Is Headless CMS the future

The thing about the future of technology is that it can always be a prediction and the reality could always be far from it. We’re in an age where technology never rests and is constantly being developed to bring out the best quality of life. With regard to newsrooms, the future of content management can be understood by going through the journey of CMS and the role it plays today.

As our needs and expectations will only go higher, it is crucial to understand that the solutions and platforms we choose today must always be scalable and updated to serve the larger audience.

In a digital era, with a variety of devices and channels, an accessible and responsive website might no longer be enough. An interactive digital user experience across multiple channels is the key to success.

As newsroom demands grew, CMSs have evolved throughout the years. Bold CMS from Quintype, for instance, is a headless, flexible and scalable platform that helps manage content and works well for small, growing and enterprise newsrooms. While a solution like Bloomreach promises a hybrid CMS solution and focuses on the e-commerce industry.

A headless CMS refers to an approach where the “head” or the front-end is chopped off from the “body.” The head here refers to the presentation layer while the body refers to the back-end where the content management system is the main component.

The rising popularity of the headless is because it enables you to reuse native content and distribute it to different channels. This is why many ecommerce companies use headless ecommerce architecture to power their omni-channel strategies. A headless CMS allows distribution to all/most devices which is helpful when you have an audience that is consuming content through all devices. The content is not restricted to just one form of presentation. The headless CMS is a good solution for seamless digital experience in this fast-paced omnichannel world.

With Alexa becoming a household name, smart TVs, mobiles, laptops, etc,.Content consumers are now more connected than ever, and they expect a premium experience and high-quality content across all digital channels.

With headless CMS, you can use and reuse the description and shorts of content write-ups for several interfaces like in a digital magazine, an app, or on your webpage. The traditional CMS has been very page-focused which can be limiting in these times. Nowadays, there’s a need for websites to become interactive.

There are 5 things that drive the separation of front-end and back-end:

• Consumer expectations for a smooth user experience are ever-growing. Why should they not turn to mainstream media who can afford a premium experience and turn to your website? Improving the expectations of user experience is the main goal for all software solutions in the industry. There’s an immediate need for media houses to exceed this expectation, be better, be more relevant and offer something more personalized.

• There is a dire need for flexibility at the front end. Brands want to be able to present their ideas and goals through their website and cater to their niche in the best way possible. Organizations also want to utilize their content on mobile apps for the mobile-first crowd.

• Technology providers in the industry in the digital publishing market want to offer a suite of products that envelop the blanketed needs of the editorial team of newsrooms. This isn't often adapted well as many publishers believe it best to custom build a platform that suits their needs and usually run out of funds and resources to upgrade their systems as it’s hard to believe that one provider can back them up.

• The popularity of modern JavaScript frameworks is rapidly growing. It’s now important to understand the JS frameworks because they have become the more popular way to develop the digital experience layer. This can be difficult for those who make up the newsrooms or content teams. Not everyone can hire a team of developers, therefore there is a steady rise in adoption solutions that are non-developer friendly or in other words - no-code solutions.

No matter what industry you’re from, your end goal is to cater to a target audience that benefits or enjoys your content. It can be tricky to find a platform that allows you to manage your content and turn into a powerful resource.

More often than not, content is your product. Treating it as an asset and distributing it to as many touch points as possible can get the results you intend. Having all of your content at a single place also helps manage content in the long run. This enables specialization and optimization which results in an optimal user experience.

Front-end developers gain full control and flexibility using the tools they are most comfortable with, they are free to innovate. The front-end developers tend to love a headless CMS because they can choose from JavaScript frameworks that have community support. It also gives complete customization freedom on the feel and look of the website. A brand can have a custom front-end that stands apart and switch their CMS without losing on their appeal. Headless CMSs are technology-agnostic, there are virtually zero limits in the choice of a tech stack. This speeds up production and allows the development of responsive user experiences.

A headless CMS also future-proofs your website and saves a lot of money by allowing updations, customization without having to re-implement the CMS and hindering the performance. In case of any cms malfunction, it remains controlled and does not affect the front-end allowing systemic damage control.

Investing in a good headless CMS has long term benefits. It’s wise to ensure that content is usable even as the technology evolves. Typically, try to choose a platform that is dedicated to improving and find technology partners who listen to their client needs.

So, is headless CMS really the future? One may quickly say yes but it could look different for different publishers.

Let’s start on a positive note. Yes, headless CMS is the future. Why? Well primarily because the omnichannel world is here to stay. There is no going back to only one medium, be it desktops with web browsers, or a single all confining smart device. We will continue to see the fragmentation of channels, devices, and platforms—from PCs, smartphones, and wearables to web-based APIs, and digital signage. Safe to say, you need the distribution jazz of a headless CMS.

If you are a small or growing publisher or any sort of content creating team you need a platform that is flexible and scalable. A limiting CMS will cost you more than you can take back. You need a solution that is ready to grow with you.

Some publishers may choose traditional custom CMS, decoupled or hybrid. Read more about types of CMSs here. Are you uncertain as to whether headless is right for you or not? It largely depends on what you’re looking for. If you are building rich websites and apps, headless CMS is easily the way to go. If you also need a website and the functionality that you need complete control over, provided you can support a full developer team and the added cost of building a platform, a traditional or hybrid solution would probably help.

The headless CMS seems to be the future in digital publishing as it caters to a wide range of content creators. It’s safe, flexible and scalable. The headless CMS holds its charm for ease of creation and distribution. They are also often easy to configure and work seamlessly with sister products and can be bundled according to the publisher’s needs.