Selecting the Right CMS For Your Use Cases: From Websites to Omnichannel Experiences

When it comes to your business, selecting a Content Management System (CMS) can be a key decision.

15:47 07 December 2021

When it comes to your business, selecting a Content Management System (CMS) can be a key decision. This especially holds for eCommerce companies or businesses that aim to offer an omnichannel experience to their customers. With new types of technologies emerging in the CMS space, it is time to make up the balance and see what works for common use cases.

 

Managing your website

One of the common use cases for a CMS is a website. Common (open-source) platforms that are used are Joomla! and WordPress. These platforms allow you to create and edit content as well as style the website. When you want to extend the functionality, you can make use of plugins and extensions. For example, there are dozens of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) extensions you can integrate into your website.

 

Limitations of a ‘traditional’ CMS

While a traditional CMS has lots to offer and is user-friendly for bloggers and companies alike, it applies to a single use case. If you want to manage content across channels, it becomes harder to do. In this case, you need to consider a headless CMS. This is a system that does not have a front-end, allowing you to connect to different front-ends (e.g., applications, websites) through an API. With the emergence of a decoupled architecture and microservices, this is the preferred approach.

 

Looking at a headless CMS comparison

Thus, if you are interested in using a CMS for omnichannel, you need to consider a headless CMS. We will look at a headless CMS comparison with a traditional CMS based on technological components.

 

Foundation

When analyzing the differences between ‘traditional’ and headless CMS options, we also see a distinction in the programming languages used. For example, WordPress is based on PHP and has been since its inception. Headless CMS providers are compatible with more recent languages such as Javascript frameworks (e.g., React).

 

Another key differentiator is that because of data-driven headless CMS, some companies enable their users personalization across channels, which is reflected in recommended content, personal notifications, and A/B tests that apply to your target groups. 

 

A global CDN at your disposal

Another major difference from traditional CMS is the availability of a Content Delivery Network (CDN). Traditional systems are often hosted at a single location (e.g., your organization’s server or hosting provider). When you have global users, the first contentful paint can take some time if the data needs to travel longer. When you have a global CDN, you can make sure you have the data available closer to the user, creating a better user experience that allows you to achieve your goals (e.g., conversion).

 

React CMS

For developers working with Javascript, the use of a React CMS is preferred. This allows them complete flexibility when working with React components while having a strong and flexible CMS solution at hand. As became evident from the features available, it combines the best of both worlds: a strong backbone for content publishing while maintaining the front-ends as desired.