CMS architecture has been the standard for a while; however, companies are now searching for more flexibility and turning to headless CMS solutions. It’s important for your company to know the difference between headless CMS and decoupled CMS architecture so you can choose the best content management software solutions for your company.
To get an understanding of headless CMS, you should look at the conventional content management system and what the system is designed for. Traditional CMSs have been around for years; since the first states of web development. Platforms like Sitecore and WordPress were created to store and showcase content types like video, text, and images on websites. The previous approach to CMS content management puts several components of websites into one bucket, including CSS, images, content, and HTML. This means the content can’t be used again because it was integrated with code.
The need for flexible solutions is greater since digital platforms have evolved significantly. Enterprises and companies are developing apps, digital banners, conversational interfaces, mobile websites, and conventional websites to engage with consumers and move their businesses forward. Traditional CMS hasn’t been able to keep up with these rapid changes since CMS organizes content in webpage-oriented frameworks. This means the content can’t adapt to other digital spaces.
With all this in mind, here are some important things you should know about a headless CMS and how it can help your business.
Headless CMS — What Is It?
A headless CMS is a content management system in which the body of the content is separated from the layer head. Many traditional CMS platforms provide an API that lets you transmit content to another presentation layer. The system is called “headless” because the body and presentation layer are decoupled.
One way to eliminate some of the limitations that come with a traditional CMS is to incorporate headless CMS. If the “head” is the presentation layer of a website, removing that layer gives you a headless CMS. This allows you to select the right presentation layer for a digital platform. However, headless CMS doesn’t solve one huge concern: structuring content that can be used several times across different channels and platforms.
Difference Between Headless CMS and Decoupled CMS
Some digital platforms offer a decouples CMS or headless CMS option through an API. These cMS connect content repository to a different presentation layer. However, neither of these options solves the problem of managing content. This means you’ll need to find a way to organize your content so you can easily reuse it across as many digital platforms as possible. You may also need to store content separately from code to keep the code from allowing down certain digital applications.
Content Infrastructre and CMS
Content infrastructure is a headless CMS type, but it’s not traditional in terms of organizing content. Content infrastructure begins with a content model; the model is a framework for sorting content and determining which content types are related.
With this form of headless CMS, the content model is customized for each organization. This prevents you from being stuck with template models available with a traditional CMS. This content model breaks your content down into several elements like headline or blog post. Or, you can copy a call to action button to place in another location. You can decide how these website elements relate to each other which makes your website model more flexible. Businesses are embracing new structured content so they won’t be stifled by traditional CMS options.
Data Unification
Content infrastructure can eliminate excessive copying and pasting and allows businesses to streamline content into one content hub. This simplifies the editing process and allows you to copy or change your images in one place and apply the changes everywhere you see fit. Data unification can also make marketing campaigns easier which helps increase your client base.
Real-Time Collaboration and Accessibility
Content infrastructure also allows simultaneous collaboration and introduces a flexible framework. This allows your team members to work on a project at the same time. If your business is constantly coming up with new content and landing pages, headless CMS is likely a viable solution for you.
Finally, headless CMS and content infrastructure make reusability easier, which helps you make the most of the time and money you spend on content creation. This allows you to localize and personalize your content to attract and retain consumers.
