Headless CMS Migration
Move from Contentful, WordPress, or Sanity to Payload CMS or a modern headless stack. Content model mapping, automated data migration, and zero-downtime cutover — with no content re-entry.
Three Signals It Is Time to Change Your CMS
Contentful Enterprise and Sanity's team plans scale per seat and per API call. A growing content team on a high-traffic site can spend $5,000–$20,000/month on CMS access. Payload is self-hosted with no per-seat fee.
When your content model outgrows what the CMS GUI allows, the workarounds start: extra fields, relationship hacks, and content type proliferation. Payload's code-first approach means any content model you can describe in TypeScript, Payload can implement.
SaaS CMS providers control your content. API access is rate-limited. Exports require navigating deprecation cycles. Self-hosted Payload means your content is in your Postgres database — full control, unlimited access.
The Migration Process
1. Content Audit
We inventory every content type, field, and entry in your current CMS. We flag deprecated content, duplicate types, and technical debt before migration begins.
2. Schema Mapping
Every content type maps to a Payload collection. Field types are matched: rich text, references, media, enumerations. Custom fields that do not have a Payload native equivalent get custom field implementations.
3. Automated Content Migration
We write migration scripts that export content from your current CMS API and import it into Payload. Validation runs after every batch — no partial migrations, no missing entries.
4. Next.js Integration Update
The rendering layer is updated to fetch from Payload instead of the old CMS. Both CMSs run in parallel during the transition so you can validate content before cutting over.
5. Cutover and DNS
When content is validated in Payload, we switch the rendering layer to Payload as the source of truth and decommission the old CMS. Zero downtime, zero content re-entry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about headless CMS migration.
Book Your CMS Migration Assessment
Tell us your current CMS, entry volume, and content model complexity. We will scope the migration.
No content re-entry required
Automated migration scripts handle all entries.
Old CMS stays live until validated
No risk cutover — both systems run in parallel.
Next.js integration update included
Rendering layer switches seamlessly to Payload.
Media library migration
All assets move to your new storage.
Book Your CMS Migration Assessment
Tell us your current CMS, entry volume, and content model complexity. We will scope the migration.
No content re-entry required
Automated migration scripts handle all entries.
Old CMS stays live until validated
No risk cutover — both systems run in parallel.
Next.js integration update included
Rendering layer switches seamlessly to Payload.
Media library migration
All assets move to your new storage.
