Headless CMS - For successful digital content strategies
What is a headless CMS and what are the benefits of the system?
A headless CMS is a content management system without front-end components, also known as a head, that determine how content is presented to end users. Instead, the content can be published anywhere and for many channels via an interface (or API). By separating the presentation layer / the user frontend and the backend CMS, there are theoretically no restrictions on how and where content is provided for an optimal customer experience. Possible delivery channels include desktops, cell phones, apps, social media channels or smartwatches.
There are several advantages to delivering content to the various channels, including the ability to do so in a timely manner and the ability to integrate with third-party systems. The nature of a Headless CMS system is characterized by its system architecture that is decoupled from the front-end and this principle must be maintained in order to reap the benefits of headless CMS in the long term.
What is a headless CMS system suitable for?
Simply translated, the term "headless" means headless and refers to the agnostic architecture of the frontend, meaning that there is no direct presentation layer for the managed content. Such a content management system is particularly suitable for companies, publishers and agencies that want to produce content at regular intervals and make it available on various channels - multichannel publishing.
Technical view of a headless CMS
Technically speaking, the headless CMS is a back-end content management system (CMS) that was created as a content repository and enables access to content via a RESTful API or a GraphQL API on various platforms and apps.
A back-end-only system has a content management interface such as a RESTful or GraphQL API to deliver content wherever it is needed. Because of this approach, a headless content management system does not care how and where the content is displayed. It only has one task: it stores and structures content, makes it available for other platforms and enables co-authors to work together on content.
Classic versus headless content management system
A classic content management system is software that is used to manage all aspects of digital content in an organization. This includes the creation, storage, design, modification and distribution of content. Content management systems are designed to manage the creation and modification of digital content (think WordPress, one of the simplest examples). They allow companies to create, manage and change this content on a website without the need for highly specialized technical skills and knowledge from developers. Anyone in an organization can use a CMS.
Classic CMS systems are also called monolithic content management systems and are the counterpart to a headless content management system.
What does a monolithic CMS and its functions look like?
The classic or monolithic CMS is basically a 1-to-1 relationship between frontend and backend. If the frontend is to be changed, this is often accompanied by a replacement of the backend.
- A database for the content that can be read and described
- Upload images and/or other media
- Platform backend: Admin user interface via which editors can manage the content
- Frontend that links the data from the database with HTML and displays it visually for website users
- . You can also use plugins and adons
- If necessary, you can also create individual landing pages
- Developers can also offer additional systems via API
Recognize: this is what a headless content management system looks like
In place of the missing front end, a headless content management system now uses a RESTful or GraphQL API that can be called from other systems to access the data managed in the admin user interface. So basically, it's a content management system.
Unlike using a monolithic CMS, you can't create a website with a headless content management system alone. By separating the front-end from the rest of the functions, the website is automatically missing. The solution: a developer who programs the website and uses the REST or GraphQL APIs provided by the CMS to connect it to the back end.
Joomla, Drupal, Typo3 & Co. - Which headless CMSs are available on the market?
There are many headless content management systems on the market, all of which essentially offer a very similar basic scope. e.g. extensions or APIEasy or no installation Easy-to-use backend Use of interfaces (API) to third-party systems such as Pixabay
Drupal as a headless CMS
Drupal is a server-based software for creating and managing content. Drupal is used to create websites and web applications that need to be updated regularly. Drupal has a few standard functions and offers the option of integrating additional functions via third-party plug-ins.
Drupal is essentially open source software and therefore there are no license costs in the true sense of the word. The agencies want to be remunerated accordingly for setting up the software and implementing the customer's wishes. Additional license costs may arise for plug-ins or add-ons that bring additional functions to the website.
Joomla! as a headless CMS
Similar to Drupal, Joomla! is a free and open source content management system (CMS) for publishing content on the Internet. It is based on a model-view-controller web application framework that can be used independently of the CMS and allows you to create powerful online applications.
Wordpress as a headless CMS
Wordpress is probably the most widely used headless CMS on the World Wide Web. Just like Drupal and Joomla!, Wordpress relies on a few standard functions that can be expanded in terms of functionality via plug-ins or add-ons.
Typo3 as the basis for creating a headless CMS
The TYPO3 CMS is an open platform for professional web applications. Designed for businesses, it provides an infrastructure that meets the security and service requirements of a modern enterprise, while its feature-rich core is suitable for a wide range of sectors, industries and organizations. TYPO3's scalable architecture helps your website grow with your business.
What is a headless CMS suitable for?
A headless CMS - also known as a decoupled CMS - has become a popular choice to meet the different and relevant requirements of marketers, companies and publishers who want to realize multi- or omnichannel experiences across multiple channels with the customer. There are various reasons for using a headless CMS, which are listed in more detail below.
Perfect for playing out content on multiple channels
A CMS was originally developed for simple websites on which content was to be managed. And that was sufficient in the past. However, as technology shifted from desktop and mobile to other devices such as smartwatches, voice-activated devices and other forms of digital communication, new delivery layers had to be created that made uploading content more complex for both developers and marketers. Since the purpose of a traditional CMS was to manage content for websites, and modern customers interact and access information through so many other channels, this traditional system is no longer sufficient for the modern customer experience. With a headless CMS like publizer®, these problems can be solved very easily.
Flexibility in the type of CMS solution
Because headless content management systems decouple the content from the actual front end, they offer the best of both worlds - both from a traditional CMS and a headless architecture in a cloud platform. Companies have the freedom to choose which type of CMS solution best suits their requirements: traditional (classic), headless or hybrid. Although a completely headless CMS allows content to be transferred to any presentation level, it can be a challenge for non-technical marketers as they lack the editing options they are used to. A headless CMS such as publizer® can solve such problems, as it already has an integrated ad management system and can also be connected to other providers via APIs in the back-end system.
Support for developers
The basis of publizer® as a cloud publishing platform is the provision of tried-and-tested standard modules for a quick start to the project. The API layer of publizer® also allows software developers to individually program the individual modules and thus connect the headless CMS to their own systems. This gives companies the opportunity to create differentiated customer experiences for each channel with content management APIs, content delivery APIs, content participation APIs and other REST APIs.
Speed and simplicity for users
The beauty of a headless CMS like publizer® is that it saves time on many levels:
- Content can be created and managed before the front end goes live
- Users can already be created and trained on the system
- API interfaces to Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter can be applied for quickly
- Creating and managing the content structure and sections is quick and helps development
When building the presentation layer, i.e. the front end, developers can take the programming language of their choice. Companies without their own development skills can simply let the publizer® team implement the frontend or the respective playout channel.
Future-proof solution at lower costs
With a headless CMS, editorial and marketing teams can set up new topics and landing pages more quickly without having to program them. In publizer® there is a drag & drop editor for this purpose. This option massively reduces costs. Examples show that savings in the 5-digit range can be made here - per landing page.
A headless CMS not only offers the possibility to create individual pages quickly and cost-effectively. It plays another trump card when it comes to implementing a website relaunch. Because all content is stored separately from the presentation layer, only this layer needs to be replaced. This saves a lot of time in development and money at the same time.
Always up-to-date and scalable for the future
Every time a new project starts, systems and platforms need to be upgraded. Most companies want to avoid this effort and expense. With a headless CMS, content teams can focus on creating value through valuable and engaging content instead of the tedious process and cost of constantly upgrading systems from scratch. Cloud-based headless CMS like publizer® are more scalable than traditional CMS - if the backend platform has performance issues or needs maintenance, the provider takes care of it directly. As a rule, you don't even have to put up with failures, downtimes or performance problems.
Another advantage of publizer® that should not be underestimated is that the system is used by us as the manufacturer for various projects, so we ensure that all modules are always up to date on our own initiative. As soon as we release an update, it is immediately available to all publizer® customers.
Superior software architecture
For companies creating web platforms and services, a headless CMS is a good choice to achieve and create a best-practice environment with the highest level of integrity and security. This is because a headless CMS makes it possible to develop a better software architecture from the ground up. Websites built in this way are usually structured in such a way that the published content and the CMS platform are separate. Depending on security and permission settings, this can lead to greater protection, as internal access to the CMS is only possible within the company and content created outside the organization can be approved or blocked internally.
The sophisticated roles and rights management in publizer® ensures that the Super Admin can provide different roles with individual rights. For example, an editor who has no publishing rights can create and save content, but it will only appear on the website once it has been approved for publication.
Example - How to use a standardized headless CMS like publizer?
A standardized headless CMS such as the publizer® cloud publishing platform can be used optimally if a company or publisher has no technical resources available and still wants to implement content marketing quickly and professionally as part of a multichannel strategy. The publizer® offers a wide range of functions that have proven useful in practice for implementing the following projects, for example:
- Headless CMS systems can be optimally used as a content backend for corporate publishing
- Headless content management systems are also suitable for websites for doctors
- News-Platform with publizer instead of Typo3 or Wordpress
- Apps can be used via a headless CMS platform
- Creating API interfaces to other systems (this requires software developers)
- Building platforms for content marketing automation
The real advantages of the headless content management system
At first glance, it seems more complex to have the website created by a developer in addition to the CMS. So why not simply use a classic CMS and save yourself the detour of programming?
The true greatness of the Headless CMS lies in the fact that it is not limited to one website. Multichannel marketing is therefore easier and faster to implement: Due to the headless architecture, the content can be used on an iOS app, an Android app as well as for any other platform and technology, making it a powerful option - not just for mobile and web developers.
In addition, due to the decoupling between back-end and front-end, a developer can use any other technology for programming. They do not have to rely on the sometimes rigid boundaries of a regular content management system.
Another major advantage is that a developer can concentrate on their own work without having to fix the errors of an existing technology stack. Therefore, it is easier to optimize pages for page speed and core web vitals and even redesign parts of the website without worrying about losing the content.
Should you switch to a headless CMS?
As a manufacturer of a headless CMS, we naturally answer the questions with "yes" and yet such a content management system is not the right system for every company. Because in the end, it's all about finding the right solution for the company's goals.
Headless CMS for content marketing strategy
Content marketing is becoming increasingly important in order to generate attention for the company on the Internet and social media. More and more companies are relying on this means of communication and the greater the commitment, the greater the success in content marketing. With the right tool, content such as images, text, videos and individual landing pages can be created and managed independently of the front end. A huge advantage of a headless CMS is that it makes it possible to easily adapt the frontend to current design trends, for example, without having to adapt the backend.
Headless CMS for multichannel strategy
Having the right content is one thing. The other is to have this content available on the relevant platforms and channels. This can mean that content from the headless CMS is displayed on a website, in an app or on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter without leaving the system. This saves resources, time and money.
Headless CMS for multi-author strategy
In many companies, there are not always enough authors to implement a sophisticated content marketing strategy, so external resources have to be used. In such a case, a content management system should contain a CMS roles & rights management in order to give several users individual access with corresponding usage rights and to establish approval processes for the publication of content.
Cost and time savings with a headless CMS like publizer®
Because publizer® as a cloud publishing platform has a large number of relevant functions on board that have already proven useful in practice, these components no longer need to be developed individually for each customer. As a result, CMS projects can be implemented very quickly and cost-effectively with this technology - without having to put a business need at the back of the queue.
The cloud architecture of publizer® means that customers do not need their own server infrastructure and therefore do not need their own administrators in this field. Content and the website can be entered conveniently and intuitively via the backend.
Newspaper publishers can save up to 73 percent of their IT costs by using a cloud publishing system.
SaaS or Open Source - How to get a headless CMS?
When looking for the right content management system, the question often arises whether to use a supposedly free CMS or to fall back on an existing Software as a Service (SaaS) solution.
Relevant open source solutions are:
- Joomla! CMS incl. many plug-ins
- Drupal CMS incl. many add-ons
- Wordpress CMS with useful extensions
- Typo3 CMS for developers who can create individual extensions
In principle, there are no license fees for the basis of this software. Nevertheless, such systems are of course not free. As a rule, there are sometimes high daily rates for specialized agencies that develop individual solutions for companies. The following cost blocks are usually also incurred for open source systems:
- Concept creation
- Setting up and installing the system, the platform (server infrastructure and the basic software)
- Initial development of the individual software components (e.g. APIs)
- Setting up and installing the system, the platform (server infrastructure and the basic software)
- Initial development of the individual software components (e.g. APIs)
- Software maintenance
- Hosting fees
- License costs for extensions (plug-ins) from third-party software manufacturers
- Individual further development of the software / platform
- Project management
These cost blocks can also be incurred structurally with SaaS solutions, only the amount can vary, especially if companies rely on existing and proven standard components that are continuously developed by the manufacturer as part of license models. For example, our Headless CMS software already offers the following standard modules, which allow the project to be implemented very quickly.
The publizer® CMS as a cloud solution
The publizer® is the tool of choice for competent multichannel marketing for corporate publishers and digital marketing in SMEs. Use your content on multiple platforms that are not just traditional websites: From native mobile apps to digital interactive media content - you can even share all of this on your social media channels.
