Gavin Grant

WordPress has long been the go-to platform for website development, offering flexibility and a vast ecosystem of plugins. However, as websites grow in complexity, many developers and businesses are looking for modern alternatives that provide better performance, scalability, and developer experience. One such alternative is migrating from WordPress to a headless CMS like 

I am currently working with a client who has been using WordPress for over 15 years. Over time, their site's performance has significantly declined due to inefficient database queries, bloated plugins, and years of accumulated technical debt. 

As their content library grew, so did their reliance on third-party plugins—many of which were heavily customized and deeply integrated into their workflows. This made migrating to a modern CMS like Sanity a challenge because replicating the same functionality without those plugins would require significant development effort. Additionally, years of unstructured content storage, outdated themes, and dependencies on WordPress-specific features created roadblocks. 

In many cases, businesses become so locked into the WordPress ecosystem that migration becomes impractical, forcing them to accept performance trade-offs rather than investing in a rebuild.

Before you get stuck in the WordPress ecosystem, consider migrating to a 

 for better performance, security, flexibility, and scalability.

The Benefits of Migrating to a Headless CMS

One of the biggest reasons to migrate away from WordPress is performance. WordPress sites often rely on PHP-based rendering and database queries for every page load, leading to slower load times. In contrast, a headless CMS enables:

 using modern image optimization techniques.

, since content can be fetched at build time or efficiently updated with API requests.

WordPress sites are frequently targeted by hackers due to their widespread use and reliance on third-party plugins. A headless CMS like Sanity separates the backend from the frontend, reducing the attack surface and eliminating concerns around plugin vulnerabilities.

3. Flexible Frontend Development with Next.js

With WordPress, frontend customization often involves working within the constraints of themes and PHP templates. Moving to a headless CMS allows developers to:

, which integrates seamlessly with Sanity.

Optimize UX/UI with full control over design and interactions.

Leverage API-driven content, making it easy to integrate with other services.

 as the frontend for Sanity provides several advantages:

: Next.js allows you to generate static pages at build time and update content dynamically without rebuilding the entire site.

 component ensures efficient image loading and optimization.

: Next.js supports server-side rendering (SSR) and static generation, improving SEO performance.

: You can create custom backend logic within the Next.js app without needing a separate server.

, a game-changer for content creators and developers. This tool enhances the content management experience by enabling 

 with interactive live previews. Here’s what it offers:

: See draft content updates in real time within Sanity Studio, making it easier to fine-tune content before publishing.

: Interactive overlays help content creators quickly find and edit the right fields without searching through structured data.

: Add, move, and remove content sections directly within the Studio, streamlining the page creation process.

: Content creators can share previews with stakeholders or team members for quick feedback.

: Open previews where a document is used directly from the 

, Sanity significantly improves the content editing experience, making it more intuitive and efficient compared to traditional CMS platforms like WordPress.

This is what the user interface looks like. I am using a monorepo built by Roboto Studio called 

 for this project. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a full-stack monorepo template that is battle tested and well designed.

Ok, so how do we migrate? He's a high-level overview of the migration steps.

How to Migrate WordPress Content to Sanity

Migrating from WordPress to Sanity involves transferring blog posts, images, and other media while ensuring a smooth content editing experience.

You can export your WordPress blog posts and media using the 

 or the export functionality in the plugin 

. If using the REST API, fetch posts with:

Save the exported data in a JSON format for easy transformation.

Sanity uses a structured content approach, so you may need to map WordPress data fields (title, content, categories, etc.) to your Sanity schema. A basic blog schema in Sanity might look like this:

Use a script to transform and push the content into Sanity using their API or CLI.

WordPress media is usually stored in the 

Update the image references in your posts.

Once your content is in Sanity, you can build a frontend that fetches data via Sanity’s GraphQL or GROQ API. A simple query to fetch posts:

Deploy your site to Vercel, AWS, or another hosting provider. Optimize performance with:

Caching strategies to improve response times.

Migrating content from WordPress to Sanity

Migrating from WordPress to a headless CMS like Sanity offers major advantages in performance, security, and scalability. Pairing it with 

 as the frontend framework maximizes these benefits by offering high performance, SEO advantages, and better developer experience.

, Sanity makes content management even more intuitive, bridging the gap between structured content and a real-time editing experience.

By following the steps above, you can successfully transition your content while improving user experience and developer productivity. If you’re looking to future-proof your website, now is the time to make the switch!

Are you considering migrating your WordPress site? 

GAVIN GRANTCONSULTING