A Beginner’s Guide to Headless WordPress CMS

Key takeaways 

• In a headless WordPress setup, the frontend is separated from the backend, allowing flexibility in choosing different frontend technologies. 
• With headless WordPress, you can manage content centrally and distribute it across various platforms, including mobile apps, websites, social media and IoT devices, ensuring brand consistency across all channels. 
• A headless WordPress setup benefits from reliable hosting that supports the backend and API-driven content delivery. Bluehost’s Managed WordPress hosting plans provide high-performance servers and dedicated support, making them ideal for users looking to implement a headless WordPress setup. 
• Headless WordPress adapts to growing needs by enabling easy transitions between front-end tools and frameworks, making it a future-proof choice for businesses with long-term scaling in mind. 

Keeping up with the ever-growing Internet of Things (IoT) can be challenging for content developers and programmers. Adapting content from a traditional WordPress setup for various client-side endpoints such as smart speakers, watches and other IoT devices can significantly strain resources. 

That’s where a “headless” Content Management System (CMS) comes into play. A headless CMS approach provides flexibility on the backend while allowing developers to work with the front-end tools they prefer. This setup enables you to use a single content repository for multiple outputs, making managing content across different platforms easier. 

Are you looking for a complete guide on a Headless WordPress CMS? In this article, we’ll explore how WordPress can function as a headless CMS solution, the benefits of this approach and how to host a headless WordPress setup. Let’s dive in! 

Headless CMS 101 

All websites consist of a front end and a back end. The front end appears to the users, while the back end occurs behind the scenes, including data replication, data storage and other functions. 

A traditional CMS aims to be a single solution that manages both the front and back end. Meanwhile, the front and back end are separate in a headless CMS. You can work on them independently. 

If you consider the front end as the head, removing the front end (or the presentation layer) turns a traditional CMS into a headless CMS. 

In a headless CMS, the removal of the front-end and application programming interface (API) only leaves the back end. The content management system becomes a content repository and relies on other channels for content delivery.  

Developers can, in turn, build as many channels (or heads) as they require for an omnichannel marketing approach. At the same time, content creators and content editors can continue to do their jobs the same way without disruption. 

What is Headless WordPress?

Traditionally, Content Management Systems (CMSs) like WordPress include both a front and back end. The front end is what visitors see when they visit your site, while the back end is responsible for storing and managing the site’s data. The backend is also where you can add new content, adjust visual elements like fonts and colors and introduce new features through code or plugins. 

In a Headless CMS, however, the frontend and backend are separated or “decoupled,” allowing them to function independently. This separation means the backend and API are all that remain, providing you with the familiar content creation interface. Still, the front end is no longer tied to WordPress for visual display. 

With this setup, you can publish website content to various platforms, like your Facebook page, Google My Business listing or company wiki. This approach is precious for delivering content to mobile apps, static sites or complex web applications. 

So, how does this relate to WordPress? 

By default, WordPress isn’t a Headless CMS. However, with the built-in REST API, you can configure WordPress to work as one. In this setup, the usual ‘What You See Is What You Get’ (WYSIWYG) editor is turned off, and the REST API is used to manage the site’s core functions. 

This setup offers plenty of flexibility, but using WordPress as a Headless CMS has pros and cons. On the plus side, it makes redesigns easier and provides more control over content distribution. However, it also introduces some specific considerations, such as security and maintenance requirements, that are important to keep in mind. 

Headless CMS vs. Decoupled CMS 

While headless CMS and decoupled CMS are often used interchangeably, they do have slight differences. 

In a decoupled CMS (or hybrid headless CMS), content is managed separately from the back end. Still, a decoupled CMS offers front-end delivery tools such as templates to present that content. 

On the other hand, a headless CMS is simply a data source. It consists of only the back end and relies on its wordpress API to facilitate various front ends.   

How do you decide if running WordPress Headless is right for you? 

Reusing content across multiple platforms is a common practice. For instance, eCommerce giant Amazon delivers the same content on both its website and mobile app. With a headless setup, you can similarly use the same content across various platforms, streamlining your presence across multiple channels. 

With a headless WordPress setup, your site acts as a central content repository, ensuring consistency across platforms. You only need to make changes once, and they’ll be reflected on all connected channels, saving time and maintaining a unified brand experience. 

Since content is delivered via API, you have the freedom to use your preferred front-end tools. Leveraging tools you’re already comfortable with can reduce the time spent on design and development, making workflows more efficient. 

As your project grows, you should experiment with new tools or switch to different technology. A headless setup allows you to change elements of your stack or migrate to an alternative framework without disrupting your CMS. This Flexibility lets you adapt your project to meet evolving needs. 

This adaptability also extends to the front end. By removing WordPress’s traditional front end, you’re no longer limited by themes and plugins. Although WordPress has a large ecosystem of third-party software, themes and plugins come with constraints specific to the platform’s front end. By eliminating these limits, you gain complete control over the design, functionality and customization of your site’s appearance. 

Headless architecture: Making of Headless WordPress 

The front and back end are separate in a headless CMS architecture. Thus, the server-side content management system and client-side web application need communication. That is where the application-side interface (API) comes in. 

The API is a standardized way for software to communicate with each other. Due to the extent of the importance of API in headless CMS, headless CMSs are also called API-first CMSs. 

WordPress uses a REST API, a web-based API that allows the software to communicate over the internet using HTTP web addresses called endpoints. Endpoints resemble web addresses that we use to visit websites, and they accept various types of requests from the API. 

Headless WordPress benefits 

Simplify omnichannel content publishing

You can easily publish content on different platforms. Headless WordPress automation allows you to manage and publish content on multiple channels, including websites, apps, social media and even the Internet of Things (IoT). It enhances your customers’ digital experience and saves your employees’ time for critical tasks. 

Explore new content formats

Headless CMS expands the realm of possibilities. Unrestricted by the limited front-end content formats, you can distance yourself from HTML and employ JavaScript to your liking. That’s why headless WordPress is becoming a popular way to build web and mobile apps. 

Enable quicker scalability

Headless CMS empowers you to manage content from a single source and distribute it to different channels. As the back end is separate, it enables you to change developer tools at any time according to your needs and available resources. 

Speed up your website

Headless WordPress simplifies the way a website is loaded on a visitor’s device. First, due to the separation of the front and back end, the website uses fewer resources (only the front end) to load the website. Second, there is no time delay due to installing plugins that otherwise slow down web pages. As a result, using headless WordPress speeds up your website. A quick-loading webpage benefits search engine optimization (SEO) effort. 

Enjoy flexibility and functionality

With headless CMS, content is served over APIs, so developers can choose a front end that supports a programming language with which they feel comfortable. 

Lightweight design

Going headless can make your system more streamlined. By reducing it to a content database and API calls, your content delivery becomes faster, more responsive and sleeker, resulting in improved performance and a more agile user experience. 

Headless WordPress limitations 

Headless CMS and headless WordPress create websites, e-commerce stores, web apps and products such as voice assistants or digital kiosks. 

Still, headless CMS is only for some websites. For example, if your website publishes on and off, the costs of using a headless CMS may outweigh the benefits.  

Also, headless WordPress requires separate web hosting: the backend server must support WordPress and PHP, while the front-end server should work with the technology you’re using. 

Another situation is if the person dealing with website maintenance isn’t well-versed in coding. Your website may be better off with a visual interface in that situation, as using headless WordPress requires knowledge of JavaScript.

How do you implement best practices for Headless WordPress? 

A headless WordPress CMS offers flexibility and reusability, making it a strong choice for content management across multiple platforms. To make the most of your headless WordPress setup, here are some essential best practices: 

Optimize SEO without plugins

Traditional WordPress setups often rely on plugins like Yoast SEO for search engine optimization. However, a headless WordPress website provides a different plug-and-play simplicity for SEO.

Integrate schema markup for better search visibility

Schema markup adds a crucial layer of content API data to help search engines make sense of your content. In a headless WordPress site where standard SEO plugins aren’t available, structured data markup is especially valuable for enhancing SEO performance on various platforms, including mobile apps and smart devices. 

Enhance speed and reduce latency with a CDN

In a headless CMS architecture, WordPress runs on a lightweight stack, often limited to just MySQL and PHP. While this setup is efficient, using a content delivery network (CDN) can further improve performance by reducing latency. CDNs cache your content at multiple web servers globally, ensuring faster page load times and optimizing Core Web Vitals, which can enhance the user experience on all devices. 

Optimize images for faster load times

Fast-loading content is essential in a headless WordPress setup, especially when delivering content across multiple platforms. Optimizing images significantly affects overall performance, allowing your WordPress data to load quickly and seamlessly on both traditional WordPress sites and native mobile applications. 

Prioritize flexibility with a decoupled or hybrid approach

A decoupled WordPress or hybrid CMS can offer additional flexibility. You can better manage frontend rendering and display content on multiple platforms by maintaining a lightweight design and customizing the frontend technology stack such as integrating JavaScript frameworks or using vanilla JavaScript. 

Leverage the WordPress REST API for dynamic frontend rendering

Headless WordPress sites rely on the WordPress REST API to connect the content database with various frontend presentation layers. The REST API allows for seamless API calls. It supports diverse frontend technology stacks, enabling you to display content on everything from web pages to smart speakers and other IoT devices. 

Streamline content management with structured workflows

With a headless CMS, content creation and management occur within the WordPress backend CMS, but API calls drive presentation and functionality. This streamlined approach ensures that you can create and distribute content in one place across multiple platforms, ensuring consistency and adaptability for your website owners and content creators. 

By implementing these best practices, you can maximize the potential of a headless WordPress CMS, ensuring efficient performance, strong SEO and a responsive, lightweight user experience across multiple platforms. 

Final thoughts  

Marketers are looking for ways to create omnichannel experiences that improve user experience. A headless content management system (CMS) is a solid solution. In addition, it simplifies content creation and distribution. 

As the most popular CMS globally, WordPress started developing ways to get into the headless CMS space, paving the way for headless WordPress. 

Headless WordPress has several advantages, including improvement in website speed and, subsequently, customer experience. It also enables you to publish content to multiple channels and create web apps. A headless CMS will future-proof businesses by offering different ways to reach the end-user. 

Ready to switch to headless WordPress? Sign up for a Bluehost hosting plan today. Experience the difference with our new Managed WordPress hosting plans. 

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