Top 5 Headless CMS benefits over a traditional CMS

The only problem is that they see all its benefits ONLY after meeting some issues with their existing solutions. Only when the house is already on fire. So they need a better solution for putting that fire down. You see, having a website is much like that story with success and an iceberg.

People see success but don't see what one must do and endure to achieve it. It's the same with having a website. Visitors (even owners) see the pretty design or exciting content, but they don't know what's behind all that.

If you’re among those who still don’t know what kind of heavy lifting is necessary for a website to function, check our previous article. We talked about Content Management Systems and how they work. ( Traditional VS Headless CMS) Today, we want to speak about the top 5 advantages of headless CMS over a traditional CMS. These are the top five reasons technical people enjoy working with headless and why business owners love it.

On all the websites that use a traditional CMS, content, frontend, CSS and plugins are all stored and managed in the same place. It’s a huge and restricting infrastructure. So, it’s a pain in the ass whenever a developer has to make some changes. Headless CMSes, aka decoupled CMSes, separate frontend from backend and use RESTful API (JSON, XML) to deliver the content. Technical people use that API and display headless content on a website, in mobile apps, or any other channel, wherever is needed. The advantage here is: because developers got rid of limiting templates and rigid CMS design structures, they can create unique digital experiences. Not only that, they are much faster in doing it because they don’t have to take care of the backend heavy lifting. They choose their own language and framework and focus only on building customer-facing features, not doing chores. That being said, let’s move to advantage No.2, which is closely connected to the first one.

Primary, they are possible because there aren’t any compromising performances. Of course, it’s due to the non-existence of downtime. Content is stored in a cloud repository instead of a server, so it needs less bandwidth, saves resources, and reduces website tensity. Because of these functionalities, many obstacles have been removed, leaving predictable and easy-to-lunch projects. Secondly, there is no CMS as fast as an API-first one. Implementing and deploying updates to a content management system is quick and agile-friendly. And we don’t mean just short development cycles and continuous improvements, and we’re talking about increased transparency and communication. Headless CMSes are, after all, very collaborative tools. We mean so fast that you will never worry that your website is slow.

With these tools, it’s as easy as the click of a button. That’s why front end and mobile developers enjoy it so much. They are not ‘locked down’ to predefined design options inside CMS; they don’t have to make compromises. On the other hand, creators don’t have to worry about how their content will be displayed on different digital channels. Developers nowadays can access the content repository more promptly and use the best technology in every unique situation. As a result, they build delightful user interfaces, solve every client’s inquiry, and make their front end more competitive. Even future redesigns get less complicated. One can tweak the front end without tweaking the back end, saving time and resources. Speaking about resources...

It’s long-lasting and tiring. And since a traditional CMS is a single development platform, owners must pay for content input, management, and maintenance on two, three, or more different platforms (mobile app, desktop app, website, etc.). Not a pretty good business plan.

What usually happens when a boss decides to use Headless CMS to display content on various channels?

Headless CMS reduces operational and technological overhead for cross-platform projects, ergo, minimizes the amount of money spent on full-redesign (and the number of developers working hours).

The worst-case for every business owner is to lose their online business. Imagine that situation: in one moment, everything's fine, sales are going crazy, and the very next - your website is inaccessible. Puff, gone. Business websites are often targets of attacks. Sometimes, the attackers steal visitors' information making a scandal. Sometimes they infect the system in the way they flood it with such a large amount of traffic, thus causing it to crash. Is headless CMS a secure CMS?  The security advantage of headless CMSs lies in their front end and backend being separated. Since the content publishing platform isn't accessible from CMS database hackers, it has nothing to exploit or break. Simple as that. Security is tighter, risk of attacks is lower.

We know what you're thinking now. "How is it possible that headless CMS is the ultimate solution for everyone?" It's not beer and skittles. Everything has its advantages AND disadvantages—even headless. For example, one of the most critical cons is that it makes you more dependent on your developers. The tricky part is those small businesses either don't have developers at their disposal or aren't ready for the extra work headless requires. Small business owners, therefore, like the idea of automatic updates solutions with less code possible. And that's ok. It doesn't diminish these five advantages we presented above. In fact, we'll give you another one. Special one.

Let’s think about the future for a moment.

No, not like that. If you're a future-oriented company, you use every present moment to think about upcoming possibilities and how you can be among the first who ride that wave. The nature of technology is to evolve beyond even our best-laid plans continuously. And if any readers are trying to follow that evolution, they might find API-first CMS a relevant tool in a digitally-transformed business environment. It prepares us all for new formats and platforms, helping businesses be future-proof. Does a company have to place content on a smart fridge or AR technology that allows clothes choices? No problem, and it's possible to do even now with headless CMS. (Btw, if you have fantastic VR technology like that, please leave us an email).

So, that’s it about the benefits. At its core, headless CMS is for those who need the speed of content creation, good content collaboration, and better user experience across all devices. Companies thinking about the future already use headless CMS for their marketing teams to improve their omnichannel content marketing strategies. Now we want to hear from you. Are you using CMS at the moment? What do you think about it? Please tell us your opinions and views on Twitter @thebcms, or ask us questions. We’d love to discuss this.