A CMS, that is Content Management System, most of you probably know from WordPress, Typo3 or similar providers. It allows us to edit websites easily and quickly, usually without complex code or difficult applications.
But currently our world and also our user behavior are changing continuously. In a digital future with a multitude of devices and channels, a seamless and interactive digital user experience across multiple channels will soon be the key to success.
The best web architecture is therefore one that allows you to bring together the best solutions from each of these categories and combine them as you wish. Let’s take a look at a trend that is still in its infancy: Headless Content Management Systems.
Simply put, a headless CMS is an approach where the “head” is literally separated from the “body”. The head represents the frontend, i.e. the presentation area that you see in front of you after accessing it via smartphone, laptop or desktop device. The body, on the other hand, refers to the backend, where the content and its management are the focus.
Headless CMS is a good solution for seamless digital experiences in this fast-paced omnichannel world. So the content is not limited to one display format, but can be optimally displayed on smartphone, tablet, laptop, smart TV or console.
So while the traditional CMS is very page-focused, the headless CMS is completely content-focused. This is also imperative because nowadays, user preference is such that websites need to become more dynamic and interactive to provide the best experience to the information-driven internet users.
Now, as you consider whether this future of CMS is really right for your content and website, consider whether the following points also apply to your users:.
- User expectations for a great user experience are at the heart of our site
- We need a flexible site because our users are on multiple channels and use them continuously
- We need a flexible front-end, as we want to bring users along in the omnichannel mindset
Currently, a number of software vendors are working on offering the headless CMS functionalities in complete packages. Thanks to the popularity of modern JavaScript frameworks, such as React and Angular, this is also increasingly no longer a problem. But for now, probably the most common variants of headless CMS are still open source solutions like ContentStack, Butter CMS, Directus or Sitefinity. A comprehensive list of available providers is also available here.
In the near future, such solutions will become more and more relevant, as the pure focus on one output platform is no longer up-to-date. Diversity is needed to meet user behavior and adapt to as many application scenarios as possible.
