If you’re always looking for ways to improve your website, provide a better customer experience, and generate more revenue, today’s topic is for you! One way to do this can be to use Headless WordPress.
Headless WordPress uses the traditional WordPress content management system (CMS) and provides a different front-end, designed for the client. This can provide several benefits, such as fast site loading speed and higher security. There are also a few potential downsides if not developed properly, such as slow backend, infinite development cycles, and high cost, of course.
In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at Headless WordPress: What it is and Do you need it, and see why it’s becoming so popular among enterprise organizations. We’ll also look at some of the basics of creating a Headless WordPress site, as well as some of the downsides if it’s not developed correctly.
What is CMS?
A CMS is a platform that helps you to manage your website content. This makes it easy to add new pages, update old ones, and manage the site design.
There are all kinds of different CMS, with the most popular options being traditional platforms like WordPress and Drupal. These platforms are designed to store and present a bunch of content and media, such as text, images, and video.
As the digital age advances, corporate brands are finding they need to change with the times. Standard content requirements have shifted and brands now need to be able to serve their content outside of their website on multiple different platforms. This includes apps, and various tools, as well as enhancing the website experience itself beyond static images and text.
What is Headless WordPress?
Simply put, Headless WordPress is a type of content management system where the content is stored in a different place using a different technology. Content is sent to different devices using an API in a format that works well for a range of apps or devices.
A simple example of this is a bank using the same content that appears in the help section of their banking app, which also appears in the product FAQ section of their website. The content is the same, delivered by the same CMS system, just displayed in different places using different technologies.
WordPress is a good platform for a Headless system
This is probably the best. But we don’t want you to think that this is an unsubstantiated claim written by WordPress experts, so let’s explore why!
WordPress is a platform built for content
When WordPress was first launched as an open-source project in 2003, it was entirely centred around the idea of allowing people to create and publish their own content. To this day, it remains undoubtedly the best platform in the world for managing content in a simple and effective way and, like a fine wine, it gets better with age!
As for Headless WordPress, it manages and organizes content in a way that most marketers and site owners are used to, making it ideal.
WordPress can be easily separated because it is constantly being developed by a worldwide community of contributing organizations, WordPress and its codebase are built like legos. You can take it apart and develop it according to your company’s needs, and then put it back together into a working solution.
WordPress has a good API
One of the most fundamental criteria for any platform to be used as a Headless solution is its ability to easily transfer its content to different applications or technologies.
The REST API in WordPress, along with the many useful coding hooks, allows it to easily integrate with various options to serve up its content.
What are the benefits of building a headless website (using WordPress)?
We’ve already explored why WordPress is a great option for those looking to find a content management system that’s perfect for the visually impaired. But what are the benefits of using headless for your brand’s main website?
There are several important factors that can provide real benefits to enterprise organizations when considering headless WordPress. Let’s explore them here.
Headless can significantly increase security
One way to greatly reduce the chances of a security breach is to take a secure approach and a well-coded system. Headless WordPress is not tied to a specific server or domain, making them much harder for hackers to reach.
Headless WordPress makes it possible to deploy the full potential of content in a new copy, in a different location, really quickly. Restore your backup, change your server settings, and you’re back online without losing any of your content.
Better performance
A fast, responsive website or app is essential to keep users satisfied and engaged. This is also a big indicator for Google and other search engines to show your content to searchers!
One of the main advantages of headless is performance. By separating the front end and back end of a website or application, headless can offer increased performance and fast loading speeds. Without having to render everything from a single server, a Headless WordPress website loads much faster. This is especially useful for users on mobile devices or with slow internet connections.
Headless gives a hand to new innovations
The ability to access higher levels and flexibility is a big advantage of headless compared to traditional website architectures.
If you are running a large site that needs to be able to handle a large amount of traffic or rapidly changing content, Headless WordPress is the perfect solution for you.
Headless WordPress is not for every business
Building a headless site is not a solution you should resort to at all costs. In fact, this is something that works best for large and corporate organizations or brands that are particularly progressive and innovative. And there’s a good reason for that. Here we outline a few of the reasons worth considering.
Things can easily go wrong if the wrong hands touch them
It is important to mention that Headless WordPress is very different from the “traditional” way of developing with WordPress. Headless changes the workflow, mindset and even skills of the development team.
And without careful planning, one small piece of the puzzle out of place can spell ruin.
Keep in mind… it’s entirely possible to create a slow, low-performing website when you jump into Headless WordPress without knowing the technology well.
Headless WordPress is an expensive and time-consuming solution
Headless WordPress offers advantages in terms of speed, performance, scalability and security, but these advantages come at a price. There are several reasons why the project can be more expensive and time-consuming than traditional website development.
You need to develop custom code for your content in the front-end application. This adds complexity and often requires additional development resources.
You need to manage and deploy two separate codebases (one for the CMS and one for the front end). Again, there are obvious benefits to this such as security and scalability.
All things considered, it’s no wonder these projects often come with a higher price. If you are considering this type of solution, be sure to consider all of the above costs before making your final decision.
Headless is (honestly) the wrong choice for most websites
Although Headless has been very popular in recent years, it is certainly not the answer to all requirements in the world of web and digital experience. Sometimes Headless becomes a project of developers or a team of developers who like to “try” and expand their horizons. Also Avoid using this technology I you have a website with 10 pages.
How Headless WordPress is built
We already know that when done right, a Headless WordPress website can provide a single source of content and make change management easier. Let’s talk about what creating a Headless WordPress website looks like
Without going into too much detail, here are the main things worth thinking about
Choosing your integration method
The headless backend takes care of content management tasks like publishing new posts or pages, moderating comments, etc. When it comes to delivering this content to the front end, you’ll need to think about the best way to integrate and publish it.
Hiring a WordPress agency to work on your project
If you don’t have your own developers ready to complete a WordPress project themselves, then you will definitely need an agency to maintain and manage your website. Do not hesitate to contact us and we will discuss your future project.
