Headless CMS
A headless CMS is a content management system that stores content separately from the way it's displayed, giving a brand's website room to flex without being boxed in by templates.
What is a headless CMS?
A headless CMS is a content management system with no built-in front end, storing a brand's content in one place and delivering it to the website, or any other channel, through an API. The "head" (what the audience actually sees) is built separately, so design isn't dictated by the system holding the content.
That separation matters because a traditional CMS tends to shape the website around its own templates. A headless setup lets designers and developers build the experience the brand needs, then lets teams update it quickly without touching the code.
This one technical decision creates endless opportunities for brand expression. A website that can flex as the brand and product evolve stays on-brand for longer, instead of needing to be rebuilt whenever something changes.
Why should a brand website use a headless CMS?
Design freedom
Since there is no single fixed template dictating the site's layout, it can be designed and built around what the brand needs, not shoehorned into the system.
Faster updates
Marketing teams can update simple content pieces such as text or images without breaking the website code, keeping the site current without waiting on a developer.
Omnichannel content flows
Content is stored once and delivered to all relevant touchpoints, from website to app to in-store screen, ensuring the brand says the same thing everywhere.
Performance by design
Separating the back end from the display makes websites load a lot faster. A lean, purpose-built front end can make speed part of the overall brand experience.
Built to scale
As the brand or product grows, a headless CMS can accommodate additional pages, channels and features without starting from scratch.
How a headless CMS works in practice: Big Cartel
Since 2005, hordes of creatives have used Big Cartel to launch themselves to the world. The $3.5B sales invoice for the collective work says it all.
With a growing selection of affordable plans and intuitive tools, it's giving founders a running start rather than a run for their money. All it needed next was a brand capable of convincing people it really is that simple—along with a web experience that would encourage them to stop dreaming and start doing.
Big Cartel
If 'Goodbye, caution!' is the core idea behind Big Cartel's new lease of life, then their website waves goodbye to cookie-cutter while they're at it. Thanks to a headless CMS, the OG e-comm platform has a level of flexibility that matches the wide range of wares sold every day, which means there's plenty of room for its scrappy identity to show its muscle.
It's a seamless experience however you spin it. Go-to entrepreneurs have a hassle-free way to take the leap, while Big Cartel's brand team have an equally easy time editing and scaling the content on the site itself.
Outcome: 30% increase in traffic in first month, with a 22% boost in unique visitors.
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