A new era of content management: Why we use headless CMS

Headless CMS is marking a new era for every industry that deals with digital content. In fact, it's reportedly faster and easier to adopt than leaders even expected, and is now said to represent the future of content management.

Already it’s proving to help businesses across a variety of industries to deliver superior omnichannel experiences, make websites more automated and scalable, and make backend management far simpler.

The inception of CMS for online experiences

A good CMS is paramount for brand and budget management. Generally speaking, more than 33% of a marketing budget is utilised for technology, and of this 28% goes towards infrastructures such as CMS and WCMS. (Gartner) This investment has also shown to improve success in terms of customer retention and revenue.

Wordpress has long dominated the CMS market, which is expected to be valued at US$116.2 billion by 2025, generating around $123.5 billion by 2026. (WPBeginner) However, as the market flourishes, the long held leader of the pack isn't always able to deliver on mounting growth and greater, simpler functionality.

Often businesses or organisations come to us to help close the gap on technology, bringing what they need together with the systems and solutions that will deliver in kind. Through several iterations of different projects and use cases, we’ve found headless CMS is a standout resource we can draw on to simplify the backend of a website or platform while also delivering exceptional user experiences.

Enter headless CMS, the future of web and mobile

Simply put, headless CMS is a content management system that separates out the frontend and the backend, meaning where the content is presented and where it’s managed. In this way, users can manage content in one place and deploy it anywhere they choose, adapted for any device.

From a content manager’s perspective, this makes it much easier to get the most out of content, and from a developer’s perspective it makes it easier to build, automate changes and manage digitisation of a web experience or platform.

With a regular CMS, the content, images, HTML and CSS are interlinked with the code, making it impossible to separate and, as a result, use independently. If a regular CMS is a fully recorded track, a headless CMS is a live performance, with the content manager the conductor of each instrument, orchestrating content across various platforms with finesse and precision.

Some real-world use cases of headless CMS

A few of our most used headless CMSs are Sanity, Contentful, Strapi and Dato. It’s important to note that not all options are the same, with each one offering its own unique collection of features and functionality. It can be helpful to understand this in a real world setting.

Take our work with

and NauMai, for instance. Collaborating with other agencies (notably Maker.Tech - the Contentful partner), we utilised this CMS's easy implementation and emphasis on a content-first, multi-brand and omnichannel approach. Contentful proved powerful when working with a large ecosystem across multiple sites.

Stapi came into play with

, when we were tasked with working with a large quantity of client and customer provided video. Stapi allowed us to build frameworks to manage content and distribute it from any device and platform.

Dato is an excellent example of a headless CMS that can be used across mobile as web experiences. With our work for Two Raw Sisters, Dato enabled us to create online content at scale and deliver reliable app experiences that are also easy for the client to continue to manage.

Sanity is another top choice for us when it comes to headless CMSs. Our Sanity use cases range from improving educational resources with (Netsafe’s Kete Education Hub) to bringing the real estate industry into the digital age (Mike Greer Homes).

The benefits of a flexible and scalable system

Whether it's a website, mobile app, IoT device, or digital billboard, headless CMS enables content to be delivered consistently and efficiently across any platform. This not only enhances the user experience but also future proofs a content strategy, making sure it remains relevant even as our digital platforms evolve.

Another key advantage, as shown in our case studies, is flexibility and customisation capabilities. With traditional CMS platforms, developers are often constrained by pre-built templates and themes. With headless CMSs, developers have complete control over the frontend presentation, allowing for highly customised and unique experiences.

This flexibility also extends to the development process, allowing teams to work in parallel and iterate quickly without being tied to a specific technology stack. In fact, headless CMS can reduce development tickets by 40% to free up developers, and make content updates up to 30 times faster. (Contentstack) This is huge when collaborating with another agencies on the same project.

Overall, any project that requires dynamic, personalised, and multi-channel content delivery can benefit from a headless CMS.

A paradigm shift for exceptional digitisation

Headless CMS isn’t just a new tool, it’s a shift towards more powerful, flexible content management that lets developers and content creators deliver richer, more engaging digital experiences.

It’s about setting up for future success, ensuring that your content adapts seamlessly to new channels and innovations. If you’re looking to elevate your next digital project, consider diving into the world of headless CMS.

In the meantime, discover more about the world of Sanity in our next blog.

And to get your headless CMS project underway, get in touch today.