Headless WordPress FAQ

Headless WordPress is an architecture where WordPress is used only for content management (the "backend"), while a separate application handles displaying content to visitors (the "frontend"). Content is delivered via an API rather than traditional WordPress themes.

In traditional WordPress, the same software manages content AND displays it. In headless WordPress, these responsibilities are split between two separate systems.

Yes, for the right projects. Headless WordPress is worth it when:

• Page speed and Core Web Vitals are important for SEO
• You want to use modern frontend technologies (React, Vue, Next.js)
• Security is a major concern
• You need to deliver content to multiple platforms (web, mobile app)

It may not be worth it when:

• You have a simple blog with low traffic
• You don't have access to developers
• You rely heavily on WordPress plugins that require themes

Headless WordPress costs vary significantly based on approach:

Using tools like Headless Bridge significantly reduces costs compared to traditional custom builds.

For setup: Basic coding knowledge is helpful but not always required. Many hosting platforms offer templates and starters.

For customization: Yes, you'll need JavaScript knowledge (React, Vue, or similar) to customize the frontend.

For content management: No. Content editors continue using WordPress exactly as before—the headless part is invisible to them.

No. GraphQL (via WPGraphQL) is popular but not required. Many headless WordPress sites use:

1. WordPress REST API - Built into WordPress, no plugins needed
2. Pre-compiled REST APIs (like Headless Bridge) - Faster than GraphQL for most use cases

GraphQL adds complexity and performance overhead. For content sites (blogs, marketing), simpler REST approaches are often better.

Headless WordPress can be significantly faster than traditional WordPress:

The frontend also benefits from modern frameworks that produce optimized JavaScript and can generate static HTML.

The most popular choices:

1. Next.js - Best for React developers, excellent SEO support
2. Astro - Best for content sites, minimal JavaScript by default
3. Nuxt - Best for Vue developers
4. Gatsby - Good for static sites, large plugin ecosystem

For most content sites, Next.js or Astro are recommended due to their strong SEO capabilities and developer experience.

Backend plugins continue working normally:

• SEO plugins (Yoast, RankMath) - Metadata is exposed via API
• ACF (Advanced Custom Fields) - Data accessible via API
• Multi-language (WPML, Polylang) - Supported by most headless solutions

Frontend-dependent plugins won't work:

• Page builders (Elementor, Divi)
• Theme-dependent plugins
• Plugins that inject frontend JavaScript

WordPress previews need special handling in headless setups:

1. Next.js Preview Mode - Built-in support for draft content
2. Headless Bridge Pro - Includes preview token support
3. Custom solutions - API endpoints for draft content

Most modern headless tools have solved the preview problem, though setup is required.

Yes, but with caveats:

• Product data can be exposed via API
• Cart/checkout typically needs custom frontend work
• Some WooCommerce features require workarounds

For simple e-commerce, headless WooCommerce works well. For complex stores with many plugins, traditional WooCommerce may be easier.

Yes, headless WordPress can improve SEO when implemented correctly:

Advantages:

• Faster page loads → Better Core Web Vitals → Higher rankings
• Cleaner code → Better crawlability
• Modern image optimization
• Enhanced security → Better uptime

Challenges to address:

• Must implement meta tags from SEO plugins
• Need to generate sitemaps
• Ensure server-side rendering for content

With proper implementation, headless sites often outrank traditional WordPress sites.

No. Your SEO plugins continue working—you just need to expose their data via API.

Headless Bridge automatically includes SEO metadata:

• Meta titles and descriptions
• Open Graph tags
• Twitter Cards
• Canonical URLs
• Schema markup (JSON-LD)

You then render this data in your frontend's <head> section.

Two approaches:

1. Build-time generation: Most frameworks (Next.js, Astro) have sitemap plugins that generate XML at build time
2. Dynamic endpoint: Create an API route that generates sitemap XML from your WordPress content

Important: Use your frontend domain URLs, not WordPress backend URLs.

Using starter templates and tools like Headless Bridge significantly reduces development time.

Yes. The process:

1. Keep your WordPress installation (content stays)
2. Install API plugin (Headless Bridge or similar)
3. Build new frontend
4. Point domain to new frontend
5. Block/redirect WordPress frontend

Your content remains in WordPress—only the display layer changes.

You need hosting for two things:

Many teams use managed WordPress hosting for the backend and Vercel for the frontend.

Yes, generally. Security improves because:

1. WordPress is hidden - Visitors never touch your WordPress installation
2. No login page exposure - Common attack vector eliminated
3. Static frontends - No database or server to attack
4. Reduced attack surface - Fewer plugins needed on frontend

Your WordPress admin still needs security, but it's protected from public traffic.

Headless Bridge is a WordPress plugin that creates a high-performance REST API for headless WordPress sites. It pre-compiles JSON responses when you save content, resulting in 10x faster API response times compared to traditional approaches.

Headless Bridge is faster and simpler. WPGraphQL offers more query flexibility.

Yes. The core plugin is free on WordPress.org with:

• Pre-compiled JSON API
• SEO metadata (Yoast, RankMath)
• Image optimization
• Rate limiting
• Multi-language support

Pro version ($49/year) adds:

• ACF integration
• Webhooks
• Priority support

All of them. Headless Bridge uses standard REST endpoints that work with: