Evaluating Sitecore to WordPress Architecture Migration
Migrating from Sitecore to WordPress is more than just a technical task. You’re rebuilding your digital presence from the ground up, so this offers you an opportunity to re-evaluate your current Sitecore architecture.
Do you want to replicate it on the new WordPress site, or will you seize this opportunity to simplify and build a more flexible architecture for the future?
Step 1: Understand Your Current Sitecore Architecture
Depending on the Sitecore CMS you’re using, you may be using Sitecore as one of the following:
- Traditional CMS: Common with older Sitecore versions. Here, the backend and the frontend are tightly coupled. It’s similar to conventional WordPress setups.
- Headless CMS: Here, Sitecore acts purely as a backend content management repo. It’s decoupled from the frontend, delivering content via APIs to one or more heads: websites, apps, etc.
- Hybrid CMS: This combines both models. For example, the main enterprise website may run using the traditional CMS setup, while the mobile app or marketing microsites may run using the Headless CMS approach.
You’d expect migrating between Sitecore’s CMSs to be seamless—hey, they’re all coming from Sitecore after all!—but you’re looking at complete (and some very resource-intensive) replatforming if you want to switch between them.
For example, if you wanted to migrate from Sitecore’s traditional CMS to Sitecore’s (latest cloud-native, headless, SaaS content management solution) XM Cloud, you’re looking at complete replatforming.
Step 2: Embrace WordPress’ “Agile CMS” Architecture
WordPress is architecturally “agile,” so you’re not locked into a single delivery model. You can implement it in all three ways, and you can also switch between them later if your business needs change.
- Traditional: The classic WordPress setup. It’s robust, easy to manage, and benefits from a massive ecosystem of plugins and themes.
- Headless: WordPress serves as a powerful, user-friendly content backend for any frontend framework. Your content team enjoys the familiar WordPress admin experience, while your development team has complete freedom on the frontend.
- Hybrid: Use the traditional WordPress setup to run your site, and simultaneously use its APIs to power other applications.
Step 3: Identify Your Architecture Migration Opportunities
CMS migration is a great time to reevaluate your approach to building your new architecture.
Decide if your priority is to reduce costs and simplify operations, or to build a high-performance, future-proof system for multiple channels.
Migrating to a traditional WordPress setup is the fastest way to lower costs and empower your content teams with a user-friendly interface.
Conversely, adopting a headless or hybrid WordPress architecture modernizes your stack for superior flexibility. If you decide to go this way, you’re looking at some more planning. That’s because you may be looking at multiple “heads” now, and that means additional frontend logistics to work out. You’ll also need to consider frontend hosting (a service like Vercel, for example).
You can read more about how Sitecore and WordPress compare in their approach to headless architecture in our Sitecore vs WordPress handbook.
