If you are new to web development or you want to run your own online business, then there are probably a lot of different terms you are unfamiliar with.
Don’t worry – there are tons of different yet handy guides to explaining different areas of web development, and here we are going to explain headless CMS super quickly and easily.
This way, you can understand what headless CMS is, how it works, and what are its pros and cons.
So, keep on reading to find out everything you need to know about headless CMS.
What Is Headless CMS?
Headless CMS is a type of content management system (CMS) that works very differently from traditional variants.
CMS has been used since the very early beginnings of web development but came with a lot of restrictions that made managing content a little difficult.
It is the backend linked to the frontend of your website – which is the ‘display’ layer where you can see all of your content on your website.
This means that CMS stores your data, code, and content and is directly linked to the display. This caused a lot of issues for web developers.
For example, if you wanted to change the content on the front end of your website, you would have to completely rewrite the code in the back end of the CMS from scratch.
This also meant that if you wanted to upload the same piece of content to different channels (such as a mobile version so your customers can reach your content from their smartphones), then you couldn’t because the code was already used.
This made omnichannel marketing almost impossible using traditional CMS.
So, web developers began to look for a solution to these issues – and the answer was headless CMS.
Headless CMS severs the link between the front end display of your website and the back end system that stores your content.
Because this link is severed, it’s far easier for developers to move the content to different front end codes, allowing them to make multiple versions for the same website.
As a result, making mobile, web, and voice versions of the same content became so much easier and quicker.
So, in short, headless CMS is a type of back end content management system that allows for more freedom, efficiency, and omnichannel marketing for your business.
The Benefits Of Headless CMS
There are many benefits to headless CMS which has made it an instant success with web developers.
It allows for parallel content management, which means that you could now update your multiple website channels at the same time with the same piece of content.
Web developers no longer had to rewrite the code and files needed to achieve this on traditional CMS, saving them a ton of time and energy.
Instead, content could now adapt automatically to where it was being published – mobile, VR, voice, smartwatch, and more!
This means that websites can now focus on improving customer experience through better content as marketers no longer need to be worried about the functionality of the content they produced.
Instead, content could be manipulated and adjusted from the front end!
Marketers no longer needed to be worried about code and focus instead on their content.
Headless CMS in general requires far less coding and uses less files than traditional CMS.
This not only improves the efficiency of developers, allowing them to edit content on the front end without having to completely rewrite the back end, but it also helps improve the security of the websites overall.
Developers could also integrate this headless CMS model with all the tools and frameworks they needed to use their skills to the max, creating new additions and features to websites now that they were no longer restricted by the code and tools used by traditional CMS.
Developers could now use whatever proprietary language they were most familiar with rather than being forced to learn and adapt to whatever language each individual CMS model used.
Due to these many benefits, headless CMS has quickly become one of the most used CMS architecture by digital businesses.
Not only does it save time and money for developers, but it also improves customer satisfaction and marketers were no longer restricted by functionality when it came to content creation.
Are There Any Downsides To Using Headless CMS?
Nothing is perfect and just like everything else, there are a few cons to headless CMS that you should be aware of.
It’s expensive to implement into your business and figuring out costs can become complicated because you have to independently fund the CMS, the developer, and the platform for your website, and the app, etc. all separately.
This con alone means that a lot of smaller businesses avoid this CMS architecture simply because it’s not affordable enough for their business to access.
Larger companies, however, use headless CMS as they can easily set up all the additional infrastructure needed to maintain independent apps, sites, and more.
Some businesses also dislike the dependence headless CMS puts on developers.
When using traditional CMS, marketers also had to adapt and become familiar with the back end of a website the same as they had to with the front end, but the separation between the two completely cuts the cord here.
This means that developers now alone are depended on to handle the back end of a website, putting customer experience, customization, and configuration all on their shoulders.
Should You Get Headless CMS?
Headless CMS can be a liberating tool for a lot of businesses.
Many developers find traditional to be far too restrictive in terms of code, language, use, content, and more.
The whole reason for headless CMS’s invention was to help cut time and cost, thus you can use headless CMS to make your business more efficient.
However, the costs are a drawback that ultimately prevents many businesses from accessing this amazing content management system.
If you find that you are struggling under the limitations of traditional forms of CMS, then headless CMS could be the thing you need to completely change the game for you.
You will first need to check the costs to see if your business can support the change financially but the results are well worth it.
Many businesses and developers love headless CMS for its ease of use, its ability to make omnichannel marketing more than just a dream, and how it allows for more focus and attention to be placed on content creation.
These factors can improve your customer’s experiences, helping improve retention and conversion rates, and boost your business.
So, if headless CMS seems like the solution to your problems, then you should definitely consider making the switch.
If it’s just too expensive, then no worries – there are other types of CMS architecture that could be beneficial to you such as agile CMS or legacy CMS.
Final Thoughts
So, headless CMS is a way for you to store your content separately from the display of your website.
This makes uploading content to multiple platforms much easier and quicker, plus it allows you to focus on creating your content without having to worry about its functionality.
With less code and less stress, it’s easy to see why so many businesses have made the switch to headless CMS.
Hi, my name is Ollie Wilson and I have been a keen blogger since I was a young teen. I was growing up with the rise of YouTube and bloggers, and the people I followed influenced me to start blogging. They were making a lot of money from their blogs, and I wanted that too!
I’ve now had this blog for almost a decade. In that time, I’ve learned how to monetize it to start earning money, which servers are the best for each blog type, and how to optimize your domains.
Now it’s time to share my knowledge and help others create their own successful blogs, just like I wish I had when I was creating my first blog. It can be daunting when you first set up your site, but with my advice, you’ll have a great looking blog in no time. Let’s get started!
