Marketing 101: Managing Website Content on WordPress vs. Headless

6 mins

Content continues to be a crucial marketing strategy for any organization. In fact, over 70% of B2B and B2C marketers utilize content marketing as part of their overall marketing goals. Couple this with the fact that content marketing has been found to generate three times as many leads as traditional marketing, and you can see why taking a strategic approach is so vital.

Central to a company’s content marketing strategy is its ability to manage its own website content in an efficient and effective manner. A reliable and flexible content management system (CMS) allows you to create, scale, and enhance any piece of content.

Here’s what you need to know about content management systems and how to choose the right type of CMS.

What is a CMS?

A CMS is software that gives you the ability to create, manage and publish content for your website. Traditional CMS platforms, like WordPress, are considered monolithic, meaning everything is packaged together, with the front-end design and layout directly tied to the back-end code and database.

Another type of CMS solution is known as a headless CMS. Designed as a back-end only CMS, content is accessible for display on any device using an API. The result is a content-first approach to your CMS platform.

Differences Between WordPress and Headless CMS

Traditional CMS options like WordPress are built to display content through a single application, primarily a website. A headless CMS, on the other hand, is designed for content displays across a number of presentations, not just your website.

The differences between monolithic and headless CMS ultimately affect the content creation, operations, management, consistency, integration, and front-end execution of your content.

Content Creation

When it comes to creation and structuring of content in WordPress, information is managed through posts and pages. Posts are added to an existing blog and displayed with the newest at the top. Content is tagged into categories as a method of classification. These pages are considered static with the goal of providing information about one particular subject.

In a headless CMS environment, content and structuring are done through a web-based interface. The interface is accessible by content editors and authorized users who can create, edit, organize, and tag specific content. Content is generally stored in a database and available through API, so it can be displayed appropriately on any device.

Some headless CMS platforms, also have the option of content modeling, which allows for custom fields and creation of dynamic content and personalization.

Content Operations

Once the content is created and structured, it needs to be organized and produced to meet the needs of the target audience – also known as content operations.

In a monolithic environment, content management and organization involve scheduling, automatic notifications when new content is published, and configuring user permissions. Often, this occurs through third-party plugins, which can increase compatibility issues, security vulnerabilities, and more.

In a headless CMS, web-based interfaces can be accessed by any user on any device. WYSIWYG editor options, custom page types, workflow creation, and localization all provide a flexible and dynamic solution to content creation for a wide variety of audiences.

Content Management

Content management can be your ultimate competitive edge, increasing lead generation and conversion. This only happens, however, when you strategically plan your publication calendar.

In WordPress, content management includes SEO optimization tools (typically plugins) as well as automated publishing and scheduling processes.

In a headless CMS, content management is more agile because of the dynamic experience. Based on what device the content is viewed on, a headless CMS can allow for different structures and presentation styles.

Content Consistency

In WordPress, content consistency happens through a variety of templates and themes. The standardized look of your website is coupled with specific templates for individual pages and sections. While plug-ins, custom post types, and other items can help aid consistency, there are also several challenges.

Many legacy CMS platforms give users very specific features and functionalities, making it difficult to personalize the experience. In addition, any amount of edits can be time-consuming and difficult to scale.

In a headless CMS environment, content consistency is guided by a set of clear standards for structure, writing, language, tone, and formatting. For instance, a headless CMS could provide custom content types, fields, and typeforms, all centrally located and accessible through APIs.

Integrations

Because content does not exist in solely written words, it is important for content teams to pay attention to how content types integrate with one another. In WordPress, this typically happens through third-party plug-ins and themes.

In a headless CMS, things like Rest API, webhooks, CDNs and microservices all handle integration and functionality based on the needs of a particular application. APIs can retrieve and utilize content in the CMS regardless of technology stack or programming language to create a unique, functional user experience.

Front-end Execution

In WordPress, front-end rendering is done through code and WordPress templates. Through a system of templates and template tags, you can control the execution of the pages, their structure and layout. In a headless CMS, front-end rendering happens through a separate application that takes the content and places it in an API, resulting in the rendering the user sees.

The Use of Headless WordPress

WordPress does have a headless option. However, technically, it’s decoupled, rather than truly headless. That’s because the head is still attached to the backend. In other words, when you use Headless WordPress, you still have to deal, at least partially, with the UI when installing things like main plugins and performing the setup.

Drawbacks to a decoupled WordPress environment include increased maintenance, need for heightened development experience, plugin dependency, and potential increased cost to get what other truly headless CMS options give you right out of the gate.

Headless WordPress has several options that could benefit organizations who are looking to test a headless approach. However, there are important limitations to consider as you look to align your CMS with long term strategies.

How to Decide Which CMS is For You

There are a number of options to consider when it comes to the use of content for social, web, advertising, internal and more. That’s why it’s important to start at the beginning and develop your digital strategy. Honing your digital strategy will allow you to define your target audiences, set clear goals, audit existing resources, and create a proactive content approach. By understanding what you’re hoping to achieve, you’ll know what the best programs and tools are.

It’s also important to think about where you’re at now and where you’re hoping to go. While a certain product might meet your current needs, looking to the future will help you choose platforms that will grow with you and your company’s content goals.

The best future-proof technology tools will allow you to:

Increase productivity and efficiency
Improve the user experience
Allow you to scale
Give you advanced analytics to drive decisions
Enhance search engine optimization

Ultimately, understanding your present and future state will help determine the CMS that’s right for you. It’s an exercise that’s worth the time and effort as your website and its content is crucial to success in today’s digital climate.

Jake Lumetta is CEO and Founder of ButterCMS, and a CMS Critic contributor.