Content Management System is an essential tool that every organization needs to use to boost their online presence.
As we know, almost everything changes quickly in the digital space, and CMS is no exception to that. Now, here comes headless CMS.
Today, most organizations offer high-quality content to users, while the shift went from conventional to a headless way.
It is now more about how you can present useful data when you wanted to build that trust. You can easily present a customer review, blog, or flexible API in a headless CMS approach.
But what precisely is a headless CMS, and why you should choose it for website development?
Headless CMS Defined
A headless CMS mostly consists of a backend and API used to store and then deliver content.
This technique allows developers to offer content as a form of service to users. Meaning, you can develop content and then display it by using two different kinds of software.
The main goal of a headless CMS is to facilitate generating and storing content. Displaying it is only a secondary aspect. In today’s time, almost anyone can post a photo or video using their smartphones.
But reaching out and building your current customer base can be a difficult task for most online stores.
That’s why, ideally, you should go with a headless CMS that allows you to generate, store your content, and displaying it whenever or wherever you want.
Consider Your Budget
One advantage of using a headless CMS is that its cost-efficient as compared to its other alternatives.
While a DXP may cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars yearly, a headless CMS might cause you just under $100 or a couple of thousand dollars at most.
A headless CMS also has several pricing tiers with various features provided with every tier.
Note that every CMS provider has several differences in features that are offered with every pricing tier. So, we suggest that you compare them in detail so that you will choose the right features that are still fit in your budget.
Flexible Integrations
One of the main reasons you should leverage a headless CMS for your site is to achieve greater flexibility than most traditional CMS.
Through a headless CMS, you can seamlessly integrate the head that you want for your site. It can be a customer review, blog, or profile. These can be seamlessly integrated into your site, anytime you please.
Moreover, developers can also enjoy a quicker site development using their programming language of choice, without encountering any developmental constraints.
A piece of content can be used numerous times using various texts to enable quicker web development. A headless CMS also offers you seamless third-party integrations minus any coding restraints.
Scalability
Before choosing a headless CMS, you need to consider your business goals. That way, you will know whether your preferred CMS will scale with your business’s needs over time.
If your company is growing at a fast pace and looking forward to bringing in new people in your team, you might run in on several issues. This includes creating multiple accounts and roles that you will allow in your CMS.
If you are planning to expand your business, see whether the CMS you chose can support the number of languages you need.
If you want to craft an engaging website, complete with compelling content and high-quality visuals, then you have considered API request limits.
Personalization
Personalization is essential in today’s website designs, as well as digital experiences.
If you wanted to create personalized content across several channels, then looking for a headless CMS that provides you with excellent personalization features is necessary.
Meaning, your CMS needs to have a native, component-based personalization that happens on the server-side.
This allows your CMS to determine relevant content before sending it to the front-end via APIs. Doing so provides consistent, personal experience on every channel or business interaction.
Architecture Customization
Perhaps one of the best features of a headless CMS is to customize your content, such as unique validations and content blocks.
This can be particularly useful to situations that require more than just a pre-templated product can offer you.
Content Infrastructure
It will be ideal if your headless CMS has an infrastructure in place that will support your existing and future content delivery needs. One that goes beyond just offering headless content management.
Here is an infrastructure checklist which you can apply with any vendor:
- Cloud or on-premise: Check the proposed benefits of the vendor. Do they offer a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution, or just some managed hosting on Cloud?
- Quick and scalable content delivery: Does the vendor use content delivery networks to deliver the content quickly? Or will you have to set it up yourself?
- Security: Does the vendor offer reliable security?
- Availability: If you are searching for a cloud-based solution, what guarantee does the vendor offer regarding availability?
Ask for a Demo
Asking for a one-to-one demo provides you an excellent opportunity to learn more about who you will be working with.
Are you responsive to your inquiries? Do they have someone who is in your time zone? Do not just pick someone who relies on PowerPoint presentations.
Come up with scenarios and ask them to show you how it will be like to complete specific tasks using their CMS.
Final Thoughts
Your customers’ needs and the global market are rapidly changing.
While posting a photo, video, or launching a site is simple enough, you need to invest with the right technologies, as well as the latest trends.
This is where a headless CMS could come in handy. However, it would help if you keep the following tips in mind when choosing one that will work for your business:
- Consider your budget
- Look for flexible integrations
- Consider scalability
- Look for personalization options
- Leverage architecture customization
- Take advantage of content infrastructure
- Ask for a demo
Without a doubt, a headless CMS is one crucial aspect that can help you succeed in your online business in the long run.