What is a headless CMS?
In WordPress, managing your content and the front end of your website sit in one system. A headless CMS separates the two. The CMS only manages the content: text, images, pages. The website itself is a separate, fast application that fetches and shows the content. The same content can then also go to an app, a second site or a screen in your store.
Well-known examples are Payload, Strapi and Sanity. This website itself runs on Payload CMS.
When is WordPress fine?
WordPress is popular for good reasons. It is a good choice when:
- you have a simple site or blog that works well;
- you need many ready-made features and little custom work;
- you want to change the site yourself without a developer;
- the budget is limited and a standard theme is enough.
Switching just because something is new is not a good reason.
When is it time to switch?
These are the signs that WordPress costs you more than it delivers:
- 01Plugins and updates take time every month, and after an update something breaks again.
- 02Your site is slow, even after caching and optimisation, and that costs you visitors and Google rankings.
- 03Security worries you. Many attacks on WordPress run through outdated plugins and themes.
- 04Your content does not fit into pages and posts, and you use workarounds to manage services, cases, locations or products.
- 05You run several sites or brands, each with its own installation and its own admin.
- 06You want to show the content elsewhere too, such as in an app or a customer portal.
If you recognise three or more of these, a switch is worth considering.
What are the downsides of headless?
To be fair: building a headless site takes more development work at the start. There is no theme you install with one click, and new features are built rather than picked as a plugin. In return, your admin is set up exactly for your own content, and there is no pile of plugins to keep up to date.
How do you migrate without losing your Google rankings?
Migrations most often go wrong on search visibility. Here is how to prevent that:
- 01List all existing URLs, and check in Search Console which pages get traffic.
- 02Move the content: pages, posts, images and metadata.
- 03Set up a permanent redirect (301) from every old URL to the new page.
- 04Keep titles, descriptions and headings of well-ranking pages the same or better.
- 05After launch, submit the new sitemap to Search Console, and watch for errors for a few weeks.
In summary
- For a simple site that works well, WordPress is fine.
- Switching pays off when plugins, speed and security cost a lot of time, or when your content does not fit a standard site.
- Migrate with a complete list of URLs and a 301 redirect per page, so you keep your Google rankings.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. You manage content in an admin, just like in WordPress. It is set up for your kind of content, so it is often clearer.
That depends on the number of pages and how much custom work is needed. After an introduction you get a plan in steps with a fixed price per step.
Not if you do it properly. With a redirect for each old URL and the same or better titles and text, your rankings are kept. Some movement in the first weeks is normal.