According to W3Techs, WordPress runs about 43 % of the world's websites. That is impressive, and it is exactly the problem. Being everywhere makes it the first target of automated attacks and the most patched platform on the web. It is also a general-purpose tool, built for everyone and so optimised for no one. For an SME in Geneva or French-speaking Switzerland that wants a fast, secure website that stands apart, WordPress has become more of a burden than a shortcut.
This article goes through the common assumptions, cites the figures and explains why Next.js, especially as a custom build without a CMS, is the rational choice for a business in 2026.
The WordPress problem in figures
A huge attack surface
WordPress is by far the most hacked CMS in the world. According to Sucuri's annual hacked website report, WordPress accounts for 96.2 % of the infected CMS installations they handle. WordPress is not bad in itself: its popularity simply makes it a profitable target for attackers who automate their scans.
The attack surface has three layers: WordPress core, themes and plugins. WPScan's database lists more than 59,000 known vulnerabilities across the WordPress ecosystem (plugins + themes + core). Every plugin you install can be a way in.
Plugins and themes come from third-party vendors: your security largely depends on them. You control neither their update schedule, nor their code quality, nor whether they survive (an abandoned plugin stays vulnerable forever).
Updates: a never-ending job
A live WordPress site needs regular updates to core, theme and plugins. Each one can cause a regression: an updated plugin breaks the design, disables a feature or creates a PHP conflict. As a result, many owners put updates off, which increases their exposure.
Professionally managed maintenance (updates, security monitoring, backups, fixes) is therefore a recurring yearly cost. That is before any development work.
Performance: WordPress and Next.js compared
Core Web Vitals: a clear gap
Google measures site performance with Core Web Vitals: LCP (Largest Contentful Paint), INP (Interaction to Next Paint) and CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift). Since the 2021 Page Experience update, these metrics directly influence rankings.
A WordPress site loaded with a premium theme and plugins often struggles to reach these thresholds on mobile. A Next.js site written with clean code reaches them by design, for the reasons below.
Why WordPress is slow by design
On every request, WordPress builds the page in PHP, queries a MySQL database, assembles templates and sends the result to the browser. Even with a caching plugin such as WP Rocket or W3 Total Cache, this architecture has built-in limits:
Render-blocking resources: most themes load many separate CSS and JavaScript files in the <head>. The browser shows nothing until they have all loaded.
Unoptimised images: without careful configuration, WordPress serves uncompressed JPEG/PNG images that are not sized for the screen. On mobile, the visitor downloads a 2 MB desktop image to display it 400 px wide.
A database under pressure: every visit triggers SQL queries. During a spike (sudden traffic, an ad campaign), the database saturates and response times shoot up.
Plugin JavaScript loaded everywhere: a contact form plugin loads its JS on every page, including those without a form.
Next.js deals with these problems through its architecture, without relying on configuration:
- Static Site Generation (SSG) and Incremental Static Regeneration (ISR): pages are generated in advance, at build time. The server responds in a few milliseconds with static HTML, from a CDN.
- Built-in image optimisation: the Next.js
<Image>component automatically produces WebP/AVIF, sizes images for the screen and lazy loads them. - Automatic code splitting: each page loads only the JavaScript it needs.
- React Server Components (Next.js 15+): components without interactivity are rendered on the server, with no JavaScript sent to the browser.
The effect on SEO
Speed also affects visibility. Google Search Central states that its ranking systems reward pages that offer a good page experience, and Core Web Vitals are part of it.
For a Swiss SME whose website generates enquiries (quote requests, contacts, bookings), a faster site loses fewer visitors along the way, and so fewer enquiries.
The hidden costs of WordPress
What you pay over time
The usual argument for WordPress is its low entry cost. The software is free, a theme costs between 50 and 100 €, and any agency can handle it. That is true at the start. Over 3 years, for an SME website, our estimate looks like this:
On this estimate, the "cheap" WordPress site costs about twice as much over time. These amounts leave out the indirect costs: time your team spends dealing with breakdowns, customers lost to slow loading, or a reputation damaged by a hack.
Technical debt, the problem you don't see
A WordPress site builds up technical debt over the years. Every plugin added, every theme tweak, every custom shortcode or Gutenberg block creates a dependency. After 3 to 5 years, many SME WordPress sites end up here:
- Upgrading to PHP 8.x breaks plugins that are no longer maintained
- Changing theme means starting again from scratch
- The original developer has left and nobody understands their code
- Customisations are buried in a 1,500-line
functions.phpfile
With Next.js and TypeScript, the code is typed, version-controlled (Git), documented and modular. Any competent React developer can take over the project. Components are isolated, testable and replaceable without side effects.
What your SME gains with Next.js
A technical base built to last
Next.js is developed by Vercel and backed by a large open-source community. In 2026, Next.js 16 brings React 19, stable Server Components, Turbopack in production and very short build times. The technology is actively maintained, with a public roadmap and wide adoption.
WordPress needs a PHP server and a database. A Next.js application can be deployed in several ways:
- Static (HTML/CSS/JS export): on any host, with no server cost and the best performance
- Node.js (SSR/ISR): for sites with dynamic content or an API
- Edge Functions: for minimal latency worldwide
For a Geneva SME, this leaves the choice of hosting open, including a Swiss host such as Infomaniak, with no lock-in to one provider.
Technical SEO: a point-by-point comparison
Each "plugin required" on the WordPress side adds a dependency, a possible point of failure and a drag on performance. With Next.js, all of this is native or very simple to set up.
Design without theme constraints
WordPress imposes its structure. A theme, even a "customisable" one, sets conventions for headers, post lists and menus. A unique design needs either a custom theme (expensive) or CSS patches that pile up and make the site fragile.
With Next.js and Tailwind CSS v4, every component is written from scratch, the way it should be. No generic CSS to override, no theme JavaScript to switch off, no limits set by a page builder. The design you approve is exactly what gets delivered: pixel-accurate, animated with GSAP where needed, and adapted to every screen.
Common objections, and our answers
"My team won't be able to update content with Next.js"
This is the most frequent objection, and a fair one. The answer depends on how often you update.
Brochure or corporate sites (5 to 30 pages, fairly stable content): Markdown or MDX files are enough. Your team edits text files, pushes them to Git, and the site rebuilds automatically. You can also hand occasional changes to your web designer under a small maintenance package.
Sites with frequent content (blog, news, products): a headless admin interface such as Sanity, Contentful or Directus connects your content to Next.js through an API. Your team gets a modern back office, and the site stays fast and independent of the editing tool.
Either way, you get content management without WordPress's limitations.
"WordPress ranks well, everyone uses it"
Rankings depend on content, backlinks, technical structure and performance. WordPress has no SEO advantage of its own, and its slowness tends to work against it. Google does not care what technology your site uses. It measures loading speed, semantic structure, content and inbound links. On each of these, a well-built Next.js site does better than a standard WordPress site.
"My next agency won't be able to take over a Next.js project"
This is less and less true. React is the most widely used frontend framework in the world, and TypeScript has become the standard. In 2026, any competent web developer can read React/Next.js code. Taking over a WordPress site with a modified child theme, conflicting plugins and an overloaded functions.php, on the other hand, is often a headache, even for experienced WordPress developers.
Practical examples for a Geneva SME
Consultancy or fiduciary firm
A consultancy has to inspire confidence from the first screen. Its website must load fast, show a strong identity and turn visits into enquiries. Visually, WordPress with a professional theme can be enough. But 4-second loading on mobile, Sucuri security alerts and the inability to add animation without slowing the site further are hard to accept for a firm that charges high fees.
A custom Next.js site for this kind of client: loads in 1.2 seconds, Lighthouse score of 95+, smooth GSAP animations with no performance cost, a secure contact form via a serverless API. And no WordPress plugin to maintain.
Tradesperson or local service business
For a Geneva tradesperson (plumber, electrician, carpenter), the goal is simple: rank first on Google for local keywords and get calls. A basic WordPress site can get there, but local competitors are using faster and faster websites. A site that loads in 2 seconds against one that loads in 0.8 seconds: the gap can be measured, and Google takes it into account.
Security matters for a tradesperson too. A hacked site shows links to online pharmacies or malicious content, which immediately damages the business's image and can get it removed from Google's index.
What INFUSE offers
INFUSE is an independent web studio based in Geneva. Our approach: no templates, no WordPress, no subcontracting. Every site is written from scratch in Next.js 16, React 19, TypeScript and Tailwind CSS v4, a stack maintained by Vercel and the React community.
For your SME, that means sites that load in under 1.5 seconds, Lighthouse scores above 90, security that comes from the architecture (no database, no PHP, no plugins), and cleanly delivered code, version-controlled in Git, that any developer can take over.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a custom Next.js site cost compared with WordPress over 3 years?
According to our estimate for an SME website, expect CHF 6,200 to 17,600 over 3 years for custom Next.js, against CHF 13,700 to 38,100 for WordPress. The initial build costs more, but maintenance and fixes weigh far less.
Can my team edit the content of a Next.js site?
Yes. For a brochure site, your team edits Markdown or MDX files. For frequent content, a headless CMS such as Sanity, Contentful or Directus provides a modern back office.
Can a Next.js site be hosted in Switzerland?
Yes. A Next.js site can be exported as static files and deployed on any host, including a Swiss host such as Infomaniak.
If your WordPress site costs you more in maintenance than it brings in enquiries, or if you simply want a website that matches your positioning, now is a good time to talk about a custom-built redesign.