Website Migration from WordPress to Next.js
inStreamly • June 2022
The Challenge
As part of inStreamly’s rebranding, I was tasked with building a new website while retaining the existing backend on WordPress.
Since WordPress already hosted several dozen posts, switching to an entirely new CMS would have been too time-consuming and costly.
The solution turned out to be applying the Headless CMS methodology: WordPress provided data via API and GraphQL, while Next.js took over the frontend role, rendering individual pages with content fetched from the API.
My Role
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End-to-end implementation – I was responsible for fully migrating the site from WordPress to Next.js, including CMS integration, design implementation, and project management.
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Project management – In addition to development, I managed the project by organizing tasks, coordinating the team, and ensuring timely delivery of each component. Despite very tight deadlines, the entire implementation was completed within just a month, which was quite a challenge given the complexity of the website.
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Design implementation – The design included many custom elements, which posed challenges in terms of responsiveness and performance.
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SEO optimization – It was essential to maintain or even improve the site’s search engine rankings. In Next.js, I implemented solutions that allowed for generating meta tags and a sitemap similarly to WordPress, while improving page load times.
Technology
- Next.js & TypeScript – I used Server-Side Rendering (SSR) and Static Site Generation (SSG), which translated into better performance and improved SEO.
- WordPress – Served as the backend, providing data through GraphQL and API.
- GraphQL – Enabled data fetching from WordPress and smooth integration with the frontend.
What I Learned
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Implementing Headless CMS – Integrating WordPress with Next.js required combining several technologies, significantly expanding my knowledge and skills in headless architecture.
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Working with custom design – Balancing an impressive visual design with high performance was key in this project.
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Maintaining and improving SEO – Migrating from WordPress to Next.js posed SEO challenges but ultimately improved search rankings.
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Project management under tight deadlines – Effective planning, team communication, and task prioritization were critical to launching such an extensive site in an exceptionally short time.
