Myths can be enchanting stories that entertain us, but myths about technology can mislead us into making terrible business decisions. Being deeply involved in the CMS industry, we often hear imprecise interpretations of how a CMS or a headless CMS can be.
And we are here today to debunk the myths.
In this informative article, we will address 14 CMS myths often misunderstood by C-level executives, developers, and editors. We’ve compiled professional opinions from internal experts and partners. Hear us out.
#Myth: CMS equals page builder
Fact: CMS should let you compose your content
Page builders like Webflow are often linked to a CMS. However, they have only a fraction of a CMS's power with your content. Page builders are exactly what the name implies. They help you build templated web pages in a computer browser. While it’s good for blogs or building simple web presentations with limited resources and no technical knowledge, it’s hard to scale.
Source: CMS Showdown: do you need a page builder or a data modeler?
Many CMSs nowadays let you structure the page as you want with content models and reusable components, making editorial work more efficient. Folks can break down content into chunks that can easily translate to a wide range of frontends and make it easy for content to be repeated throughout a project.
Suppose you run a travel magazine and place a banner at the end of several articles to promote a hotel. Now the hotel price has changed. With a page builder, you'll have to update the banner on every blog that has it. Using a component-based CMS, you can create banners as components. This means you'll only have to update the component once when adjusting the banner.
#Myth: CMSs are only for websites
Fact: Modern CMSs allow for omnichannel experiences
We live in a time when most people have 3-4 devices, so only having a website presence is insufficient for a business, let alone a CMS designed specifically for websites. The myth likely originated from the fact that CMSs were initially designed to manage website content. However, modern CMSs are designed to deliver content across multiple channels instead of just managing websites.
Many CMSs allow companies to push relevant content at every customer journey stage using APIs, plugins, or custom solutions. By eliminating format limitations, content can be delivered across various frontends, including printed and digital manuals, collaborative document creation, POS systems, and smart devices.
For complex use cases with exquisite content demands, an API-driven approach that allows omnichannel commerce is the most optimal solution. In contrast to plugins, which are difficult to manage and maintain, and custom solutions that require a lot of development resources, APIs transmit data regardless of the frontend, ensuring optimal performance and synchronization between channels. This also allows a more efficient workload, as editors only need to input content into the CMS, and developers control the outcome on different devices.
#Myth: CMS implementation means immediate success
Fact: Your success is an outcome of a cohesive system
Most organizations change their CMS solution as part of their digital transformation. While several implementations can happen within the same project, we observe a common misconception that organizations expect immediate success after implementing CMS. However, a cohesive setup and an effective team are crucial to success.
When adopting a new CMS, there will be a learning curve, as users must get used to the UI, content model, and publishing workflow. Furthermore, the effectiveness of a CMS implementation can vary significantly based on how it is structured and managed. It is possible, for example, to overcome all technical limitations with one implementation, but if another person structures the editorial process poorly, your workflow can still be flawed.
Your team must assess the best mix of tools and services to create a cohesive and efficient system. This requires a deep understanding of the project's goals, the capabilities of different components, and how to integrate them seamlessly. Such a task will need a team with a broad range of skills.
#Myth: You can’t get away with CMS maintenance
Fact: Some minimize the effort you put forth
Unlike other myths mentioned in this article, this one is partially true. As technology advances, you will always encounter moments to maintain your CMS. However, we think it’s necessary to stress the fact that you don’t pay the same amount of effort to maintain different CMSs.
Whether you have a self-hosted or on-premise CMS, you must be responsible for all maintenance tasks, including performance testing, security updates, site backups, and continuous monitoring. You also have to ensure the system performs as your business scales. Initially, quick fixes may work, but over time, they become so complex that any change risks a cascade of errors and requires extensive testing.
In contrast, a cloud CMS is maintained and kept up-to-date by the CMS vendor. They are responsible for continuously improving their solution, fixing any bugs you face, and keeping all the infrastructure updated. They also provide customer support for any help your team needs, making CMS maintenance a breeze.
We often hear from our customers that headless solutions are much harder to support than monoliths because there is no single vendor to contact if something goes wrong.
This myth is a huge drawback for many customers, especially those who do not have substantial IT resources in-house. They fear what will happen if they have issues and cannot immediately pinpoint who is responsible.
Although there’s always more than a single vendor in a headless architecture, so is a monolithic solution. Consider an eCommerce solution: The core functionality may be covered by one vendor, but there are many dependencies on external systems such as taxation, shipping, ERP, CRM, reviews, and more—and none of these are typically under the control of the main software vendor either.
So the challenge is the same, but with a well-architected headless and composable solution, you are often better off, as the simplicity of the individual elements makes it much easier to pinpoint where the issue is and who should address it. Conversely, the monolith is often very complex, making it difficult to determine whether an issue comes from the core system itself or one of the other parts of the solution.
#Myth: I need constant support from developers to get my job done
Fact: You can work independently with a headless CMS
Given the evolution of CMS systems, enterprises likely adopted or built their own CMS by the beginning of the 00s or even the 90s. Although the CMS might be upgraded over time, it still doesn't match the modern way of managing content, and editors are restricted to a rigid setup that inhibits their creativity.
In organizations with monolithic or custom solutions, editors are often forced to depend on developers for even the tiniest content updates. In fact, according to our annual State of CMS report, the top reported CMS challenge (46%) is that changes are limited to a small number of people.
Content variety and quality are often the main reasons for migrations to headless CMSs. This is because headless CMSs separate the frontend from the backend, which enables developers to create schemas and content models for editors to create, add, and update content. Editors can request a new type of content as a component so it can be reused easily in the future. By doing so, editorial efficiency can be improved, and the developer team can focus on building the product.
Hygraph has allowed the marketing team to make constant edits and adjustments and launch new pages on our website. After the initial launch of new pages, the engineering team is not involved in the day-to-day work, allowing them to work on more challenging projects outside of just maintaining the website. It ensures that resources are being used in the best way possible, helping the business grow overall.
#Myth: You need technical knowledge to work with a headless CMS
Fact: Headless CMS is for everyone
Typically, this notion would come from the idea that headless CMS provides more benefits to developers than editors, but this is not true. While it does give the developers a lot of flexibility, it’s a paradigm shift with benefits for editors as well—working with a component-based approach, design systems, and focusing on the content only.
Headless CMS might look abstract at first glance for editors who are used to the WYSIWYG, and there will undoubtedly be a learning curve to get started, but that doesn’t mean you need to learn HTML or PHP from scratch. Even though some headless CMS don’t offer WYSIWYG, the technical effort required is minimal. For example, if it happens that your developers chose markdown as the editor language, you can easily find many cheat sheets to help you.
#Myth: Headless CMSs sacrifice content preview and editing
Fact: Your editorial experience doesn’t have to compromise
If you are used to working with WYSIWYG, moving to headless is indeed a paradigm shift for you simply by looking at the content entry interface. However, you won’t sacrifice content preview and editing.
WYSIWYG editors offer the convenience of text formatting and styling and the ability to see your content just like it appears on the web page, making the content preview almost instantaneous. Nevertheless, in a traditional CMS, your content is almost always based on a template, making it difficult to create innovative content, and you cannot reuse it. This trade-off is almost like expecting modern customers to be impressed by 1990s WordArt text effects.
When it is a headless CMS, your development team should be able to customize the editorial experience that works best for you and include a preview option. It’s still possible to use WYSIWYG, but what’s better is that getting rid of templates means more flexibility for you to request any new content types as a component. A headless approach lets you work with pre-defined components, so you don’t have to worry about breaking the frontend since it’s already set by developers. You just need to arrange things to get the desired result.
#Myth: Headless CMSs are not worth the investment
Fact: Headless CMS has a higher ROI
In this section, we will give the stage to our partner Wefuse.
While the upfront cost of a headless CMS might seem higher due to potential development needs for the frontend, it can actually lead to significant cost savings over time.
Reduced maintenance costs
Self-managed CMS requires constant updates for security, bug fixes, and new features. This ongoing maintenance translates to dedicated IT resources or expensive support contracts. Headless CMS typically comes with automatic updates and maintenance as part of the Service Level Agreement. This frees up IT teams to focus on core business initiatives instead of patching a legacy system and trying to keep them up-to-date with new security issues.
Future-proof architecture
Headless CMS decouples content from presentation. This lets you easily update your frontend experience (website, mobile app, digital touch-points) without touching the content itself. Traditional CMS often require extensive code changes to update the look and feel, leading to costly development cycles. With a headless CMS, you can innovate on the frontend without worrying about breaking the content layer, saving money in the long run.
Content efficiency
Headless CMS allows content reuse across multiple platforms (website, mobile app, marketing automation). This "content-once, deliver everywhere" approach eliminates the need to create and manage content in multiple silos. Reduced content duplication translates to lower ongoing costs for content creation and management.
Faster time to market
With a flexible API-driven architecture, headless CMS enables faster integration with other applications and services. This streamlines development workflows and allows you to launch new features and content experiences quicker, giving you a competitive edge.
While the initial setup cost of a headless CMS might seem higher compared to a basic self-managed CMS, the long-term savings in maintenance, content management, and development efficiency often outweigh the initial investment, decreasing the total cost of ownership over time. The agility and future-proofing benefits of headless CMS further solidify its value proposition for businesses looking to optimize their digital presence.
#Myth: Headless CMSs compromise security
Fact: Headless CMSs take content security to the next level
Headless and traditional CMSs can both be threatened by many different types of attacks. However, traditional CMSs like WordPress are often more susceptible to certain attacks.
A traditional CMS is responsible for managing both the content and the display of that content. This means that any vulnerabilities in the CMS expose the CMS database and the frontend website due to the increased surface area for potential breaches.
A headless CMS decouples the backend from the frontend. This separation allows for greater security because the content management layer is isolated and can be protected independently. Additionally, updates and security patches can be applied more selectively, focusing solely on the backend without affecting the frontend presentation.
“Are you sure my data will be safe with a headless CMS?”
This question is one we at Brights frequently hear when working with headless CMS implementations. Let’s face it: a content management backend separated from the frontend can raise worries regarding data vulnerability. But since we work with certified providers like Hygraph, it is usually quite easy to put the minds of our clients at ease.
First things first, Hygraph uses hosting infrastructure with ISO 27001 certification. This means the hosting environment meets the highest standards for information security management, protecting data from breaches, and continuously improving security measures. Simply put, the data is stored in a highly secure and well-protected environment with these providers.
Moreover, Hygraph is SOC 2 Type 2 and GDPR compliant, meaning it follows strict information security policies and procedures, ensuring that data is handled with maximum integrity. GDPR compliance adds an extra layer of protection, ensuring that data is managed according to European data protection laws.
By this point, the concerns typically mellow down. But to further reinforce our point, we find it important to highlight Hygraph’s practical security features, including:
Sandbox environments, which let developers test changes safely without affecting the live site;
Audit logs, which keep track of all actions within the CMS;
SSO integrations, which simplify and secure the login process;
Backups, including point-in-time recovery and offsite backups, which ensure data can be quickly restored.
Simply put, we manage our clients' security concerns regarding headless CMS by sharing facts. And in the case of Hygraph, those facts speak volumes. Once we address the initial worries, we confidently move forward, helping our clients fully embrace the many benefits of headless CMS.
#Myth: Headless CMSs are less SEO-friendly
Fact: Your SEO depends on more facts
Our partner, Bejamas, is a strong believer in the benefits of a headless CMS for SEO.
While traditional CMS platforms might offer built-in SEO features, achieving great SEO with headless CMS is absolutely possible with a hands-on approach from developers.
In a headless CMS, developers have more control over the technical aspects of SEO implementation. Additionally, the flexibility of headless CMS allows for advanced SEO strategies, such as translating URL slugs for multilingual websites, which can give you a global SEO advantage.
And our partner, Beta Acid, attributes headless' SEO advantage to its frontend flexibility.
“But, a headless CMS is terrible for SEO!” is a myth we battle regularly. Indeed, some developers don’t understand how Google and other search platforms perform their indexing. If you render your content asynchronously, you can end up with pages that lack indexable content when the Google spiders come crawling.
Still, with platforms like Next.js or Gatsby, you can perform server-side rendering (SSR) or static site generation (SSG), which will pull in all your CMS content before returning the pages to spiders. Hygraph also provides webhooks that allow you to automatically regenerate your static content whenever something in your CMS changes, so Google can always index the latest version of the content in your CMS.
In fact, a site that uses SSG will often perform much better than a traditional CMS because all of the content is rendered in advance rather than on-demand, giving a performance boost when crawled by search indexers like Google.
Furthermore, with a headless CMS, you are free to choose any frontend framework that yields the best performance (Astro, 11ty, etc.).
#Myth: Headless CMSs are always more complex
Fact: Headless CMSs are easier to use
The migration that awaits a team using an outdated CMS may seem daunting, but daily operation with a headless CMS can be much easier once it's complete. Moreover, a headless CMS offers greater flexibility, scalability, and easier integration with various platforms and devices, making it suitable for dynamic and omnichannel content delivery.
Even though a traditional CMS can obtain the minimum content management standard, if you are stuck in a legacy architecture developed long ago, maintaining it will be challenging, let alone scaling it. A tightly coupled architecture will become more complex over time, and making even one tiny change might cause knock-on effects. Vendor lock-in, plugins, and tech debt all contribute to the obstacle of using a traditional CMS.
In contrast, although a CMS migration or even redesigning your tech stack requires extensive planning and time for execution, the refreshed development experience will surely delight you. Moving to headless means you can work with the frameworks and tools you choose and focus on building experiences on the frontend with minimal backend or middleware code, enhancing productivity with dev tools, a CMS's usability, and a database's flexibility.
This belief largely comes from the idea that using a headless CMS requires a higher level of technical know-how. After all, building a frontend from scratch can seem like a daunting task. But what happens if you set up a traditional CMS? You needed to master a whole range of skills, including setting up a server, database, and frontend via a LAMP stack.
Overcoming intimidation
Starting a frontend from scratch can seem daunting. To mitigate this, popular frontend frameworks like Nuxt or Next provide starters and themes for editorial, blog, or eCommerce websites. These can help your team gain confidence before undertaking a from-scratch implementation, which may prove easier than anticipated.
Specialisation advantage
A key advantage of a headless CMS is its specialization. It focuses solely on providing an easy-to-use and efficient contribution system rather than dividing attention between this and frontend provision.
One of the things we love about a headless CMS is its focus: it does one thing and does it well. The UI is often more user-friendly as its primary goal is to provide just the features an editor needs. With a couple of clicks, drag and drop, and hit the preview button, you quickly understand you’ve never experienced this level of control over your content.
#Myth: Headless CMSs are only for Single-Page Applications (SPAs)
Fact: Headless CMSs are not SPA-exclusive
While headless CMSs are particularly well-suited for Single-Page Applications due to their decoupled nature, they offer a range of benefits that make them suitable for various applications and digital experiences.
Headless allows multiple frontend architectures:
Single-Page Applications: Headless CMSs are often used with SPAs built with frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue.js due to their ability to fetch and display dynamic content efficiently.
Multi-Page Applications (MPAs): Traditional multi-page websites can leverage headless CMSs. Server-side rendering (SSR) frameworks like Next.js (for React) and Nuxt.js (for Vue.js) can fetch content from a headless CMS to generate static or dynamic pages.
Static Site Generators: Tools like Gatsby, Hugo, and Jekyll can use headless CMSs to pull content at build time, creating fast, static websites.
#Myth: Headless CMSs mean no templates or themes
Fact: Headless CMSs can offer templates for you to get started
As companies scale, they may switch from template-based traditional CMSs to headless ones, and many fear stepping into the unknown without templates. Headless CMSs may not have built-in templates or themes, but this does not mean they cannot be used.
Rather, developers can create their own templates and themes for the frontend, which can be used to present the content as needed while gaining a headless CMS's main advantage: separation of concerns. Content editors focus on creating and managing content, while developers focus on how that content is presented across different platforms and devices.
#Myth: CMSs are less flexible than database
Fact: Headless CMS can be your single source of truth
When you manage highly relational and complex data structures, for example, multiple sub-brands, variations, buying options, etc., you might not think about using a CMS first. Instead, you might consider developing a homebrew solution that uses a database on the backend. This solution makes developers happy but not editors. The downside is that there’s no editing interface for editorial teams.
You are wrong if you think CMSs can’t support highly relational and complex data models. There are headless CMSs that simplify the management of complex datasets as well.
Let’s hear from our partner Datrycs.
This versatility makes headless CMS the perfect candidate for becoming the single source of truth for your entire digital strategy.
Here's why:
1. Centralized content management
A headless CMS allows you to centralize all your content in one place, making it easier to manage and update. Whether it's product descriptions, customer data, or marketing assets, everything can be stored and accessed from a single source. This ensures consistency across all channels and touchpoints, reducing the risk of outdated or conflicting information.
2. Enhanced flexibility and scalability
Unlike traditional CMS platforms, headless CMS is designed to integrate seamlessly with various frontend technologies and services. This flexibility means you can easily scale your digital presence and adapt to new platforms and devices without being constrained by the limitations of a monolithic CMS. As your business grows, a headless CMS can evolve with you, ensuring you always meet your audience's needs.
3. Improved performance and speed
Headless CMS platforms offer improved performance and speed by decoupling the backend content repository from the frontend presentation layer. This architecture allows for faster content delivery and a smoother user experience, leading to better user engagement and higher conversion rates.
4. Future-proofing your digital strategy
In the near future, headless CMS will play a crucial role as the backbone of your digital strategy. As AI and machine learning technologies continue to advance, the ability to manage and deliver content in a structured, data-driven manner will become increasingly important. A headless CMS provides the foundation to leverage these technologies effectively, ensuring your digital strategy remains relevant and competitive.
5. Real solutions for real needs
Developers, content editors, and decision-makers face numerous challenges in their day-to-day operations. A headless CMS offers practical solutions to these challenges by providing a unified platform that supports collaboration, content reuse, and streamlined workflows. A headless CMS empowers your team to work more efficiently and effectively by addressing real needs with real solutions.
#Wrapping up
We understand your concerns about tapping into the unknown. However, the future belongs to digital leaders who are not intimidated by the Wild West. While you are caught up in the myths, 93% of organizations are exploring ways to expose more data and content to deliver personalized and future-rich content.
Headless enables a future-proof, sustainable approach to content creation. With a better understanding of CMSs, you may be intrigued to try some advanced headless CMSs.
Hygraph is a GraphQL-native headless CMS offering high-performance, futureproof severability for your organization. To explore how to build powerful projects, you can get started with the free-forever Hygraph account.
Try Hygraph for free
Build limitless solutions rapidly with our GraphQL-native API-first approach
Get started