TL;DR
Le Artist migrated its own website from WordPress to Next.js. The migration replaced plugin-heavy WordPress with a measurable Next.js stack, Core Web Vitals monitoring, SEO-safe redirects and a cleaner lead flow. Exact benchmarks are published only after they are entered in the proof ledger.
Case study · Migration method
WordPress → Next.js: how we moved to a cleaner performance stack
No marketing fluff. A practical migration note from Le Artist's own move away from plugin-heavy WordPress. The page focuses on method, measurement and SEO-safe architecture, not unsupported multipliers.
Migration date
2026-02-16
Project type
Self-hosted
Time spent
~6 weeks
Tech change
WP → Next.js 15
The checkpoints
Before publishing exact numbers, we keep them in the proof ledger with source, date range and screenshot/export.
| Metric | WordPress (before) | Next.js (after) | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
LCP Largest Contentful Paint | plugin-heavy WordPress | Next.js + edge CDN | faster first view |
INP Interaction to Next Paint | plugin JS bundles | less client JS | smoother interactions |
CLS Cumulative Layout Shift | theme/layout shifts | stable components | more stable UI |
SEO Technical SEO | plugin-dependent | structured metadata | cleaner crawlability |
Traffic Post-launch tracking | baseline analytics | ongoing tracking | growth monitored |
Why we made the switch
Why was WordPress holding us back?
WordPress required 23 active plugins to run our portfolio, blog, contact forms, SEO tools, and security. Every plugin update was a risk. Page load was slow because every visit fired PHP database queries, plus loaded multiple plugin CSS/JS bundles. Google PageSpeed exposed weak performance.
Why Next.js specifically?
Next.js renders pages on the server and ships pre-built HTML. No database call per page view. Static and dynamic content is cached at the edge via CDN. React Server Components mean less JavaScript reaches the browser and performance can be measured per route.
Why can conversions improve after migration?
Conversion rate is bounded by friction: slow pages, layout shifts, unclear forms and heavy client-side JavaScript all reduce trust. The migration removed plugin risk, simplified the lead path and made performance measurable before and after launch.
Can my business expect the same results?
It depends on your starting point. If your current site is slow, unstable or plugin-heavy, a migration can create measurable upside. The first step is a benchmark of Core Web Vitals, analytics and search visibility before we quote.
WordPress vs Next.js — feature comparison
| Aspect | WordPress | Next.js |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | PHP + MySQL, monolithic | React server-rendered, edge CDN |
| Plugin dependency | 23+ plugins required | Zero plugins, built into code |
| Security updates | Weekly, often breaking | Once per Next.js major release |
| Speed (cold load) | 3-5 seconds typical | 0.5-1 second typical |
| SEO baseline | Yoast plugin needed | Built-in metadata, structured data |
| Hosting cost (year) | $200-600 | $0-100 (Vercel free tier or similar) |
| Maintenance | Continuous patching | Quarterly version bumps |
| Customization | Limited by plugin compatibility | Unlimited (it's just React) |
Want the same kind of numbers for your site?
Free consultation includes a current Core Web Vitals benchmark and a realistic migration estimate. No pushy sales, no automated bots — Marek answers personally within 24 hours.