Headless WordPress Architecture Planning

Challenge

A content-heavy site needed the speed and flexibility of a custom frontend without giving up the WordPress editing experience the team relied on.

Solution

A headless architecture plan: WordPress as the backend CMS, a Next.js frontend, and a clean content layer between them.

Technical approach

Structured content with custom post types and ACF-style fields, exposed through WPGraphQL/REST, consumed by a Next.js frontend using SSG/SSR/ISR with on-demand revalidation on content changes, media optimization, and SEO/schema preservation. Deployed on Vercel/Netlify.

Stack

WordPress, WPGraphQL/REST, Next.js, ISR, Vercel/Netlify

Result

A documented architecture and rendering strategy that keeps editors on WordPress while serving a fast, custom frontend. Presented as a capability — I recommend headless only when a project genuinely needs it.