Plugin updates that never end
Every plugin is another thing to update, test and hope does not break the site. Skip an update and you are exposed. Run it and a bad one can take the site down with it.
WordPress to Next.js upgrade
Is your WordPress site slow, hacked or out of date? Upgrade it to Next.js.
We rebuild your WordPress site on Next.js, carry over your content, images and web addresses, and look after it for you. Faster pages, no plugin updates to chase and a far smaller target for hackers and spam.
- $0 upfront build cost
- No lock-in contract
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Illustration with example numbers
The short version
What does upgrading from WordPress to Next.js involve?
We rebuild your WordPress website on Next.js, move across your pages, posts, images and web addresses (with redirects, so your search rankings are protected), then host and look after it for a monthly fee. You stop updating plugins, your pages load faster, and there is far less for hackers and spammers to target.
- Cost: a free rebuild with any hosting plan from $99 a month, with no lock-in.
- Time: most sites are live within 1 week of your brief.
- Best for: brochure, service and blog sites. Online stores and very large sites are quoted separately.
- You keep: your content, images and web addresses.
The WordPress reality
Common WordPress problems: plugin updates, slow pages, spam and hacks
WordPress is capable software, and it runs 39.6% of all websites. The trouble starts with everything you bolt on to it. Each plugin, theme and page builder is one more thing to update, secure, pay for and wait on, which is why owning a WordPress site can feel like a part-time job you never applied for.
New vulnerabilities, week after week
11,334new WordPress vulnerabilities in 2025, up 42% on 2024
91%were in plugins (9% in themes, just 6 in core)
46%had no fix from the developer when made public
5 hoursmedian time to mass exploitation of heavily exploited flaws
Pages that make visitors wait
45%of WordPress sites pass Core Web Vitals on mobile
Around 60% of WordPress sites run a page builder, and every plugin adds more code to load. Slow pages cost you visitors, and speed is part of how Google judges the experience of a page.
Spam, spam and more spam
Comment spam, junk form entries, fake sign-ups and bots probing your login page. Akismet, the best-known WordPress anti-spam plugin, says it has blocked over 570 billion pieces of spam.
Source: Akismet
When it goes wrong, it is expensive
$56,600average self-reported cost of a cybercrime report for an Australian small business, 2024 to 25 (up 14%)
Not every incident starts with a website, but an unpatched one is an easy way in.
Source: Australian Signals Directorate (ACSC), Annual Cyber Threat Report 2024-25
The real price keeps creeping up
Premium plugin licences renew every year. Hosting has to keep up. Every emergency fix is billed by the hour. The price of the original build is often only part of what a WordPress site really costs to own.
Want numbers for your own situation? Try the website cost calculator.
Maintenance, month by month
How much work does WordPress maintenance really take?
An illustrative month for a WordPress site with plenty of plugins, next to the same month on a WebDevise site. Flip the switch to compare.
The WordPress month is an example, not a measurement. Your site may need more or less.
WordPress speed
Why is my WordPress site slow, and how does Next.js fix it?
Next.js is the modern web framework behind sites for brands such as Nike, Sonos and NerdWallet. It builds your pages ahead of time, so when someone visits there is no database to query and no stack of plugins to run. The page is simply served. We also optimise images, load only the code each page needs and keep third-party scripts to a minimum.
Speed is not vanity. In an A/B test, Vodafone found that a 31% improvement in Largest Contentful Paint came with 8% more sales, 15% more visitors becoming leads and 11% more visitors adding to cart. Read the case study.
A well-tuned WordPress site can be fast too. It takes a lean theme, caching, image work and regular tuning, and most sites never get there: only 45% pass Core Web Vitals on mobile.
webdevise.com.au, on a phone
Lighthouse category scores, measured 24 October 2026.
97
Performance100
Accessibility100
Best practices100
SEO432 KBtransferred on first load, against a 2.56 MB median home page
60 mstotal blocking time
0layout shift
Lighthouse 13.5.0, mobile, simulated slow 4G, median of three runs of our homepage (Largest Contentful Paint 2.6 s, 25 requests). Lab results vary from run to run, so run your own test. Median home page weight from the Web Almanac 2025. “Good” Core Web Vitals are defined by Google.
Security and spam
Is WordPress secure? Why a Next.js site has far less to attack
It is rarely WordPress itself. Of the 11,334 new vulnerabilities Patchstack logged in 2025, only 6 were in WordPress core. The rest sat in the plugins and themes around it.
No plugin zoo
Features are built into your site's code instead of installed from dozens of different authors, so there is no pile of plugins waiting on the next security advisory.
No admin login to attack
A WordPress login page sits on the open internet around the clock, inviting password guessing. Your new site has no admin panel to break into. Changes come through us.
Nothing to inject into
Pages are generated ahead of time, so no database is queried when someone visits. Forms go to one protected endpoint with server-side checks.
Spam stopped at the door
No comment section to moderate and no public sign-up page. Contact forms use bot checks such as Cloudflare Turnstile and a hidden honeypot, so far less junk reaches your inbox.
No platform is risk-free. Next.js and React have had security advisories too. The difference is that your site has a handful of well-maintained components rather than dozens of third-party plugins, and on Plus and Max plans keeping them patched is our job, not yours.
Moving house, not starting again
What happens to your content, SEO and web addresses?
The upgrade changes what is under the bonnet. Your business, your content and your search presence come with you.
Comes with you
- Every page and blog post
- Your images, logo and branding (or a fresh look, if you want one)
- Your web addresses, with permanent redirects for anything that moves
- Page titles, descriptions and headings, so search engines recognise the new site
- Contact forms, with enquiries still landing in your inbox
- Your Google Business Profile and analytics tracking
Stays behind
- Plugin and theme update notices
- Annual plugin licence renewals
- Spam comment and sign-up queues
- A public login page to defend
- Surprise breakages after an update
- Separate hosting, backup and security bills
How it works
How to migrate from WordPress to Next.js in five steps
Most sites are live within 1 week of your brief. Large or complex sites take longer, and we will tell you how long before you commit.
Discovery call
A frank 15-minute chat about your WordPress site: what works, what annoys you and which plugins it relies on. We look over your pages, forms and SEO so nothing gets left behind.
Pick a plan
The upgrade costs the same as any new WebDevise site. The rebuild is free with a hosting plan from $99 a month.
We rebuild it
We recreate your site on Next.js, move your content and images across and rebuild your forms. Want a fresh look at the same time? We can do that too.
You review it
Your WordPress site stays live while you look over the new one. We make tweaks until you are happy.
Switch over
We set up redirects, move your domain across and watch search results. After that, send us changes and we make them.
Side by side
WordPress vs Next.js: a side-by-side comparison
| Area | WordPress (typical) | Next.js with WebDevise |
|---|---|---|
| Updates | You or your developer update WordPress, plugins and the theme, and test after each one. | Nothing for you to update. Plus and Max include software updates and security monitoring. |
| Speed | Depends on the theme, plugins and hosting. 45% of WordPress sites pass Core Web Vitals on mobile. | Pages built ahead of time, optimised images and minimal code. Our homepage scores 97 on Lighthouse (mobile). |
| Security | A large attack surface: dozens of plugins, themes and a public login page. | A small attack surface: no plugins, no admin login and protected forms. |
| Spam | Comments, form plugins and sign-ups to moderate. | No comment section. Forms use bot checks and a honeypot. |
| Hosting and backups | Hosting and backups arranged and paid for separately. | Hosting, SSL and daily backups are in your plan. |
| Changing content | Log in and edit it yourself, any time. | Send us the change. 1 to 2 hours a month are included, and bigger jobs are quoted first. |
| Cost | Hosting, plugin licences, maintenance and emergency fixes, billed separately. | One monthly plan from $99, with no upfront build cost. |
| Best when | You edit daily, run a large publication or depend on a specialist plugin. | You want a fast, safe, hands-off site that wins you customers. |
When WordPress is still the right call
We would rather be straight with you. If you publish new content every day with a team of editors, run a large membership or course site, or depend on a specialist plugin, WordPress may still suit you, and we will say so. We quote online stores and very large sites individually rather than promise a one-size-fits-all price.
Pricing
How much does it cost to upgrade from WordPress?
The same as a new site. The rebuild is free with any hosting plan, your content, images and web addresses are carried across, and there is no lock-in.
CoreStarter
$99 / month
Perfect for getting started online and establishing instant trust.
1 hour a month of content changes- 3-page custom website
- SSL & daily backups
- Professional email setup
- Mobile responsive
- No lock-in contract
★ Most Popular
PlusRecommended
$129 / month
Our most popular plan for businesses capturing leads every week.
1.5 hours a month of content changes- 5-page custom website
- Ongoing maintenance
- Performance optimisation
- Custom contact forms
- No lock-in contract
MaxHigh scale
$199 / month
For established operators ready to dominate their local market.
2 hours a month of content changes- 10-page custom website
- Google Business & SEO setup
- Advanced analytics
- Everything in Plus
- No lock-in contract
Prices are quoted excluding GST. Online stores and very large sites are quoted individually. Not sure which route suits you? Compare the multi-year cost.
Questions
WordPress to Next.js upgrade: your questions answered
Will I lose my Google rankings if I move?
We work to protect them. Every old web address is mapped to its new home, anything that moves gets a permanent (301) redirect, and your page titles, descriptions and headings are carried across. Rankings can wobble briefly after any site change, which is why we keep an eye on search results after launch.
Can I still edit my own content?
Your new site does not have a WordPress-style dashboard. Instead, send us the change and we make it. Every plan includes a monthly allowance for content updates, image swaps and wording changes: 1 hour on Core, 1.5 hours on Plus and 2 hours on Max. If you edit your site every day, WordPress may still suit you better.
What happens to my plugins?
Most plugins do jobs a custom site handles directly, such as SEO tags, forms, sliders, caching, backups and analytics. We rebuild what you need in the code, or connect a service where that is the better answer. On the discovery call we list every plugin you use and how each one will be handled.
What about my blog?
Your posts, categories and images move across and keep their web addresses. Sites with a very large archive are quoted individually.
Do you move WooCommerce stores or membership sites?
The standard upgrade covers brochure, service and blog sites. Online stores, membership sites and other plugin-heavy builds are quoted separately, so ask us and we will tell you what is involved.
What is Next.js?
Next.js is a modern web framework built on React and used by brands including Nike, Sonos and NerdWallet. It builds your pages ahead of time and serves them fast, so there is no database query or plugin stack running each time someone visits.
How much does it cost?
The same as any new WebDevise site. The design and build are included with a hosting plan from $99 a month: Core is $99, Plus is $129 and Max is $199, quoted excluding GST. There is no upfront fee and no lock-in contract.
How long does it take?
Most sites are live within 1 week of your brief. Large or complex sites take longer, and we will tell you how long before you commit.
Do I need to keep paying for my WordPress hosting?
No. Hosting is included in your plan. Once the new site is live and you are happy, you can cancel your old hosting. We suggest keeping a backup of the old site for a while, just in case.
What if I want to leave later?
Cancel any time with 30 days written notice. There is no lock-in and no penalty, and your site stays live until the end of your billing period. We will talk through handing over your content and assets before wrapping up.
Keep reading
Guides on speed, security and upkeep
Prefer to check your own site first? Take the free 3-minute website health check.
Website Maintenance for Australian Small Business: What You Need to KnowRead the guide Website Security and SSL: What Australian Small Business Owners Need to KnowRead the guide Core Web Vitals Explained: What Australian Small Business Owners Need to KnowRead the guide Why Page Speed Matters for Australian Small Business Websites (And How to Fix It)Read the guide
Ready to leave the update treadmill?
Tell us about your WordPress site and we will show you what the upgrade looks like. Your new site is designed and built free with a hosting plan from $99/month.
30-day money-back guaranteeNo lock-in contract$0 upfront build cost
Sources
Figures were checked on 24 October 2026. Industry data describes the WordPress ecosystem as a whole, not any one site.
- Patchstack, State of WordPress Security in 2026. 11,334 new vulnerabilities in 2025, up 42% on 2024; 91% in plugins, 9% in themes, 6 in core; 46% with no developer fix at disclosure; median time to mass exploitation of heavily exploited vulnerabilities of 5 hours.
- HTTP Archive, Web Almanac 2025, CMS chapter. 45% of WordPress sites with good Core Web Vitals on mobile (2025 data); around 60% of WordPress sites use a page builder.
- HTTP Archive, Web Almanac 2025, Page Weight chapter. Median home page weight of 2.56 MB on mobile (2025).
- W3Techs, usage statistics for WordPress. WordPress used by 39.6% of all websites (24 October 2026).
- Australian Signals Directorate (ACSC), Annual Cyber Threat Report 2024-25. Average self-reported cost per cybercrime report for small businesses of $56,600, up 14%. Self-reported losses are likely to understate the full cost.
- Akismet. Running total of blocked pieces of spam, over 570 billion when checked.
- web.dev, Vodafone case study. A 31% improvement in Largest Contentful Paint: 8% more total sales, 15% more lead-to-visit, 11% more cart-to-visit.
- web.dev, Web Vitals. “Good” thresholds: LCP within 2.5 seconds, INP of 200 milliseconds or less, CLS of 0.1 or less, at the 75th percentile.
- Next.js showcase. Sites built with Next.js include Nike, Sonos and NerdWallet.
- webdevise.com.au homepage, tested with Lighthouse 13.5.0 (mobile, simulated slow 4G) on 24 October 2026: performance 97, accessibility 100, best practices 100, SEO 100; 432 KB transferred in 25 requests. Run it yourself.