WordPress for your editors. A fast frontend for everyone else.
Your team keeps the WordPress admin; visitors get pages built with Astro or Next.js and served from the edge. It starts with an honest fit check, and if a fast classic WordPress site would do the job for less, that's what we'll tell you.
Write as much as you like: what's happening, what you want, links, errors. The more we know, the more exact your fixed price.
Headless isn't for every site. Here's how to tell.
Answer six questions and the needle moves. It's the same reasoning the free fit check uses on your real site.
- Speed is how you win customers, and your site is slow today
- The same content also feeds an app, another site or a screen
- Your pages rely on plugins that draw on the page: page builders, form builders, store add-ons
- Your editors lay out pages visually, block by block
- Most pages look the same for every visitor: no logins, carts or dashboards
- Someone looks after a JavaScript codebase for you, or you want us to
Answer all six to see where your site lands.
Classic WordPress, made fast.
Your site leans on what WordPress draws itself. A theme built for it, on good hosting, gets most of the speed for a fraction of the cost, with one system to run, not two.
- Most of the speed, often green Core Web Vitals
- Every plugin keeps working
- One system, one bill
- A frontend of your own
- Content feeding other channels without extra work
Headless where it counts.
Put the pages that need to fly (the marketing site, landing pages, docs) on a headless frontend, and keep what depends on WordPress plugins (the store, the member area) classic, on the same WordPress.
- Edge speed where visitors land
- The store and plugins untouched
- One WordPress for everything
- Two frontends to look after
- A little more to host
Headless fits.
Your content goes to more than one place, speed is how you compete, and your pages don't depend on plugins that draw on the page. A frontend of its own is worth it.
- Pages served from the edge, in milliseconds
- One content API for the site, the app and what comes next
- Any design, no theme limits
- A second system: its code, its hosting, its updates
- Previews and forms built into the frontend
What happens when your team presses Publish.
WordPress keeps the content; the frontend serves it from the edge. Pick a moment to follow it through.
- 0.0 sAn editor presses Update in WordPress.
- 0.2 sWordPress tells the frontend which page changed.
- 1.4 sThe frontend rebuilds that page and the lists it appears on, nothing else.
- 1.9 sThe edge drops its old copy.
- About 2 sVisitors get the new page.
No full-site rebuild and no waiting for a deploy: only what changed is rebuilt. Example timings.
- Step 1An editor presses Preview on a draft.
- Step 2WordPress opens the frontend with a signed, short-lived link.
- Step 3The frontend fetches the draft with that permission, skipping every cache.
- Step 4The editor sees the page exactly as it will look, before anyone else can.
Previews are built on every project. Without them, editors write blind.
- Step 1A visitor sends the contact form.
- Step 2The frontend checks it: required fields, spam.
- Step 3The entry is saved in WordPress, or sent to your CRM.
- Step 4Your team gets the usual email.
Form plugins don't draw on a headless frontend, so forms are built into it, and entries still land where you read them.
- On publishThe search index is updated from WordPress, a page at a time.
- Step 1A visitor types a search.
- Step 2Results come from the index at the edge, in milliseconds, without asking WordPress.
WordPress's own search is slow over an API, so a small index keeps results instant.
Also carried over: SEO titles, descriptions and schema from Yoast or Rank Math, redirects and the sitemap, menus, images in modern formats, and every URL.
The site you're reading runs on the same kind of frontend: Astro, served from Cloudflare's edge.
From fit check to launch in two to ten weeks.
A blog or a brochure site is two to four weeks; a large site with many content types, six to ten. Your live site keeps running throughout.
- Free, 2 days
The fit check
We look at your site, its plugins and your team, then say whether headless fits. If it doesn't, you hear that first.
- Week 1
Content and API
Post types, fields and menus exposed through WPGraphQL or the REST API; previews and publish hooks wired in.
- Weeks 2 to 8
The frontend
Built on Astro or Next.js beside your live site, every URL kept, green Core Web Vitals checked before launch.
- One evening
Switched in one evening
The domain moves to the new frontend; WordPress keeps running behind it, now private.
How much headless WordPress costs.
One fixed price and a date, sent after the free fit check. If headless doesn't fit, the check costs nothing and tells you what would.
What moves the price
- The frontend framework and where it is hosted
- How much of the site has to be live, not static
Every headless build includes
- An honest fit check first
- Previews that open the real design
- Publish in seconds, no full rebuild
- Forms, search and SEO data carried over
- Both codebases in your name
A headless store, several sites on one WordPress, or content for an app are quoted after the fit check. Hosting and a care plan are separate.
Not sure headless is it?Make WordPress fastA custom WordPress siteWooCommerce development
Checked by other agencies, trusted by picky clients.
“…they work very cooperatively with us behind the scenes and do superb work, on-time, and on-budget.”
“I am an actual client of Roundborders and am VERY picky when it comes to who I work with…”
“…he never hesitates to fix issues quickly and ensure the brief is 100% fulfilled.”
Questions about going headless.
Anything else? Ask in the box at the top. We usually reply within a few hours.
Contact usWhat happens to my existing WordPress hosting?
WordPress stays, on its current host or a smaller one, but it no longer serves visitors: the frontend runs on an edge platform such as Cloudflare, Vercel or Netlify. That's two systems to pay for, so the quote names the frontend's hosting and its monthly cost before you decide.
Will my content editors still use WordPress?
Yes. Editors keep the same WordPress admin, posts, pages and fields. Two things change: Preview opens the new frontend (we build previews on every project), and page-builder layouts become blocks and templates the frontend knows how to show. Your team tries it on staging before launch.
Will I lose my SEO rankings after the migration?
Not if it is done carefully. Every URL is kept or redirected, and the titles, descriptions, canonicals and structured data from Yoast or Rank Math come through the API into the new frontend, with the sitemap and redirects built in.
Can my WooCommerce store go headless?
It can, but it's rarely the right first step. The catalogue reads well through the API, but the cart, checkout, payments and many extensions are built for WooCommerce's own pages, so a headless store means rebuilding them. Most stores do better keeping checkout classic and making the rest fast, or going hybrid; the fit check says which.
What happens to my existing plugins?
Plugins that manage data (ACF, Yoast or Rank Math, WooCommerce's catalogue) keep working and are read through the API. Plugins that draw on the page (page builders, sliders, form builders, many store add-ons) don't show on a headless frontend, so what they did is built into it, or that part of the site stays classic.
How much faster will the site actually be?
Usually much faster, because pages are prebuilt or cached at the edge and ship little JavaScript, and green Core Web Vitals is checked before launch. The fit check measures your site as it is first, so you see the starting point and a realistic target before paying for anything.
Is ongoing maintenance more complex after going headless?
A little. WordPress still needs its updates, and the frontend is a second codebase with its own updates and hosting. Both are documented and in repositories in your name, and a care plan can look after both.
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.
How much does a headless WordPress site cost?
Most headless builds run $4,999 to $14,999: a blog or marketing site on Astro sits near the start, larger sites with many content types or app features toward the top. A headless store, several sites on one WordPress, or content for an app are quoted after the free fit check. The frontend's hosting is a second monthly cost, named in the quote.
Fast for visitors, familiar for editors.
Tell us about your site. A free fit check, then one fixed price and a date if headless fits, or an honest no if it doesn't.
Two codebases, one care plan: WordPress updates tested on a staging copy first, the frontend's dependencies kept current, daily backups and monitoring. From $149 a month.
See the care plansFix a WordPress critical error
The white screen, “There has been a critical error on this website”, or a site that broke after an update. We find the real cause, fix it, and test it before it goes live.
What's included
- Root-cause diagnosis, usually within a few hours
- Fix tested on a staging copy first
- Plugin and theme conflicts untangled
- 30-day guarantee on the fix
You need this if
- Your site shows a critical error or a blank page
- It broke right after an update
- You're locked out of wp-admin
Hacked WordPress site cleanup
Redirects to spam, pages you never wrote, a red Google warning or a suspended host account. We clean it, close the way in, and watch it for 30 days.
What's included
- Malware removed from files and database
- The way in found and closed
- Keys rotated, rogue admins removed
- Google and host reinstatement requested
You need this if
- Visitors get redirected to other sites
- Google shows “This site may be hacked”
- Your host suspended the account
WordPress performance optimization
Slow pages, a slow admin, or Core Web Vitals in the red. We measure, fix the real bottlenecks, and measure again on your real traffic.
What's included
- Caching strategy and server tuning
- Image pipeline and lazy loading
- Database and autoload cleanup
- The plugin audit nobody wants to do
You need this if
- Mobile PageSpeed under 50
- wp-admin takes seconds to respond
- Search Console flags Core Web Vitals
WooCommerce store rescue
Checkout errors, failed payments, missing orders or a store that crawls. Diagnosed the same day, fixed at a fixed price, tested with a real order.
What's included
- Payment and order flow tested end to end
- Gateway and plugin conflicts resolved
- HPOS and block checkout compatibility
- Hardened so it doesn't come back
You need this if
- Customers see “payment failed”
- Orders go missing or stay pending
- Checkout broke after an update
Custom WordPress development
A bespoke site, fast by default, accessible, and easy for your team to edit. No page builder, and no bloated theme with your logo on it.
What's included
- Designed around your content
- Core Web Vitals green at launch
- WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility
- Full handover and documentation
You need this if
- Your site is slow or hard to edit
- You're outgrowing a page builder
- You want something that lasts years
WooCommerce development
Stores, checkouts and custom features from an approved WooCommerce Pro Partner. Designed from your numbers and built to survive updates.
What's included
- Checkout designed from your data
- No template overrides that break on updates
- Payments, shipping and tax set up
- Speed built in, not bolted on
You need this if
- You're starting or relaunching a store
- Checkout conversion is low
- You're outgrowing off-the-shelf plugins
Custom plugins & integrations
Connect your ERP, CRM, shipping or payments properly, or build the feature no plugin has. Coded to WordPress standards and documented.
What's included
- Clean, documented code
- Built to WordPress coding standards
- Safe through core and plugin updates
- Handover, with support if you want it
You need this if
- You copy data between systems by hand
- No plugin does exactly what you need
- A plugin you rely on was abandoned
Headless WordPress development
Keep the WordPress admin your team knows, and give visitors a modern, fast frontend. Only when it fits, and we'll tell you honestly if it doesn't.
What's included
- Astro or Next.js frontend
- WordPress stays the content engine
- Live site keeps running throughout
- Structured, low-risk migration
You need this if
- Speed is a competitive edge for you
- You publish to several channels
- Your team loves the WordPress editor
WordPress migration service
Move to a faster host with zero downtime and the same URLs, so your rankings stay exactly where they are.
What's included
- Built and tested on staging first
- Email and DNS settings carried over
- Cutover in one evening
- Search Console told about the move
You need this if
- Your host is slow or unreliable
- Renewal prices jumped
- You need better support
Wix, Squarespace or Webflow to WordPress
Every page, post and image, rebuilt cleaner on WordPress with old URLs redirected. No more monthly builder fees.
What's included
- Content extracted and moved
- Design rebuilt on native blocks
- Every old URL redirected
- Forms, blog and store moved
You need this if
- You've hit the builder's limits
- SEO or speed is holding you back
- You want to own your site
Shopify to WooCommerce migration
Products, customers, orders and URLs, mapped one to one. Keep your history, lose the monthly app bill.
What's included
- Products, variants and images
- Customers and full order history
- Every product URL redirected
- Payments and shipping rebuilt
You need this if
- App fees keep growing
- You want full control of checkout
- Transaction fees eat your margin
WordPress maintenance plans
Updates tested before they reach your live site, daily backups, monitoring, and help from the team that already knows your site when something needs fixing.
What's included
- Updates tested on staging
- Daily off-site backups
- Security and uptime monitoring
- Bug fixes included every month
You need this if
- Updates scare you
- Nobody is watching the site
- You've been burned by a hack or outage
Free site assessment
An instant check of speed, security and updates, then a plain-English report we write by hand. Free, and honest, even if the answer is that you don't need us.
What's included
- Instant automated check
- A written report, by hand
- What to fix first, with prices
- An honest plan recommendation, or none
You need this if
- You're not sure what state the site is in
- You inherited a site from someone else
- You want a second opinion
Security hardening & monitoring
Firewall, login protection and file monitoring, so problems are caught before visitors notice and a hack doesn't happen twice.
What's included
- Firewall and login hardening
- Two-factor login for admins
- File change and uptime monitoring
- Alerts for vulnerable plugins
You need this if
- You've been hacked before
- You run a store or member site
- Many people log in to your site
Pick the closest one, or just send it
Not every job fits a box. Send it as it is and we reply with a fixed price, usually within a few hours. Or choose the service that sounds closest below.