The verdict in three sentences
For a manufacturer with a 400-product catalogue, migrating from WordPress to Next.js costs between EUR 12,000 and 30,000 excl. VAT (about USD 13,000 to 32,500) in 2026 and takes 8 to 12 weeks. The gain is measurable: LCP drops from 4.2 s to under 1.8 s, and plugin vulnerabilities disappear. The real risk is not technical but SEO: without a 301 redirect plan covering all 600 URLs, a migration can cost 30% of traffic, versus under 5% when it is properly prepared.
Why migrate, and what it costs
The IT manager of a mid-sized manufacturer often faces the same story: 35 plugins, a heavy theme, updates that break the catalogue and two security alerts per quarter. Next.js with a headless CMS separates presentation from content and removes most of those risks.
| Criterion | Current WordPress (typical) | Next.js + headless CMS |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile LCP (Core Web Vitals) | 3.5 to 4.5 s | 1.2 to 1.8 s |
| Plugins to maintain | 25 to 40 | 0 on the public side |
| Attack surface | Exposed admin, plugins | Static or server-rendered site, separate admin |
| CMS cost | EUR 0 (plus premium plugins EUR 300 to 800 a year) | EUR 0 to 300 a month (Strapi, Sanity, Payload) |
| Hosting | EUR 20 to 80 a month | EUR 0 to 50 a month (Vercel, Netlify, VPS) |
| Monthly maintenance | EUR 150 to 400 | EUR 100 to 250 |
| Technical product page (PDF, CAD) | Third-party plugins | Custom components |
| Migration scope | 2026 budget (excl. VAT) | Timeline |
| 30-page brochure site, no catalogue | EUR 8,000 to 12,000 | 5 to 7 weeks |
| 400-product catalogue, simple pages | EUR 12,000 to 18,000 | 8 to 10 weeks |
| 400-product catalogue, technical filters and PDFs | EUR 18,000 to 25,000 | 10 to 12 weeks |
| + configurator or per-product quote request | EUR 25,000 to 30,000 | 12 weeks |
| + multilingual EN/FR/DE | +EUR 3,000 to 6,000 | +2 to 3 weeks |
Risks and how to neutralise them
| Risk | Likelihood without preparation | Preventive measure | Cost of measure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Organic traffic loss | 20 to 30% | 600-URL 301 redirect plan, keep product URLs | EUR 1,000 to 2,000 |
| Lost or broken content | High | Tested migration script, review of 400 product pages | EUR 1,500 to 3,000 |
| Broken quote forms | Medium | End-to-end tests before switchover | EUR 500 to 1,000 |
| Marketing team lost in new CMS | Medium | Two half-day training sessions | EUR 600 to 1,200 |
| Forgotten SEO tags and structured data | Medium | Carry over titles, meta and Product markup | included if scoped |
Good practice: switch over on a Tuesday morning, keep WordPress read-only for 30 days, and check Search Console daily for 4 weeks. 404 errors should be fixed within 48 hours.
Mini case study
Nicolas, IT manager of a 90-person stainless steel parts manufacturer, runs a WordPress site with 400 products and 600 indexed URLs. The site generates 45 quote requests a month, with a 4.2 s LCP. He chooses a EUR 21,000 migration with a headless CMS at EUR 99 a month.
After migration, LCP drops to 1.6 s and product page conversion rises from 1.1% to 1.5%. Across 4,000 monthly product page visits, that is 16 extra quote requests a month. With a 20% win rate and an average order of EUR 3,500, the gain is about EUR 11,200 a month. The migration pays back in 2 months, as a 2026 order of magnitude.
FAQ
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Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
How much does a WordPress to Next.js migration cost for an industrial catalogue?
EUR 12,000 to 30,000 excl. VAT for 400 products, depending on filters, PDFs and quote requests. A site without a catalogue sits closer to EUR 8,000 to 12,000.
Will we lose search rankings?
With a complete 301 redirect plan and preserved tags, the dip stays under 5% and recovers in 4 to 8 weeks. Without preparation, it can reach 30%.
Which headless CMS should we choose?
Self-hosted Strapi or Payload cost EUR 0 in licences; Sanity starts free then runs EUR 15 to 300 a month depending on usage. The choice depends mainly on who publishes and how complex product pages are.
Can the marketing team edit the site on its own?
Yes, after two half-day training sessions. Product pages, news and pages stay editable without a developer.
How long does the project take?
8 to 12 weeks, including 2 weeks of testing and SEO checks. The switchover itself takes under an hour.
Let's scope your project. Send us your site URL, product count and connected tools: we price a migration between EUR 12,000 and 30,000 excl. VAT, delivered in 8 to 12 weeks with a redirect plan. 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.
