With the likes of Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Nike all now using a headless CMS, the hype around this new way to manage content has really ramped up. There’s good reason for it, too, with a decoupled CMS offering far better flexibility, security, and scalability. But, as with any significant business transition, headless CMS implementation can come with its share of challenges.
To help you get ahead of the hurdles and ensure a smooth transition, we’ve taken a look at the most common headless CMS challenges and how you can manage them.
Employee Adaptation and Buy-In
With over half of global employees citing that there’s too much change in the workplace, it’s crucial you first secure employee buy-in before storming ahead with headless CMS integration. Your team (along with any partners or shareholders) need to agree that the move is the right step for the business.
We recommend starting by communicating the drawbacks of traditional CMS’ with your team. This will convey why the switch is necessary, pinpointing disadvantages like:
- Complex systems make it difficult for your team to edit on the front-end or back-end
- Enhanced security threats due to an outdated system
- Reliance on the vendor’s tech stack leads to restrictions in development and costly upgrades
You’ll also need to highlight how a headless CMS improves your current situation. This could include points such as the ability for developers to choose their own coding language and tech stack, allowing content creators to easily upload to the front-end without affecting the back-end, and enabling multi-channel content management.
You can provide training, too. Our experts at GRM, for example, would be happy to teach your team about the ins and outs of headless architecture, ensuring they feel confident and comfortable translating their skills to your new system.
Migrating Your Content
With plenty of experience guiding organisations through headless CMS implementation, we know that switching from a traditional CMS to a headless CMS takes meticulous planning. This is particularly true when it comes to migrating your content.
Transferring existing data (including web copy, visuals, order history, and data) to your new system can be time-consuming, especially if your data is unorganised or currently in an incompatible format.
To reduce negative impacts, we always advise starting with an audit of your current data. Identify what’s essential to migrate, whether or not it’s compatible with a headless CMS, and the priority in which you need to move information across. Any data you no longer need can be archived during this process.
It’s also a great idea to work with a migration tool – like one of Kentico’s migration kits – that will simplify the process by automating aspects of the transfer and mapping your data. However, this still has its own share of complexities. For an even simpler migration, work with CMS experts who can organise and implement the transfer for you and remove these headless CMS challenges altogether.
Managing Individual Tech Stacks
The main advantage of a headless CMS is that the front-end and back-end are connected via APIs rather than being coupled, allowing you to work on each individually without affecting the other. But, during CMS integration, this does mean your team will need to get to grips with managing individual tech stacks.
If this isn’t done well, the more teams and departments you have adopting different technology for your system, the trickier it’s going to be to organise. This can potentially lead to complex workflows, silos, and a discrepancy between departments.
To avoid all of the scenarios, it’s a smart idea to standardise your tech stack with a core set of tools that align with your organisation’s needs and goals. These should be flexible enough to adapt to different purposes, and you can incorporate a best-practice approach to using and changing the tech stack.
By doing this, you’ll squeeze all of the benefits of collaborative development, multi-channel content management, and enhanced security out of your headless CMS while maintaining a streamlined, organised tech stack.
Adjusting for Search Engine Optimisation
Headless CMS architecture gives you far better control over your search engine optimisation (SEO), helping you reach those top spots in Google. The fact that even Google is using a headless CMS should be a big indicator that you’re moving in the right direction!
As you transition from a traditional CMS to a headless CMS, though, it does create a few SEO issues that need to be addressed.
Aspects of your SEO strategy – like your sitemap, URL structures, and metadata – won’t be automatically handled by your CMS. While this might sound like a negative, it’s actually a positive, putting you in the driving seat of your strategy and allowing you to go above and beyond the restrictions of automated, traditional SEO.
To integrate headless CMS implementation with a solid SEO strategy, we recommend following our best practices, including:
- Manually setting up your metadata field (e.g. your meta description, title tag, and robots tag)
- Using Schema.org to add content structure and ensure search engines can read and understand your website
- Using a reputable tool (or the GRM team) to create an XML sitemap
- Utilising a content delivery network (CDN) to ensure your web pages load quickly across the world
- Implementing a solid URL structure
Take SEO into your own hands and build a powerful strategy with your headless CMS.
Securing Presentation Layers
CMS integration can drastically improve the security of your website, reducing the points of entry that potential hackers can target. In a world where consumers are increasingly concerned about their personal data, that’s a benefit that’s worth shouting about.
But, building a secure CMS doesn’t happen overnight. One of the most common headless CMS challenges is understanding how to secure both the front-end and back-end.
To begin with, we recommend that you implement a strong authentication system to keep unauthorised users out of your system and use HTTPS to keep your data safe as it moves. You can also monitor your API traffic and introduce rate limiting that controls the number of requests that can be made, helping prevent any malicious actions from affecting your CMS. Security measures should be actioned on both the front-end and back-end individually, and within your APIs, too.
As you begin using your headless CMS, carry out regular security audits to ensure your system is watertight and secure.
How Can You Make the Transition Simple?
By nature, headless CMSs aren’t complex. In fact, they can drastically simplify the way you manage your platforms and are often chosen as they’re easier to work with. A leading audiobook platform, for example, transferred to a headless CMS in order to simplify content management without the need for web developers.
The transition, too, doesn’t have to be complex.
If you’re making the move in-house, follow the best practices we’ve discussed in this article. Outline your strategy before you begin, utilise reputable tools where needed, and ensure that your entire organisation is on the same page.
To reduce stress entirely, you can also bring in the help of our experienced developers. Whether you’d like to hand the job over to us completely or are looking for guidance through the process, our professional input ensures a smooth transition that sets your organisation up for simple, streamlined success.
Work With Our Headless CMS Experts
At GRM, we’ve been helping complex organisations make the move from outdated coupled CMSs to contemporary, headless architecture for over 10 years. We can align your set-up with your long-term goals, help you make the most of multi-channel content management, and carry out everything from security to SEO.
Considering a shift to headless CMS? Connect with our digital strategists to make your transition smooth and successful.
