The verdict in three sentences
For a B2B SME, migrating from WordPress to Next.js costs EUR 12,000 to 35,000 excl. VAT in 2026, mainly depending on how many URLs must be carried over, from 300 to 1,500. The benefit is concrete: 1.5 to 3 seconds of LCP saved, fewer security holes and EUR 1,200 to 3,000 a year of plugin maintenance avoided. The real risk is SEO: without an exhaustive 301 redirect plan, a migration loses 10 to 30 % of organic traffic for several months.
Keep WordPress or go headless: the numbers
The marketing manager of an industrial services SME often hesitates because WordPress "works". Here is what each option really costs over three years.
| Criterion | Optimised WordPress | Next.js + headless CMS |
|---|---|---|
| Initial cost | EUR 4,000 to 8,000 (optimisation) | EUR 12,000 to 35,000 (migration) |
| Yearly maintenance | EUR 1,200 to 3,000 | EUR 600 to 1,500 |
| Typical mobile LCP | 3.5 to 5 s | 1.2 to 2 s |
| Security updates | 20 to 40 plugins to track | Limited dependencies, no exposed admin |
| Hosting | EUR 300 to 900 a year | EUR 0 to 600 a year (free tier or CDN) |
| Editorial autonomy | Excellent | Good with a well-configured CMS |
| 3-year cost (mid-size site) | About EUR 13,000 | About EUR 27,000 |
Over three years, Next.js costs more. The migration is justified by commercial performance (speed, conversion, brand image), not by direct savings.
Migration budget by URL count
| Line | 300 URLs | 800 URLs | 1,500 URLs |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEO audit and full crawl | EUR 1,500 | EUR 2,500 | EUR 3,500 |
| 301 redirect plan | EUR 1,000 | EUR 2,000 | EUR 3,500 |
| Design system and Next.js templates | EUR 5,000 | EUR 8,000 | EUR 11,000 |
| Headless CMS and content migration | EUR 2,500 | EUR 5,000 | EUR 9,000 |
| Integrations (CRM, forms, analytics) | EUR 1,000 | EUR 2,500 | EUR 4,000 |
| QA and 8-week post-launch monitoring | EUR 1,000 | EUR 2,000 | EUR 4,000 |
| Total excl. VAT | EUR 12,000 | EUR 22,000 | EUR 35,000 |
| Indicative timeline | 6 to 8 weeks | 10 to 12 weeks | 14 to 18 weeks |
SEO risks and how to neutralise them
| Risk | Possible traffic loss | Prevention |
|---|---|---|
| Changed URLs without redirects | 20 to 30 % | Page-by-page 301 table, tested before cutover |
| Lost title and meta tags | 5 to 10 % | Full export from Yoast or Rank Math |
| Orphan pages not migrated | 5 to 15 % | Screaming Frog crawl cross-checked with Search Console |
| Misconfigured client-side rendering | Variable | Server or static rendering for every indexable page |
| Images without alt attributes | 2 to 5 % | Automated attribute carry-over |
| Sitemap not submitted | Reindexing delay | Submit on launch day, monitor daily for 4 weeks |
A well-run migration usually sees a 3 to 8 % dip for 2 to 4 weeks, then exceeds the initial level thanks to speed gains.
Mini case study
Daan, marketing manager of an industrial maintenance SME near Amsterdam, runs an 800-URL WordPress site: 6,000 visits a month, 1.2 % conversion rate, or 72 enquiries a month. He launches a EUR 22,000 migration. LCP drops from 3.8 to 1.6 seconds and the conversion rate rises 15 % (a cautious estimate), or 11 more enquiries a month. With an 8 % close rate and an average contract of EUR 8,000, that is about EUR 7,000 of extra revenue a month. Avoided maintenance adds EUR 2,200 a year. The migration pays back in just over three months, as an order of magnitude.
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FAQ
How long does a WordPress to Next.js migration take?
6 to 18 weeks depending on volume: 6 to 8 weeks for 300 URLs, 14 to 18 weeks above 1,500 URLs. The redirect plan must be ready two weeks before cutover.
Can WordPress stay as the CMS behind Next.js?
Yes, that is "headless WordPress". It cuts migration cost by 15 to 20 % but keeps plugin maintenance on the admin side.
Will we lose SEO traffic?
With a complete redirect plan, the dip stays at 3 to 8 % for a few weeks. Without one, losses can reach 10 to 30 % and last more than six months.
What performance gain should we expect?
A mobile LCP improvement of 1.5 to 3 seconds is common. Each second saved lifts B2B conversion by 5 to 10 % according to industry studies.
Can the marketing team publish on its own?
Yes, if the headless CMS is set up with suitable content blocks. Plan half a day of training and 10 to 15 pages of documentation.
Let's scope your project. Send us your WordPress site URL and we will run a free crawl and price the migration with its redirect plan and cutover calendar. 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.
