Increase Agility and Scalability with Headless
CMS Solutions

Headless CMS solutions are the optimized upgrade of the traditional CMS (Content Management System) that many use today. A trending solution, headless CMS is the evolutionary next step for content management and its role in consumer relations.

Digital platforms and multi-channel publishing continue to grow in complexity, and various business tactics are being utilized to stay on top of this. Headless CMS offers an API-first approach with its beheaded structure that leaves an independent backend ‘body’ that can publish content onto several different platforms.

It’s here that the traditional, monolithic CMS fails. Designed to organize content only in a webpage-orientated framework, it’s inflexible with other digital platforms.

But before you lose all hope in CMS, let’s talk about Headless CMS and its benefits:

Traditional versus Headless CMSes

A traditional CMS is installed and managed independently or on a controlled server environment. All functionalities are packed into a single system for a single context content editing interface. In other words, it only runs on a single web page.

Headless content management systems are built from the ground up as a content repository that makes content accessible via a RESTful API or GraphQL API for display on any device. - The backend software remains, but the head (front-end software like the framework and formatting system) has been removed.

What About Hybrid/Decoupled CMS Solutions

A hybrid/decoupled CMS is a traditional CMS with APIs built on top of its systems. Promising both website rendering and the flexibility of a headless framework, decoupled CMSes could be an ideal solution.

However, they are influenced by a model built for a single website. This form of coupling restricts the number of contexts for content to be applied.

How Does a Headless CMS Work?

A headless CMS provides a way to author content not coupled to a particular output. Instead, content is provided as data over an API. With no front-end delivery layer to determine how content is displayed to end-users, a headless CMS doesn’t concern itself with how or where content is displayed.

API exclusive, content is free to be published anywhere (through any framework). This front-end removal allows the CMS to be a content-only data source. Pure, simple, and open to custom use.

Benefits of a Headless CMS

Content management for multiple channels

Headless content, if done right, isn’t tied to a single presentation concern like a website. This means that content can be managed for apps and websites, reaching audiences across multiple channels. It can even control the internal/admin content from the same place.

Easier scaling

Allowing content to be managed from a single source of truth, headless CMS also lets developers change tools anytime, sends content to high-performance cloud-based hostings, and builds services such as Netlify or Vercel.

Developer flexibility

A headless CMS is versatile as all digital content is communicated through APIs, developers have the freedom to choose just what front-end tools they use and what languages they want to work (i.e., Javascript, PHP).

They can also interchange parts of their stack or move from one framework to another without affecting the CMS.

Enhanced Security

Being severed from the presentation layer means there’s a smaller area open to cyberattacks. For instance, administrative and data-holding areas are entirely separate from the displayed website. Even IP access to the CMS can be restricted.

Faster Editing Experiences

The rendering side of front-end development is left for more specialized parts of the stack. This is a significant advantage over traditional CMSes as their architectures have to delegate resources to edit and render content.

Future-Proof

Built with the future in mind, headless CMS APIs are designed to communicate with any new device or channel from 2019 and beyond.

Your headless CMS won’t even see it as a challenge when new and innovative devices hit the market.

Headless CMS Use Cases

Food & Beverage Industry

Burger King has installed numerous digital menu boards across its U.S. restaurants.

With a headless CMS, the fast-food giant can make real-time updates and changes to menu items and prices or even advertise new deals and promotions on the fly. These live menu boards offer more engaging customer experiences.

Healthcare/e-commerce Industry:

When Amazon Echo was first released, its exciting potential didn’t go much further than trivial tasks. But with, a headless CMS could save lives. For instance, the American Heart Association has utilized this new Alexa Skill by implementing it with life-saving health information.

By integrating Alexa with an API-driven headless CMS, content can be pulled, and voice-activated commands can be pushed.

Travel Industry:

The airline carriers industry faces some of the most complex content requirements, managing information on critical, real-time communications, global content translation & localization, plus an omnichannel that includes thousands of individual customer touchpoints.

With a headless CMS, airlines benefit from accurate and up-to-date communications.

Choosing the Right Headless CMS Platform

Architecture

Headless CMS architecture doesn’t have a singular front-end for presenting content. Instead, this is achieved through an API connection rather than being linked to a single front-end.

Overall, it offers complete control over your content and where it goes by:

• Offering faster content delivery

• Securing third-party integration

• Providing developers creative freedom

Content

Content infrastructure organizes content into reusable chunks. It’s a content model that manages content types and defines how each type relates, creating a flexible model that can be molded to fit any digital container.

This unification of content allows changes made on one platform to be automatically updated on all other platforms. This dramatically improves brand consistency and overall content scalability.

Content Operations

Headless CMSes have many features that improve agility across all platforms. For instance, they can power touchpoints across any channel or device as content is stored in cloud-first content hubs and deployed with seamless interoperability.

This omnichannel content delivery extends to platforms like websites and mobile apps and trending ones like apple watches and AR/VR.

APIs and Extensibility

A headless CMS can be integrated with other valuable tools for personalization and automation with APIs and extensions. For instance, it can leverage APIs to communicate with any internet-enabled device.

APIs can also send data (such as end-user activity and preferences) from touchpoints, channels, and devices back to the CMS to process and analyze.

An API first development effectively delivers content to commerce systems such as POS (Point of Sale) and voice-activated applications like Cortana, Alexa, and Siri.

Custom Solutions

A custom solution will allow for a flexible and scalable platform that can be integrated without disrupting ongoing workflows. It can also be integrated with other services such as Dropbox (without restrictions).

Making everything that much easier, developers and your IT content team can create and manage content and have instantaneous access to it on every platform.

Custom-built, businesses aren’t stuck with a preprogrammed model (a traditional CMS). As with a headless CMS, you will be able to edit your content from anywhere, at any time, and using any smart device.

Content Infrastructure Affords Flexibility

Businesses need a solution that increases flexibility and scalability while also offering seamless managing of their presence on multiple platforms.

Connecting to your customers and target audience is vital in building relationships and reputation, and this is why transitioning with headless CRM solutions is worth consideration.

Unlike traditional and decoupled CMSes, headless CMS not only cuts away the presentation layer but it’s also API-exclusive - allowing developers to build applications easily for content that is quick to store, access, edit and publish.

From 2020 to 2027, The Headless CMS Software Market will grow at a CAGR of 22.6%. So by 2027, it’s projected to be valued at over $1,628 million.

Offering a flexible, scalable, and customizable content solution, it’s no wonder it’s high in demand. It’s no surprise how many businesses choose a headless CMS solution.