The American Genius Looks at Headless CMS
You may be familiar with your typical content management system, but had you heard of a ‘headless’ model? Let’s dig into it together.
At some point, you have probably worked with a content management system (CMS) like WordPress or Drupal. If you haven’t already, you at least know that this computer software is used to manage website content.
But have you ever heard of a headless content management system before? We didn’t. So, we set out to find out what it’s all about and how beneficial, or not, it can be for your company.
What is Headless CMS?
Unlike your classic CMS, headless CMS is a back-end-only content management system. It decouples where your content is stored and authored (body) from the front-end where your content is displayed (head).
This CMS isn’t tied to a particular output like a web page. Content is transmitted as data over an application programming interface (API). It’s a content repository that delivers content seamlessly to any device.
Benefits of Headless CMS
More Versatile
Headless CMS isn’t your classic “monolithic” CMS, so you aren’t constrained to an all-in-one system that might work for websites but not mobile devices.
Content is consumed by customers in more than one place now. Headless CMS provides a more versatile way to deliver multi-channel content to websites, Android and iOS apps, and even IoT (internet of things), like a smartwatch or in-store kiosk.
Businesses will benefit from this because only one back-end is needed to manage and publish content for different services and products.
No Need for Specialized Developers
Developers aren’t tied to a specific programming language or framework. A developer can choose between using Javascript, PHP, Ruby, or any language they prefer.
If you already have a talented developer, you don’t have to scramble to find someone else who specializes in a specific system or language you are moving to. Your current developer can do the job for you in the best way they know-how.
Better Security
Security is important. Not being married to the front-end, headless CMS has a security advantage a regular CMS doesn’t. Usually, content provided to a headless CMS is read-only, and the admin portion lives on a different server and domain.
With the back-end detached from the presentation layer, there is a smaller target area to attack. Also, layers of code can be used to hide the content-delivering API making it safer than a traditional CMS.
Real-time Collaboration
With two separate systems, content editors and web developers can work concurrently. This shortens a project’s timeline and helps get your product and services to market quicker. Also, content editors don’t have to spend more time creating the same content for each system. Designers and developers can take care of that.
Downsides of Headless CMS
As with anything, headless CMS isn’t perfect and isn’t for everyone. It has its disadvantages.
More Technical
Little technical involvement is called for in a traditional CMS. As a result, the tool can be picked up quickly by almost anyone.
A deeper understanding of CMS, coding languages, and front-end technologies is needed when using headless CMS. You must have a developer that can build the web or app just for you.
Increased Maintenance
With the body separated from the head, there are two systems to maintain. Implementation and maintenance could potentially become complex.
Bigger Price Tag
Building a system from scratch costs time and money. With a traditional CMS, there is one account and, most likely, one payment. With headless CMS, you’ll have multiple payments for the CMS, a developer, and the infrastructure running your website or app.
Your custom CMS also isn’t coming from a pre-built content management system. All that hard work takes time (and patience) to get it done right.
Conclusion
Headless CMS lets you create a unique user experience and allow for cross-platform publishing, but it isn’t a one-size-fits-all content management system.
Before you jump ships, take inventory of all your content needs. Does your content need to be published on different platforms? Will a simple stand-alone website work for you? Only you can decide what works best with your business, but we hope this information helps.
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