Next.js sites with a headless CMS
Your team publishes without waiting on a developer. Visitors get a fast Next.js site. I build both sides and connect them properly.
I work with Sanity, Storyblok and Payload, and I'll help you pick the one that fits your team.
I've also done SEO for years, so every page renders on the server, has its own SEO fields, and shows up in search soon after you publish.
I reply within one business day. No obligation.
When a headless CMS makes sense
Your marketing team publishes often and shouldn't need a developer for every page.
Your WordPress or Webflow site is slow, and you want to keep an easy editor.
The same content feeds a website, an app or several regions.
You want design control in code, and content control in a CMS.
When it's probably overkill
A small site that changes a few times a year. A plain Next.js site or a site builder costs less.
A team that's happy in WordPress, with no speed or security problems. Don't migrate just to be modern.
Sanity, Storyblok or Payload?
These are the three I'd look at first for a Next.js site. Each one suits a different kind of team.
Sanity
- Editing feels like
- Structured forms, with a live preview of the page
- Best for
- Content-heavy sites and teams that reuse content
- Where it runs
- Content is stored by Sanity. The editor can live inside your Next.js app.
- Watch out for
- Paid plans grow with users and usage
structured content, custom Studio, live preview.
Sanity + Next.jsStoryblok
- Editing feels like
- A visual page builder with drag-and-drop blocks
- Best for
- Marketing teams that build landing pages themselves
- Where it runs
- Hosted by Storyblok
- Watch out for
- Paid plans grow with seats
visual editing for marketers, WordPress migrations.
Storyblok + Next.jsPayload
- Editing feels like
- An admin panel inside your own app
- Best for
- Teams that want one codebase and their own database
- Where it runs
- In your Next.js app, on your server
- Watch out for
- You host, back up and update it yourself
Tell me who edits what and how often, by email or on a short call if you prefer. I'll recommend the CMS that fits your team, not the one I like building with.
Where headless builds usually go wrong
Editors can't preview.
They publish blind, check the live site and fix mistakes in public.
I set up draft previews, so editors see the real page before it goes live.
New content doesn't appear.
The page was cached at build time, and nothing tells Next.js to refresh it.
I connect the CMS webhook to on-demand revalidation, so a publish shows up in seconds.
Editors can break the layout.
Free-form rich text lets anyone paste a huge image or five headings in a row.
I model content as blocks with sensible limits.
SEO fields are missing.
There's no place for a title, description or social image per page.
I add them to every content type, with defaults that work if nobody fills them in.
Images slow everything down.
Original uploads get served at full size.
I use the CMS image CDN or Next.js image optimization, with the right sizes per layout.
What I build
A content model designed around how your team actually writes.
The Next.js site, with pages rendered on the server.
Draft previews, and visual editing where the CMS supports it.
Publish webhooks with on-demand revalidation.
SEO fields, sitemaps and redirects that editors can manage.
A short handover video for your editors.
Content migration from WordPress, Webflow or another CMS, with every old URL redirected.
Website migration SEO
Pricing
Headless CMS sites start at $1,500. That covers 5 to 8 pages, the content model, previews and editor handover, in about 3 to 4 weeks. Bigger sites with visual editing, more templates or several languages take 4 to 6 weeks and cost more.
Changes to an existing CMS site are billed at $25 an hour.
Moving content from an old site is quoted separately, based on how much there is. The CMS subscription is paid by you, directly to the vendor.
The process and payment terms are the same as my other development work. See how I work.
Questions about headless CMS sites
A headless CMS stores and edits your content, but doesn't build the website. Your site, here built with Next.js, fetches the content and decides how it looks. You get a friendly editor and full control over speed and design.
It can be, but the CMS isn't what decides it. What matters is the HTML your Next.js pages send, and whether editors can manage titles, canonicals and redirects. Server-rendered pages with those fields do well.
There isn't one best choice. Sanity suits structured content that's reused in many places. Storyblok suits marketers who want a visual page builder. Payload suits teams who want the CMS inside their own app and database.
Yes. I export the content, map it to the new content model and redirect every old URL. Most posts and pages move cleanly. Layouts made with a page builder usually need rebuilding as blocks.
The CMS has its own subscription. At the time of writing, Sanity and Storyblok both have free tiers for small teams, and paid plans that grow with users. Payload is free software, but you pay for the server and database it runs on.
A little. I record a short video for each content type and answer questions after launch. Most editors are comfortable within a week.
Tell me about your content
Tell me what you publish, who edits it, and what you use today.
Tell me about your contentI reply within one business day. No obligation.
Get in Touch
Other ways to reach me
I'm available via email and messaging platforms.
Chat with me
Quick questions or follow-ups
Munim Rahman
Fullstack Developer • Next.js & Nest.js
Dhaka, Bangladesh