The verdict in three sentences
In New York in 2026, migrating a WordPress site to Next.js costs between 4,000 and 16,000 USD depending on page and integration count, for a 40 to 70 % gain in load time and a jump in Core Web Vitals. You migrate when WordPress crawls (stacked plugins, response time > 3 s), when security costs too much in maintenance, or when you want a site that is fast on mobile. The only real risk is SEO: without a rigorous 301 redirect plan you can lose 30 to 50 % of traffic — with one, you preserve 95 %+.
WordPress vs Next.js performance comparison
| Metric | Typical WordPress | Optimised Next.js | Gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| LCP (load) | 3.2 - 5.0 s | 1.0 - 1.8 s | -55 % |
| Mobile Lighthouse score | 45 - 70 | 90 - 99 | +35 pts |
| Average page weight | 2.5 - 4 MB | 0.6 - 1.2 MB | -70 % |
| Time to First Byte | 600 - 1200 ms | 100 - 300 ms | -75 % |
| Hosting cost/month | 40 - 120 USD | 0 - 60 USD (edge) | variable |
| Security attack surface | high (plugins) | low | major drop |
Even on strong US connections, a large share of B2B traffic is mobile, and moving LCP from 4 s to 1.5 s directly changes bounce rate and rankings.
Cost in USD by site volume 2026
| Site type | Pages | Migration cost USD | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple brochure | 5-10 | 4,000 - 6,500 | 3-5 wks |
| Corporate | 20-40 | 7,500 - 11,000 | 6-9 wks |
| Site + large blog | 80-200 | 11,000 - 16,000 | 9-14 wks |
| Content migration (add-on) | per 50 posts | + 1,300 - 2,200 | included |
The blog is often the underestimated line: migrating 150 posts with their images, metadata and URLs requires automation (a script importing the WordPress database into the headless CMS) and proofreading.
SEO risks and redirect plan
The technology migration does not degrade SEO in itself; broken URLs are what cause the drop. The safeguard plan:
| Action | When | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Full crawl of the old site | before | inventory URLs and traffic |
| 301 mapping table | before | each old URL → new |
| Keep existing slugs | during | zero redirect if possible |
| Migrate tags and schema | during | preserve rich results |
| SEO QA + sitemap | launch | signal to Google |
| 404 and ranking monitoring | day 90 | fix losses quickly |
A site receiving 20,000 organic visits/month cannot afford a blind migration: every traffic point lost is one fewer lead.
Mini case study
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Yacine, digital manager of a B2B industrial equipment company in New York, runs a 120-page WordPress site that loads in 4.3 s and scores 52 on mobile Lighthouse. He migrates to Next.js for 11,000 USD (including 2,100 for the blog migration). Result: LCP at 1.4 s, Lighthouse at 96, and organic traffic preserved at 97 % thanks to the 118-redirect plan. Over 12 months, the speed improvement lifts conversion from 0.9 % to 1.4 %. On 20,000 visits/month that is 100 extra leads/month. With a 90 USD margin per qualified lead converted at 8 %, the monthly gain exceeds 720 USD. The migration pays for itself in about 15 months, not counting the 60 USD/month saved on hosting and security maintenance.
FAQ
Do you really need to leave WordPress?
Not always. If your site loads in under 2.5 s, is up to date and works for you, stay. Migration is justified when performance, security or maintenance become measurable brakes on the business.
How long does a migration take?
From 3 to 14 weeks in New York in 2026 depending on volume. An 8-page brochure ships in 3-5 weeks; a 150-page site with a blog needs 9-14 weeks, most of the time being content migration and redirects.
Will we lose SEO traffic?
With an exhaustive 301 plan and slug preservation, loss stays at 0-5 % recovered within weeks. Without a plan, 30 to 50 % durable loss is common: that is the only real risk.
Is Next.js more expensive to host?
On the contrary, often cheaper: edge hosting can be free to 60 USD/month versus 40-120 USD for a properly sized WordPress, without the hidden costs of premium plugins.
Can we keep the same CMS for editors?
Yes: you connect a headless CMS (Sanity, Strapi) with a comfortable editing interface. Editors keep publishing without touching code, plus a review workflow.
Let's scope your project. Send us your current URL, page count and organic traffic: we audit performance and quote the migration with the 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.
