Headless website build
A complete site on Payload CMS and Next.js: content model, reusable blocks, front end, deployment.
Con Radius Design is a headless CMS agency specializing in Payload CMS and Next.js. We separate content from presentation, so editors work in a purpose-built admin while the front end stays fast. We build, migrate and maintain these sites for small and mid-sized companies, working remotely in English and German.
The problem
Why headless projects go wrong
Headless architecture solves real problems. It also creates new ones when the decision is treated as purely technical and nobody owns the editing experience or the content itself.
01
Editors get a developer tool.
If the admin is not modelled around how the team actually publishes, content stops being maintained and the site ages within months.
02
The front end is fast and the content is invisible.
A site that ships an empty HTML shell and fills it later gives search engines and AI systems nothing to read.
03
Every change needs a developer.
When layout options live in code instead of in reusable blocks, the smallest edit becomes a ticket and a deployment.
04
Migration loses what mattered.
URLs, redirects and internal links get rebuilt from scratch, and the rankings that paid for the old site leave with them.
Conversion Funnel
Visitors100%
Offer clear?35%
CTA clicked0.5%
Tracking active??
What you get
- Priority list
- Implementation plan
- Measurement setup
Process
- Quick check
- Priority list
- Sprint implementation
- Tracking & next steps
Services
What we build
Payload CMS implementation
Collections, globals, localisation, roles and a block library your editors can actually use without a developer.
Next.js front end
Server-rendered pages, so the finished HTML is in the response. That is what crawlers and AI systems read.
Migration from WordPress
Content, URLs, redirects and internal links carried over deliberately, not rebuilt from memory.
SEO and GEO foundations
Structured data, clean heading hierarchy, sitemap, llms.txt and passages written to be quotable in AI answers.
Maintenance and support
Updates, monitoring and content changes, either as a retainer or on request.
Built on this stack: WEESS case study is a live example you can open, and All case studies has the rest. Next.js development company covers the front end of the same setup, GEO agency the visibility side, and Services overview shows how it fits together. Either way, Contact is the short route.
What is included
What is included in a build
Project Overview
6/6 completed
100%
Content model designed around your publishing workflow, n...
A block library, so new pages are assembled by your team ...
Server-rendered pages with structured data, sitemap and a...
Multi-language setup where you need it, with reciprocal h...
Redirects from every old URL that carries traffic or link...
Analytics with a defined conversion event, so an enquiry ...
01
Content model designed around your publishing workflow, n...
Content model designed around your publishing workflow, not around the developer's data structure.
02
A block library, so new pages are assembled by your team ...
A block library, so new pages are assembled by your team instead of being coded from scratch.
03
Server-rendered pages with structured data, sitemap and a...
Server-rendered pages with structured data, sitemap and an llms.txt entry.
04
Multi-language setup where you need it, with reciprocal h...
Multi-language setup where you need it, with reciprocal hreflang between the language versions.
05
Redirects from every old URL that carries traffic or link...
Redirects from every old URL that carries traffic or links, verified after launch.
06
Analytics with a defined conversion event, so an enquiry ...
Analytics with a defined conversion event, so an enquiry is measurable and not a guess.
How it works
How a project runs
Four stages. You know after the first one what the scope is and what it costs.
01
Scope and content model
We go through your pages, your publishing workflow and your existing URLs. Output is a content model, a page list and a fixed scope.
02
Build
Payload CMS and the Next.js front end, assembled from reusable blocks. You see the site on a preview environment while it is being built.
03
Migration and launch
Content moves over, every old URL gets a redirect, and we verify each one resolves in a single hop before the switch.
04
Measure and maintain
Conversion tracking, search visibility and AI citations are measured against the state before launch. Ongoing support is optional.
Decision help
Who this fits, and who it does not
Headless is not automatically the right answer. It pays off under specific conditions.
| Criteria | Fits | Does not fit |
|---|---|---|
| You publish regularly and your team should not need a developer for routine edits. | Fits | — |
| You run more than one language, or you will. | Fits | — |
| You care about being found in search and quoted in AI answers, not only about how the site looks. | Fits | — |
| You are replacing a WordPress or page-builder site that has become slow, fragile or impossible to extend. | Fits | — |
| A handful of pages that rarely change would do. | — | Does not fit |
| The site is to stay in Webflow and only needs looking after. | — | Does not fit |
| The site already works and only visibility is missing. | — | Does not fit |
If you need a small brochure site that will not change for two years, a simpler setup is cheaper and we will say so.
One price for the build, an optional monthly rate for ongoing work. EU business customers are invoiced under the reverse charge procedure.
Pricing
Pricing
Maps/profile, website, local SEO, or full package. The process stays the same: quick check first, then sprint.
Empfohlen
Headless website
Scope, content model, Payload implementation, Next.js front end, migration and launch. Larger sites reach around 8,000 EUR depending on page count and functionality.
one-off
from 3,000 EUR
- Content model and block library
- Server-rendered front end
- Structured data, sitemap, llms.txt
- Redirects for existing URLs
- Conversion tracking
Maintenance and support
Updates, monitoring, content changes and ongoing search and AI visibility work.
per month
from 350 EUR
- Updates and monitoring
- Content changes
- Search and AI visibility reporting
Not sure yet? Ask for a scope
Frequently asked questions
A headless CMS agency separates where content is stored from where it is displayed. It designs the content model, builds the editing interface, develops the front end that consumes the API, and migrates existing content and URLs. Con Radius Design does this with Payload CMS as the backend and Next.js as the front end.
Payload gives you a content model built for your site rather than a page structure inherited from a blogging tool. Editors get fields and blocks that match what they publish, and the front end is a separate application, so a plugin cannot slow down or break the public site. WordPress remains the better answer when you need a large plugin ecosystem more than a tailored model.
Yes. Pages, media and taxonomy are mapped onto the new content model rather than copied field by field, which is the step that decides whether editors can work in the new system afterwards. Where the old site used page builders, the layouts are rebuilt as reusable blocks so the same page types can be assembled again without a developer.
Yes. Con Radius Design is a brand of AHLER LLC, registered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and works remotely. Projects run in English or German. EU business customers are invoiced under the reverse charge procedure.
A build starts at 3,000 EUR one-off and reaches around 8,000 EUR for larger sites, depending on page count, languages and functionality. Ongoing maintenance starts at 350 EUR per month and is optional. You get the scope and the price before the build starts, not as a running invoice.
Tell us what you are replacing
Send the URL of your current site and what is not working. You get an honest assessment of whether headless is the right answer, and a scope with a price if it is.