⚡ Headless (Astro + Sanity)
The stack we bet our agency on.
This very site is built on it. Headless means your frontend and your content live as separate things that talk to each other. It's how we build new projects by default, and where most ambitious websites are headed.
Why we build new sites this way
Short version: writing real code plus a clean content API beats dragging blocks in a GUI. Especially now.
Code beats GUIs for real work
GUI page builders look approachable and turn into a mess the moment you need anything custom. A codebase is legible, versioned, searchable, and AI can reason about it. A GUI's "state" lives half in a database and half in someone's memory.
AI-assisted development changes the math
We vibe-code with AI daily. Complex integrations, custom components, entire dashboards - built faster in code than any drag-and-drop would allow. The efficiency gap is already large and widening. A headless codebase is the right foundation to ride that wave.
Your content editor stays clean
Sanity is the content dashboard. Your team gets a focused editor, not a bloated CMS with 40 plugin menus. Type-safe fields, versioning, multi-user, scheduled publishing, localization - all without template lock-in.
Performance nobody has to think about
Astro ships static HTML with JavaScript only where it's needed. Hosted at the edge, the site loads in under a second from anywhere. No plugin cache plugin to configure. No performance regression from the next update.
Portability + ownership
Your code is in a git repo. Your content is in Sanity (exportable any time). There's no proprietary page builder to pay for forever, no database schema tied to a single CMS, no migration nightmare if you ever want to move.
Room to grow
Authentication, client portals, programmatic pages, integrations with your CRM or billing - all easier to add in a codebase than in a GUI. Your site becomes a platform, not a brochure you can't extend.
Where this is heading
An honest take on AI-assisted development and why it rewards code-first architectures.
We build with AI in the loop. So does a huge chunk of the industry now. The pattern is clear: if your site is a codebase, AI can read it, refactor it, extend it, explain it, and ship features faster than anyone could type them. If your site is a drag-and-drop builder with state buried in a WYSIWYG, none of that works.
What this means for you, practically:
- Features that used to take weeks take days. Custom calculators, interactive pricing, integrations with your CRM or scheduling tool - the kind of stuff agencies used to upsell as six-figure add-ons.
- The gap between "small site" and "real web app" is closing. We can build dashboards and logged-in areas inside a Sanity-backed site without it becoming a separate project.
- Soon, clients will vibe-code too. Not yet - but within the next year or two, we expect to ship sites where you can describe a change in plain English, an AI agent pulls the right file, makes the edit, and opens a preview for your review. The architecture we build today anticipates that future. Guardrails first, client access second.
This isn't a prediction. This is happening. We'd rather put your site on the right side of that curve than sell you a CMS we'd describe as "fine for now."
What a headless build includes
Same quality bar as every other build - plus the architecture that unlocks everything above.
Custom Astro frontend
Component-based, type-safe, server-rendered. Loads in under a second, ships minimal JavaScript, passes all Core Web Vitals.
Sanity content studio
A dedicated content dashboard your team actually wants to use. Schemas defined in code, field types enforced, collaborative editing, version history, scheduled publishing.
Git-based workflow
Code lives in GitHub. Every change is tracked, reviewable, reversible. Preview environments on every pull request so nothing ships unseen.
Edge-hosted on Vercel
Global CDN, automatic HTTPS, zero-config deployments. Free tier covers most sites. No "upgrade your hosting" scare tactic when traffic grows.
Analytics + measurement
GA4, Vercel Analytics, or your tool of choice. Conversion events configured around your actual business goals. Privacy-first where it matters.
Training + handover
Walk-through of Sanity Studio, code repo access, documentation for anything non-obvious. You or a future developer can pick this up without calling us.
When WordPress is still the right call
We're bullish on headless but not religious about it. There are situations where WordPress beats Astro + Sanity, and we'll tell you so if you're in one.
WordPress wins when…
- Your team has deep WordPress muscle memory and you value zero retraining
- You need a plugin that literally only exists in the WordPress ecosystem (membership platforms, specialized LMS, etc.)
- You publish content constantly and your writers need the rich WP editor flow they know
- You're acquiring a WordPress site and need to extend it, not replace it
Headless wins when…
- You want the best possible performance, SEO, and Core Web Vitals
- You care about ownership, portability, and not paying plugin licenses forever
- You're planning to add integrations, portals, or logged-in features eventually
- You want an architecture that's friendly to AI-assisted development going forward
- You're building something ambitious and don't want your platform to be the ceiling
FAQ
Is this more expensive than WordPress?
Setup is comparable. Ongoing costs are often lower - no license fees, no managed VPS hosting required, Sanity's free tier covers most small/mid sites. You pay for development time, not perpetual licenses.
How do my team members edit content?
Sanity Studio. Clean content dashboard, multi-user, version history, scheduled publishing. It's what your team wanted WordPress's editor to feel like. See the full workflow →
What if I need a feature you'd normally solve with a WordPress plugin?
Depends on the feature. Contact forms, newsletter, analytics, SEO - all trivially solved in Astro. Complex plugin replacements (membership platforms, LMS) are a real conversation - sometimes the right call is to build a custom component, sometimes it's to stay on WordPress.
Is this the same as "Jamstack"?
Yes, roughly. Jamstack is the older term for static + APIs + JavaScript. Headless just emphasizes the decoupling of content from presentation. The architecture is the same family.
Do you only build in Astro + Sanity?
That's our default because it's battle-tested for the work we do. Other combinations (Next.js + Contentful, SvelteKit + Payload, etc.) are possible if there's a specific reason. Most projects don't need to deviate.
What about SEO?
Better than WordPress out of the box. Server-rendered pages, minimal JavaScript, edge hosting, perfect Core Web Vitals, structured data built-in. The technical SEO foundation is one of the main reasons we chose this stack.
Who owns the site if we stop working together?
You do, completely. Your code is in your GitHub organization. Your content is in your Sanity workspace. Your domain and hosting are in your accounts. We can hand over and walk away cleanly - that's by design.
Better together
This service works on its own - but it's most effective as part of a broader growth strategy. Compare packages, see projected ROI, and build a plan that fits your goals.
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