Services / Headless WordPress
Your WordPress content. A front-end that actually performs.
Keep the admin your team already knows. Swap the slow PHP front-end for a modern framework that's fast by architecture, not by plugin.
Same WordPress. Different physics.
Five things that change the day you go headless, and one thing that deliberately doesn't.
Page speed
PHP rendered on every request
Each visit triggers server execution and database queries.
Pre-built pages on a global CDN
Static files served from an edge node closest to every visitor.
Security
Admin URL publicly reachable
Login page, XML-RPC, and REST endpoints are all exposed vectors.
WordPress completely isolated
Admin sits on a private URL. The public site has nothing to hack.
Design
Constrained by themes & builders
Complex UIs require plugin stacking or fragile PHP overrides.
Any UI in any framework
Full creative freedom in React, Vue, Svelte, or Astro.
Scalability
Traffic spikes hit your server
High load demands expensive scaling or caching workarounds.
Infinite scale on the edge
The CDN absorbs any traffic volume at minimal incremental cost.
Content editing
Familiar WordPress admin
Editors use Gutenberg, ACF, and WP as they always have.
The exact same WordPress admin
Editors never notice the change. We handle all the wiring.
Built for sites that have outgrown "good enough."
High-traffic sites
Traffic spikes that crash shared hosting disappear. The CDN absorbs them all.
WooCommerce stores
Battle-tested order management behind a custom, lightning-fast storefront.
Content publishers
Editorial teams keep their workflow; readers get load times that keep them reading.
Multi-platform brands
One content API powers your site, your app, and any future surface.
Developer-led teams
TypeScript, components, CI/CD previews, while content stays in WordPress.
Security-critical businesses
Healthcare, finance, legal: a private, isolated backend ends the breach anxiety.
Go headless when it pays. Wait when it doesn't.
Headless is an investment, and we'd rather lose a project than sell you one you don't need. Here's how we'd call it.
Go headless when…
Slow pages cost you money. Traffic spikes, ad campaigns, or checkout flows where every 100ms shows up in revenue.
A breach would be a catastrophe. Healthcare, finance, legal: an isolated, private backend removes the attack surface.
Your design has outgrown your theme. The UI you want keeps fighting the page builder you have.
Content feeds more than a website. Apps, kiosks, or future surfaces should read from one content API.
Stay traditional when…
A brochure site does the job. Five pages and a contact form don't need a build pipeline.
The budget is tight. A well-built traditional WordPress site costs less and can be excellent.
Your workflow lives in a page builder. If the team edits layouts in Elementor weekly, headless takes that away.
Speed is fixable the simple way. Many "slow WordPress" problems are solved by our performance service, at a fraction of the cost.
Not sure which column you're in? Tell us about your site and we'll tell you straight, in the first reply, free. Sometimes our honest answer is "don't go headless yet," and we'll point you to the cheaper fix.
Get an honest assessment →What we build with, and the receipt to match.
Next.js
Server components, ISR, and edge rendering: the React framework trusted by some of the largest sites on the internet.
Astro
Zero-JS by default. The fastest option for content-heavy sites targeting near-perfect Lighthouse scores.
WordPress, exactly as it is
Gutenberg, ACF, WooCommerce: your CMS stays put. We add the API layer and wire everything together.
A structured migration. Your site never blinks.
Audit your setup
Content models, plugins, integrations: we map what exists before touching anything.
Configure the API layer
WordPress becomes a content API, securely, on a private URL.
Build the new front-end
Astro or Next.js, designed to your brand, built to your spec.
Review on staging
You approve every page before anything goes live.
Launch Zero downtime
DNS cutover when everything's verified. Your live site keeps running throughout.
Typical timeline: a brochure site or blog takes 2–4 weeks; a large WooCommerce store or heavily customised site, 6–10 weeks. Precise timeline comes with your free estimate.
…we need reliable, skilled, communicative assistance to meet client objectives and deadlines, Roundborders is our go-to! … they always follow best practices for WordPress which is very important to us and our clients.
David T. · freshviewpartners.com · a competing agency, reviewing us anyway
★★★★★
Get your honest assessment.
Tell us about your site and what's pushing you toward headless. A senior engineer replies with a straight verdict, usually the same day.
a. A real verdict, free. Go headless, optimise instead, or wait. We tell you which and why.
b. No pitch attached. If the cheaper fix serves you better, that's our recommendation.
c. From the engineer. The person who answers is the person who would build it.
Assessment on the way!
We'll look at your site and reply with a straight verdict, usually the same day.
FAQ
Before you go headless.
Straight answers to what people ask before committing to a headless migration.
What happens to my existing WordPress hosting?
Your WordPress install moves to a smaller, cheaper server (or stays where it is), but it no longer serves public traffic. The front-end deploys to a CDN platform such as Vercel or Netlify, which handle all visitor requests. Most clients end up paying less overall in infrastructure costs than they did before the migration.
Will my content editors still use WordPress?
Yes, completely unchanged. Editors log into the same WordPress admin, write posts, manage pages, and use ACF or any other installed tool exactly as they do today. The architectural change is entirely invisible to your editorial team.
Will I lose my SEO rankings after the migration?
No. We preserve all existing URLs, metadata, structured data, and canonical tags during migration. Your Yoast or RankMath SEO data is exposed through the API so the new front-end inherits every on-page signal you've accumulated.
Can my WooCommerce store go headless?
Yes. WooCommerce exposes its full product catalogue, cart, checkout, and order management through the REST API. We pair this with a custom Next.js storefront that dramatically improves page speed and conversion rates without removing any order management capability.
What happens to my existing plugins?
Content and data plugins like ACF, Yoast, WooCommerce, and Gravity Forms continue working and are exposed through the API. Visual builder plugins like Elementor or WPBakery become redundant and are replaced by your new front-end, giving you far more design flexibility in the process.
How much faster will the site actually be?
Most sites we migrate see LCP drop from 3–8 seconds to under 1 second, and Lighthouse performance scores jump from the 30–50 range into the 90s. Exact improvements depend on your current setup, content volume, and CDN configuration.
Is ongoing maintenance more complex after going headless?
No more than before. The WordPress side is identical to what you have now. The front-end is a standard Next.js or Astro project any JavaScript developer can maintain. We provide complete documentation, handoff support, and ongoing care plans if you'd prefer we handle it.
How long does the migration take?
Scope determines the timeline. A brochure site or blog typically takes 2–4 weeks. A large WooCommerce store or heavily customised site with many custom post types can take 6–10 weeks. We'll give you a precise timeline as part of your free estimate.
WordPress where it's strong. Modern where it matters.
Tell us about your site and you'll get an honest assessment and a fixed-price plan, usually within hours.