Headless CMS

A traditional content management system (CMS) does two jobs: it stores your content, and it builds the pages visitors see from its own templates. A headless CMS does only the first. The "head", meaning the front end people actually see, is built separately and requests content from the CMS through an API.

How it works in a business

For editors, little changes: they log in, write pages, upload images and press publish. The difference is behind the scenes.

• One source, many places. The same product descriptions, opening hours or articles can feed a website, a mobile app, in-store screens and emails.
• Structured content. Content is stored as fields, such as title, summary, price and image, rather than as finished pages, so it can be reused and laid out differently in each place.
• Front-end freedom. Developers can build the website or app with the framework that suits it, and tune it for speed and Core Web Vitals without working around the CMS's templates.

When it's the wrong choice

Headless adds a moving part. Page previews, layout changes and small design tweaks that a traditional CMS handles out of the box may need developer work. If you have one website, a small team and no plans for an app, a traditional CMS is often the simpler and cheaper choice. Headless is a means, not a goal.

Ask two questions before choosing: where does this content need to appear, and who changes the layout, not just the words?

How it relates to Worcia

Every website Worcia builds comes with a CMS your team can edit, and Worcia chooses a headless or built-in CMS based on how often you edit and where the content needs to appear. When the same content also feeds a mobile app, a headless CMS is usually the better fit. To budget a build, see how much a website costs.