000 – 3,000 |
| QA & go-live | Testing, performance, DNS switch | 1,500 – 3,500 |
| Total | 18,000 – 40,000 |
In Berlin the higher developer day rate pushes the same scope to €18,000 to €40,000, above the €15,000-€35,000 seen elsewhere in France.
The ROI: performance, security, maintenance
The budget only stacks up if the gains are quantified. Here is the 2026 order of magnitude across three axes.
| Gain axis | Before (WordPress) | After (headless) | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile LCP | 3.5 – 5 s | 1.4 – 2.2 s | +40 to 60% |
| Security incidents / year | 4 – 8 | 1 – 2 | -70% |
| Annual maintenance | €4,000 – 7,000 | €3,000 – 5,000 | -20 to -30% |
| Average cost per incident | €1,200 – 4,000 | rare | avoided |
| Time to publish a page | 1 – 3 days | a few hours | agility |
The reduced attack surface (no more exposed PHP plugins) explains most of the security gain, critical for a B2B site that captures leads.
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Mini case study
Nadia, IT director of a B2B SME in Berlin (precision engineering), runs a WordPress with 6 critical plugins. Current cost: maintenance €5,500/year + 5 incidents/year at ~€1,800 = €14,500/year in real terms. Headless migration quote: €28,000, 12-week timeline. After migration: maintenance €4,000 + 1 incident ≈ €5,800/year. Annual saving: ~€8,700, i.e. payback in ~30 months — before the SEO gain from an LCP cut in half, which noticeably speeds up amortisation.
FAQ
How long does a WordPress-to-headless migration take? Expect 10 to 16 weeks in 2026 depending on content volume and the number of integrations. Content migration and the redirect plan are the two items that stretch the timeline.
Will editing become harder? No: a modern headless CMS (Sanity, Strapi) offers an editor interface as simple as WordPress, plus validation workflows and native multilingual support.
Is SEO at risk? On the contrary: the performance gain (LCP -40 to -60%) is a positive signal. With a rigorous 301 redirect plan, traffic is preserved and often improves.
Why does security improve so much? The static/serverless front end drastically reduces the attack surface: no exposed WordPress database, no PHP plugins to patch under pressure. Hence the -70% incidents observed.
Can we migrate in stages? Yes: you can switch key pages first (home, offerings) then the blog. This smooths the budget and reduces cutover risk.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your content volume, your integrations (CRM, forms) and your target budget: we quantify the headless migration and expected ROI. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
