Is Drupal or Headless / React (Next.js) better for SEO?

Drupal gives more direct SEO control. Drupal: Metatag, Pathauto, Redirect and Simple XML Sitemap modules hold SEO data; the redirect table must be preserved. Headless / React (Next.js): Needs server-side rendering or static generation for crawlability; redirects and sitemaps are handled in code or at the edge.

Which is cheaper to run, Drupal or Headless?

Drupal typically costs CA$100–$2,500/month hosting depending on scale; Headless / React (Next.js) typically costs CA$0–$1,500/month hosting and CMS depending on usage. Maintenance time matters too: Drupal needs less ongoing upkeep.

Can we migrate from Drupal to Headless later?

Yes. See our Drupal to Headless / React (Next.js) migration plan for the steps, costs and timeline.

Which is easier for editors, Drupal or Headless?

Drupal is generally easier day to day, but a well-built site on either platform can be simple for editors.

Can DoodleWeb Canada help us decide?

Yes. Our free audit reviews your content, traffic and goals and recommends a platform, even if it is not one we would build on.

DoodleWeb Canada is the Canadian company of Seattle-founded DoodleWeb, based in Surrey, BC. We design, build, and grow websites and digital platforms on Drupal, WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, BigCommerce, and React for higher education, government, aerospace, healthcare, nonprofit, and growing brands across Canada and the United States.

Where is DoodleWeb based?

DoodleWeb Canada is based at 13655 Fraser Highway, 11th Floor, Surrey, BC V3T 2V6, Canada. We serve clients across Canada and the United States.

What services does DoodleWeb offer?

Custom web design and development, CMS builds and migrations (Drupal, WordPress, Webflow, Shopify, BigCommerce), eCommerce, headless commerce, React/Next.js engineering, React Native mobile apps, rebranding, accessibility (WCAG 2.2 AA, AODA, Section 508), Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and SLA-backed managed hosting and maintenance.

How much does a DoodleWeb website cost?

Marketing sites start around CAD $16K, CMS rebuilds run CAD $34K–$108K, and enterprise Drupal, headless commerce, and government platforms start at CAD $108K and scale to $340K+. Every project quote is fixed-fee by milestone and returned within 48 hours of the discovery call, with no retainer hidden inside the project fee. Care plans and marketing retainers are separate, publicly priced monthly subscriptions. All figures are starting points, not flat rates — final pricing varies with site size, page count, content volume, integrations, custom functionality, and migration complexity.

How long does a website project take?

Marketing sites launch in 6–10 weeks, mid-market CMS platforms in 10–16 weeks, and enterprise Drupal, government, or commerce rebuilds in 4–6 months. Exact timeline, milestone dates, and acceptance criteria are written into the SOW before kickoff.

Can DoodleWeb get my brand cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude?

Yes. Our AEO/GEO program restructures content into Q&A patterns, ships FAQ / Organization / Article / BreadcrumbList JSON-LD schema, publishes /llms.txt and /llms-full.txt, and runs weekly citation tests across all four major answer engines so engines extract and cite your brand. Initial citations typically appear within 30–60 days.

How do I contact DoodleWeb?

Email info@doodleweb.ca or book a free 30-minute consultation at https://doodleweb.ca/book. You will speak directly with a senior strategist, not a sales rep.

CMS comparison

Drupal vs Headless / React (Next.js): which CMS fits your organisation?

Short answer

Choose Drupal for universities, governments and health organisations and when governance and roles matter most. Choose Headless / React (Next.js) for product-led companies with in-house developers and when ecommerce, performance matter most. Drupal is a open-source enterprise php cms; Headless / React (Next.js) is a decoupled front end (react/next.js) with an api-first cms such as sanity, contentful or strapi, so the real decision is how much control you want versus how much you want managed for you.

Get a free plan: Drupal vs Headless / React (Next.js) platform choice

A senior engineer reads every message and replies within one working day.

Enterprise CMS specialists
Surrey, BC · Canada
Senior engineers only

At a glance

Ratings reflect DoodleWeb's experience building and migrating both platforms for Canadian clients.

Drupal HeadlessDoodleWeb rating out of 5

Ease of editing: Drupal 3/5Headless 3/5
Flexibility: Drupal 5/5Headless 5/5
eCommerce: Drupal 3/5Headless 4/5
Governance and roles: Drupal 5/5Headless 4/5
Performance: Drupal 4/5Headless 5/5
SEO control: Drupal 4/5Headless 4/5
Low maintenance: Drupal 2/5Headless 2/5

Side-by-side comparison

Drupal vs Headless / React (Next.js) feature comparison
Criteria	Drupal	Headless / React (Next.js)
Type	Open-source enterprise PHP CMS	Decoupled front end (React/Next.js) with an API-first CMS such as Sanity, Contentful or Strapi
Hosting	Self-hosted or managed (Acquia, Pantheon, Platform.sh)	Front end on Vercel, Netlify or Cloudflare; CMS as SaaS or self-hosted
Licence	GPL, free core	Framework free; CMS subscription or open source
Typical running cost	CA$100–$2,500/month hosting depending on scale	CA$0–$1,500/month hosting and CMS depending on usage
Content model	Content types, fields, paragraphs, taxonomy vocabularies, media entities and entity references	Schema-defined document types with structured fields, references and portable rich text
URL structure	/node/123 system paths aliased by Pathauto patterns	Fully custom routing defined in code
Extensions	50,000+ contributed modules	npm ecosystem and CMS plugins
Getting content out	Migrate API source plugins, JSON:API, Views data export and direct database access	CMS APIs (GROQ, GraphQL, REST) and dataset exports