Headless WordPress setup and architecture
The plan for where WordPress lives, how the front end gets content, how pages are cached, and how editors publish, written down before any code.
Engineering service / Ali Nawaz
Headless WordPress development services, from one freelance developer.
I build headless WordPress sites: WordPress stays the CMS your editors already know, and a fast Next.js or React front end, which I build too, renders the website. I work on both sides of the API, so the content model, the endpoints, the front end, the forms and the SEO are planned together instead of being split between two teams.
The approach
How I approach a headless WordPress project.
Headless is an architecture decision with a running cost, not a badge. Before quoting I check whether it's right for you: if your editors depend on a page builder, or most of your features come from front-end plugins, a well-built WordPress theme will serve you better and cost less, and I'll tell you so. When headless does fit, I design the content model first, because every page, API call and cache rule depends on it.
You work directly with me from requirements through launch. That keeps product context close to technical decisions and avoids the gaps that appear when strategy, interface, backend, and deployment are treated as separate problems.
What I can build
Headless WordPress development services I offer.
The scope is shaped around your users, operating reality, and the smallest responsible path to value.
Next.js and React front ends
React components built from your design, pages prerendered for speed, and the parts that must be live rendered on request.
Custom REST API endpoints and WPGraphQL
Endpoints in a custom plugin for data core doesn't expose, trimmed responses, and authentication kept on the server for anything private.
Content modelling with custom post types and fields
Post types, taxonomies and fields designed around how your team writes and how pages display, so the API returns exactly what a page needs.
Forms, previews and on-demand revalidation
The pieces most headless builds forget: working contact forms, editor previews, and pages that refresh the moment content changes.
Migration from a WordPress theme to headless
An existing theme-based site moved to a headless front end, with content, URLs and rankings protected by a full redirect map.
What I build
Each part of a headless WordPress build, and what it involves.
A headless site has more moving parts than a theme. This is what I set up on each side of the API, so you can see where the time in a quote goes.
| Part of the build | What I do |
|---|---|
| WordPress as the CMS | Custom post types, taxonomies and fields shaped around your content, a minimal admin theme, user roles, and the CMS domain kept out of search results |
| The API | WordPress REST API routes trimmed to the fields each page needs, custom endpoints in a plugin where core doesn't cover it, or WPGraphQL for nested data |
| The front end | Next.js pages prerendered at build time, cached results tagged by content type, and images resized and lazy-loaded from the WordPress media library |
| Publishing | A webhook from WordPress that refreshes only the changed content when an editor publishes, updates or unpublishes |
| Forms | Contact and lead forms that save submissions in WordPress and email them, with spam protection that works without a CAPTCHA |
| SEO | Titles, descriptions and schema from your SEO plugin, canonical URLs on the live domain, a sitemap, robots rules and 301 redirects |
| Previews and hosting | The Preview button wired to the front end, WordPress on PHP hosting, and the front end on Vercel, Netlify or your own Node.js server |
Is headless right for you
When headless WordPress development pays off, and when it doesn't.
Headless WordPress means WordPress only stores and edits the content, while a separate front end fetches it through an API and renders the website. Every WordPress site has shipped a built-in REST API since version 4.7, so the CMS side is ready on any modern install. The real work is everything the theme used to handle.
It pays off when the front end behaves like an application, with accounts, dashboards, search or interactive tools; when one CMS feeds a website and a mobile app or several sites; when performance and design control matter more than installing plugins; or when the team maintaining the site writes React.
It doesn't pay off for a brochure site built with Elementor or Divi, because page builder layouts are made for the theme and don't carry over to a React front end. It's also a poor fit when the site depends on front-end plugins for sliders, bookings, memberships or popups, since each one becomes custom work. In those cases I'll recommend a fast custom theme instead, and quote that.
Freelancer or agency
A freelance headless WordPress developer or a headless WordPress agency?
Most pages that rank for headless WordPress belong to agencies, and an agency is the right choice for some projects: a large build with a fixed launch date that needs several developers at once, or an enterprise that needs a formal team behind a contract.
For most businesses the trade-off runs the other way. With me, the person you talk to is the person who designs the content model, writes the WordPress code and builds the Next.js front end. Headless projects fail most often at the seam between the CMS and the front end, and with one developer there's no seam between teams. My prices are set at about half of what agencies charge for comparable work, projects start at $500, and you get a reply within 24 hours.
For agencies
Outsourcing headless WordPress development under your brand.
Agencies that sell headless builds but don't have a developer who works on both WordPress and React can bring me in as a white-label developer. I work in your repositories, your project tools and your client's accounts, follow your code standards, and stay invisible to your client unless you want me on calls. The terms and process are on my white-label WordPress developer page.
Proof
Headless WordPress I've built and maintain in public.
My own website is a React front end, and its contact form posts to a WordPress install that stores every message and emails it to me: headless WordPress in daily use. The plugin behind that form became SubmitDock, a free headless form backend that WordPress.org approved and published in November 2026.
WP to Firebase, my other WordPress.org plugin, syncs WooCommerce products, orders and users to a Firebase Realtime Database so a mobile app or dashboard can read them, which is WordPress used as a data source for a different front end. I also wrote a step-by-step guide to headless WordPress with Next.js 16, with the caching, revalidation, forms and SEO code I use. All of it is public, so you can read how I build before you hire me.
The process
From requirements to launch.
1. Requirements and a free review: you send what the site needs to do, and I review your current site if you have one. You get a written recommendation, headless or not, and a fixed quote.
2. Content model and architecture: post types, fields, the API approach, caching and hosting, agreed in writing before development starts.
3. Build on staging: WordPress and the front end built side by side, with forms, previews, SEO and redirects included rather than added at the end.
4. Review and launch: you check everything on staging, we launch, and the 15 days of free support start. After that, maintenance is monthly or per task, whichever you prefer.
What the work should create
What a well-built headless WordPress site gives you.
- Editors keep the WordPress dashboard they know
- Pages prerendered and served from a CDN
- Content updates live seconds after publishing
- SEO, redirects and previews handled from day one
Proof of work
Plugins I've built and published.
All 14 are free and open source, so you can read the code before you hire me. See every plugin.
Client feedback
What clients say.
Reviews from clients I have worked with remotely, quoted as they wrote them.
“Working with Ali was a breeze from begining to end. He was super responsive, extremely knowellegable and was a pleasure to work with. … Hire him now, we already did all the research for you.”
“Ali is one of the best I have worked with. Great English, very smart, and knowledgeable alongside producing great results. Highly recommended.”
“Did an amazing job with my website. Very professional and patient with all my requests”
“Great experience with the Ali! He was very prompt and efficiently handled my request, like an expert! I would definitely recommend him and plan to reach out again for other services!”
“Ali is great to work with. Fully understood what I wanted and got the job completed in super-fast time.”
“Ali is very professional, as my first time working with him I as very happy with the way he handled the project. i would recommend him.”
04 / The process
Clear from first conversation to launch.
You get a senior engineering partner—not a black box. The process stays direct, collaborative, and focused on outcomes.
Understand
Clarify the problem, users, constraints, and measure of success.
Architect
Shape the right product, technical plan, and delivery path.
Build
Create in focused iterations with quality visible at every step.
Launch
Test, deploy, measure, and improve with confidence.
Common questions
Headless WordPress Development FAQs
How much does headless WordPress development cost?+
Projects start at $500, and a headless build usually costs more than a theme build of the same site, because there are two systems to build and host: WordPress and the front end. Every project is different, so I send a fixed quote in US dollars once I've read your requirements, and the first review of your current site is free.
Why hire a freelance headless WordPress developer instead of an agency?+
You talk directly to the person who designs the content model, writes the API code and builds the front end, so nothing gets lost between a back-end team and a front-end team. My pricing is set at roughly half of what agencies charge for comparable work. An agency makes more sense if you need a large team working in parallel on a tight deadline.
Which front end do you use?+
Usually Next.js, because it can prerender pages, render on the server when needed and behave like a React app in the browser. I also build plain React front ends. If you already have a front end, I can build or extend the WordPress side to feed it.
REST API or WPGraphQL?+
The WordPress REST API is built into core, so there's nothing extra to install or update, and it suits most blogs and marketing sites. WPGraphQL, a free plugin, is better when pages pull nested data from several post types in one request. I choose per project and explain why.
Is headless WordPress good for SEO?+
It can be very good: Next.js sends complete HTML that search engines read easily. The risks are the jobs a theme used to do for you, such as meta tags, canonical URLs, sitemaps, redirects and structured data. I build all of them into the front end and keep the CMS domain out of search results.
Can my editors still preview posts?+
Yes, once previews are wired up. By default, WordPress's Preview button opens the old theme. I connect it to the front end so editors see the real page before publishing.
Do contact forms work on a headless site?+
Yes, but most form plugins render through the theme, so they need a different approach. I either submit to an existing plugin's API, such as Contact Form 7's REST endpoint, or use SubmitDock, the free form backend plugin I wrote, which saves every submission in WordPress and emails it to you.
Can you make WooCommerce headless?+
Yes. WooCommerce's Store API, which powers its block cart and checkout, can serve a custom front end. Checkout and payments need the most care, so for many stores I recommend keeping checkout on WordPress and making the catalogue headless.
Can you move my existing WordPress site to headless?+
Yes. I keep your WordPress content and admin, build the new front end, map every old URL to its new address with 301 redirects, and launch only after both versions have been compared page by page.
How do payments and support work?+
Invoices are in US dollars: 50% to start and 50% on final delivery, after you've reviewed everything on staging. Every project includes 15 days of free support after launch, then monthly maintenance or help per task if you want it. I reply to messages within 24 hours.
Start a conversation
Planning a headless WordPress build? Send me your requirements.
Tell me what you’re building, where you are in the process, and what success looks like. I’ll get back to you with a clear next step within 24 hours.
Projects start at $500. The final quote follows the project details.
bealinawaz@gmail.com