The verdict in three sentences
For a New York B2B services SME dealing with recurring plugin vulnerabilities and a slow site, moving to Next.js and a headless CMS costs 12,000 to 30,000 USD for 30 to 120 pages, with local freelancers billing 100 to 175 USD an hour and agencies more, over 6 to 10 weeks. It usually halves maintenance costs and removes most of the attack surface, but it only makes sense if the site generates sales leads or needs to evolve. The main risk, a temporary 5 to 10 % traffic dip, is controlled by a 301 redirect plan covering 100 % of existing URLs.
Update WordPress or migrate: the comparison
A well-maintained WordPress is still a good tool. The SME problem lies elsewhere: a theme bought in 2019, 25 to 40 plugins with some abandoned, updates postponed for fear of breaking everything. Every vulnerability published on a popular plugin triggers waves of automated attacks within days.
| Criterion | WordPress overhaul | Next.js + headless CMS migration |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost (2026 order of magnitude, USD) | 4,000 to 9,000 | 12,000 to 30,000 |
| Timeline | 2 to 4 weeks | 6 to 10 weeks |
| Plugins to monitor | 15 to 30 | 0 to 3 integrations |
| Market maintenance | 150 to 400 USD/month | 75 to 200 USD/month |
| Attack surface | Public admin, PHP, plugins | Separate admin, static pages |
| Typical mobile LCP | 3 to 5 s | 1 to 2 s |
| Editorial autonomy | Good, familiar interface | Good, after 2 to 3 h of training |
An overhaul is the right call for a site under 30 pages that rarely changes. Migration makes sense when the site is an active sales channel, when you have been hacked at least once, or when you plan custom features (configurator, client portal, multilingual).
The migration plan and its risks
Migration is won or lost on preserving search rankings. Google has indexed your URLs for years, and each must point to its new address.
| Step | Content | Duration | Risk if skipped |
|---|---|---|---|
| URL inventory | Full crawl + Search Console + backlinks | 2 to 3 days | Forgotten pages returning 404 |
| 301 redirect plan | 100 % of URLs, including media and PDFs | 1 to 2 days | Loss of 20 to 40 % of traffic |
| Content export and clean-up | Posts, pages, media, SEO metadata | 3 to 5 days | Lost titles and descriptions |
| Next.js development | Templates, components, forms | 3 to 5 weeks | Delayed launch |
| QA and testing | Forms, redirects, mobile | 3 to 5 days | Leads lost at cut-over |
| Cut-over and monitoring | DNS, sitemap, Search Console over 8 weeks | ongoing | Undetected errors |
With this plan, the traffic dip is usually limited to 5 to 10 % for 4 to 8 weeks, after which the site beats its previous level thanks to speed gains. Without a redirect plan, losses can exceed 30 % and last for months. In New York, also budget an accessibility pass: ADA-related website lawsuits are frequent in the state, and a migration is the cheapest moment to reach WCAG 2.1 AA.
At Kolonell, this kind of migration falls either within the showcase grid (Starter 800,000 to 1,200,000 FCFA, 1,220 to 1,830 EUR; Growth 1,200,000 to 2,000,000 FCFA, 1,830 to 3,050 EUR; Premium 2,000,000 to 3,500,000 FCFA, 3,050 to 5,340 EUR) or custom applications from 2,500,000 FCFA (3,810 EUR) when business features are added. Maintenance is 35,000, 75,000 or 120,000 FCFA a month (53, 114 or 183 EUR). See our web applications page.
Mini case study
Daniel, owner of a 25-person HVAC maintenance company serving commercial buildings in New York, suffered two hacks in 18 months through form plugins. Each incident cost about 2,500 USD (clean-up, restore, two days without a contact form). He also pays 300 USD a month for WordPress maintenance.
Migrating 60 pages costs 18,000 USD, with maintenance afterwards at 150 USD a month. Annual calculation: maintenance savings of (300 - 150) x 12 = 1,800 USD, incidents avoided worth about 1,700 USD a year on average, so 3,500 USD in direct savings. The real gain is commercial: LCP drops from 4.6 s to 1.4 s and quote requests rise from 6 to 8 a month. With a 25 % close rate and an average annual contract of 7,000 USD, those 24 extra requests a year bring 6 contracts, 42,000 USD of additional revenue. The migration pays back in about 5 months.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
See also: Core Web Vitals on a manufacturer's site and multilingual exporter website.
FAQ
How much does a WordPress to Next.js migration cost in New York?
Expect 12,000 to 30,000 USD for 30 to 120 pages (2026 order of magnitude). Freelancers bill 100 to 175 USD an hour; agencies usually more.
Will we lose our search rankings?
A 5 to 10 % dip for 4 to 8 weeks is normal. It stays temporary if 100 % of old URLs are 301-redirected and SEO tags are carried over.
Can we edit the site without a developer?
Yes, a headless CMS (Sanity, Strapi, Payload) provides an editing interface. 2 to 3 hours of training is usually enough for a marketing team.
Will the site really be more secure?
Pages are served statically and the admin is separate from the public site. You go from 20 to 30 exposed plugins to 0 to 3 integrations, which sharply reduces risk.
How long does the project take?
Between 6 and 10 weeks, including 1 to 2 weeks of inventory and redirects. Post-launch monitoring runs for 8 weeks in Search Console.
Let's scope your project. Send us your WordPress site address and your requirements, and we will produce the inventory, migration plan and schedule. 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.
