Headless CMS Explained
State of Digital Publishing
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HEADLESS CMS EXPLAINED: A QUICK GUIDE FOR PUBLISHERS
Enjoying success as a digital publisher requires staying ahead of evolving audience interests and mastering new technologies.
One such technology is the headless content management system (CMS), which opens the door to omnichannel content delivery at a time when audience fragmentation means it’s harder to reach people with a single offering than ever before.
Decoupling digital content creation from presentation means teams can create, modify and distribute content seamlessly across various channels. This flexibility both enhances operational efficiency and ensures a consistent cross-platform user experience.
But, as with any strategic pivot, switching to a headless CMS comes with its own set of challenges. Integrating, scaling and maintaining a unified content strategy isn’t a simple affair and publishers need to understand these challenges before making long-term strategic decisions.
Join us as we explore what a headless CMS is, why the industry is growing and the potential pitfalls of switching from a traditional CMS to a headless CMS.?
14 BEST HEADLESS CMS PLATFORMS IN 2024
Headless content management systems (CMS) have gained popularity in recent years as publishers and brands seek greater operational flexibility.
The headless CMS software market was valued at $592.43 million in 2022 and is projected to reach $672.09 million by the end of 2023. The market is expected to see a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.26% through 2030, resulting in a market value of $1.72 billion.
A headless CMS offers greater speed, security and flexibility across digital channels, compared to its traditional counterparts.
The headless CMS’ decoupled approach to system architecture — for example, managing content creation and storage while leaning on static site generators (SSGs) to pre-build a site before deployment — results in faster load times and improved security.
Additionally, the ability to deliver structured content across multiple channels — including websites, newsletters and mobile apps — makes it a powerful option for any publisher looking to scale up its operations.
Given the headless CMS’s potential for publishers and brands alike, we’ve drawn up a list of the 14 best headless CMS platforms for 2024.
18 BEST CMS PLATFORMS FOR NEWS SITES IN 2024
How to Choose the Best CMS Platform for News Sites
1. Load Times and Reliability
How fast a page loads is important because it can determine its ranking within search engine results pages (SERPs) and it impacts its bounce rate.
According to Google, bounce rates climb by 32% after just three seconds of page loading. In five seconds, that number rises to 90%. Those statistics alone showcase just how important site speed is in this digital era.
Since page speed is a key aspect of core web vitals (CWVs), it can also impact a page’s position in search rankings.
2. Omnichannel Distribution
Social media is becoming one of the leading sources of news, with nearly one-third of all Americans receiving news from Facebook alone. With such a large portion of readers spread across multiple platforms, it is important for publishers to be able to publish content across multiple media channels simultaneously.
It is an important feature, then, for a CMS to be able to streamline this process down to a single push of a button.
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3. Automation and Templates
Being able to automate several newsroom functions is another key thing to look for when choosing a CMS. Being able to create personalized article templates can dramatically increase productivity levels.
4. Modularity
The less a content creator has to worry about coding, the more productive they can be. Modular block elements can reduce the amount of effort required for both an article’s design and interactivity.
Modular elements can take the stress out of trying to embed rich media, with images, audio and videos easily added with just a few clicks.
5. SEO
A CMS should automate some aspects of SEO for publishers and be able to make suggestions on how to optimize their content.
6. Scalability
As a publication steadily grows traffic, the CMS should be able to adapt to that growth without tripping over. Moreover, additional staff members may need to work on the backend as the site expands, and a good CMS should be able to scale here as well.
12 BEST AI TOOLS FOR CONTENT CREATION
Benefits of AI Content Creation Tools for Organizations and Individuals
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers obvious benefits: increased productivity, cost-effectiveness and saved time. The way AI tools affect business ecosystems and the content creation process brings other advantages.
1. Cost Efficiency
Most AI tools are affordable and, with proper strategies in place, they can complement human workers’ capabilities, helping to produce better content faster.
Midjourney, one of the tools discussed below, starts from as little as $8 per month, while ChatGPT offers free and paid versions.
2. Fast and Scalable Output
AI writing tools produce long-form content – and other formats – much faster than humans alone. A first draft can be completed in seconds instead of hours. Blog writers who use AI report working around 30% faster than those without.
AI-assisted content creation offers businesses and individuals the chance to save time and money, both of which are key to scaling content production.
3. Personalization and Targeting
Content marketing efforts result in greater engagement and conversion rates if a company can tailor them better to the target audience. AI content creation tools leverage data analysis on consumer behavior and preferences to inform about and ultimately help in producing content that resonates.
With integrated A/B testing and predictive keyword analysis, AI tools can also improve SEO, overall readability, and hone in on brand voice, all of which are crucial for visibility, higher rankings and clear messaging.??
4. Content Marketing Strategy and Management
AI tools can serve as an all-in-one solution for content marketing efforts, from initial research, ideation, task assignment, drafting and publishing, all the way to analyzing engagement metrics and suggesting next steps. Some tools even include competition tracking.
At the same time, however, understanding how to leverage these tools to the fullest is still a work in progress. Indeed, 43% of marketers don’t know how to get the most out of AI while 70% don’t believe they’ve received proper generative AI training.
5. Automation and Agile Marketing
The end goal of AI tools is to deliver higher levels of automation with minor supervision. This opens the door to better implementation of agile marketing principles and stronger market positioning for businesses.