The WordPress Era
For years, I ran my entire freelance business on WordPress. It worked — until it didn't.
The breaking point came when I realized I was spending more time managing plugins, security updates, and server configurations than actually building for clients.
Why I Loved WordPress
- Fast to launch: You can have a site live in under an hour
- Huge ecosystem: Plugins for literally everything
- Client-friendly: Non-technical people can manage content easily
Why I Had to Leave
- Performance ceiling: Even with caching, TTFT was consistently 800ms+
- Security anxiety: Every plugin update felt like a potential site breaker
- Developer experience: PHP, MySQL, FTP — the stack felt ancient
- Scaling costs: Good hosting meant $50+/month minimum
The Vercel Decision
I evaluated several options:
- Stay on WordPress with better hosting (Kinsta, WP Engine)
- Move to a headless CMS with a static frontend
- Go full custom with Next.js on Vercel
Option 3 won because:
- Edge functions for global performance
- Automatic CI/CD on every git push
- Free SSL, image optimization, and CDN
- I could write in React/TypeScript — my daily tools
The Migration Process
Phase 1: Content Audit
First, I cataloged every page, post, and media asset. This revealed 200+ images that needed optimization and 50 blog posts that needed MDX conversion.
Phase 2: Design System
I rebuilt the design system from scratch using:
- Tailwind CSS for utility-first styling
- Radix UI for accessible components
- MDX for rich blog content
Phase 3: Content Migration
Used the WordPress REST API to export all content, then wrote a script to convert HTML to MDX. The hardest part was preserving custom shortcodes and embedded media.
Phase 4: SEO Preservation
This was non-negotiable. I implemented:
- 301 redirects for every old URL
- Identical meta titles and descriptions
- XML sitemap regeneration
- Structured data with JSON-LD
The Results
| Metric | WordPress | Vercel | | ------------ | --------- | ------ | | TTFB | 800ms | 45ms | | Lighthouse | 62 | 98 | | Monthly Cost | $60 | $0 | | Deploy Time | Manual | 30s |
Lessons Learned
What Went Well
- Performance: The site is lightning fast globally
- DX: Writing in TypeScript + MDX is joy
- Cost: Free tier handles everything I need
- Confidence: Git-based deployments eliminate "did it break?" anxiety
What I'd Do Differently
- Export earlier: I waited too long and accumulated technical debt
- Invest in image optimization: Should have used Next/Image from day one
- Set up analytics sooner: Lost 2 weeks of data during transition
Final Thoughts
If you're a developer running on WordPress and feeling the pain — make the jump. The learning curve is real but short, and the payoff in performance, cost, and sanity is massive.
The hardest part isn't the technology. It's convincing yourself that leaving a "working" system is worth the effort.
Spoiler: it is.
Have questions about the migration? Drop a comment or book a strategy call and I'll walk you through the exact setup.