One of the most important features of a content management system is that it allows non-developers to update material. I’m sure we can all agree that we don’t want our engineers to spend their time creating content (or copying and pasting content).
Most headless CMS avoid “page management”. Because content is separated from presentation, they say, “pages” cannot be managed because they are designed for a single output — your website. While this is true, it ignores the reality that your site is the primary anchor for online material, which requires a specific instance.
However, one of the most common activities that editors need assistance with when using headless content management systems is generating pages, arranging sitemaps, and rearranging components on pages. However, this is not necessarily the case.
The main advantage of a headless CMS is that it allows you to maintain complex content architectures across a variety of digital sites in a more flexible and efficient way.
This model is the main reason people are using headless CMS to deliver content to mobile apps, websites, smartwatches, AR/VR, and other devices.
On the other hand, most headless systems reject the idea of “page management”, claiming that separating information from its presentation precludes management of “pages” because they are intended for a single output, the relevant site. While this is true, it ignores the fact that your site is the main anchor of online information and therefore requires a specific scenario.
What is a headless CMS?
There are several types of headless CMS. Some call themselves API first, others content first, and several variations of headless trends. However, there is a flaw in the way headless CMS works.
Most of them manage the storage and delivery of content, which is the beauty of headless content. These platforms recognize the importance of distributing information through channels other than traditional websites. This is possible because of the ability to connect to the API and distribute it to any front end. Headless CMS, however, don’t cater to the people who create this content — editors and marketers.
In contrast to a typical CMS, a headless content management system is completely removed from the presentation layer or front end, which is called the “head.” Meanwhile, the back end is your content repository and content management system, also known as the “body.”
When you remove the “body” of your content library from the “head” of its display layer, you have a headless CMS. Headless content management systems differ from typical content management systems in their content-first approach, which includes a full API for accessing and displaying material by any means.
Headless CMS allows you to create your content through RESTful apis and send it wherever you need it, not just to a templated website or application.
Because a headless CMS does not create any front-end code, it is also called a “content as a service” (CaaS).
This approach produces the maximum digital experience for the end user of a particular device. Front-end developers can continue to create new functionality for any channel, regardless of the core/back-end CMS.
Headless CMS with no page management
Developers often pre-determine all the pages and routes on a site at the beginning of its creation so that they can then build content types to reflect them.
But what about future pages? I’m not talking about adding new blog posts or articles here (they’re list items, not pages), but actually adding new pages to the site, perhaps nested beneath other pages. What about landing websites, new lines of business, etc.?
The second problem arises when we have a large number of pages that we want to add to our site. If we had to develop a new content type to express, we would have a number of content types to specify. Some CMS systems limit the number of content types available and charge overages when a certain threshold is reached. That in itself is a limitation, but the bigger issue here is who is doing the work: the developers.
When we pre-define our pages, the developer has to take on the job of actually coding these routes.
They must then map these routes to the content categories they established earlier. Not only was this a big effort, but it also meant we had to ask the developers for help every time we wanted to create a new page! There’s an easier way.
There’s an easier way.
What is page management?
A headless CMS is essentially a content library that stores materials used by many channels.
This is not enough for today’s marketer and limits the overall potential of the organization.
While simple content definitions are a useful start for most developers and architects, they do not scale effectively.
That’s why built-in page management is so popular these days.
Page management enables editors to generate and manage content by leveraging reusable building blocks called modules.
With these artifacts, editors can manage their site’s page tree, fine-tune SEO, and define content links and page functionality.
Developers can also control which modules can be added, where they are, and what they do.
Page management also involves page templates. Developers create templates to limit the types of information that may be displayed on your site, providing editors with the ability to change them while maintaining consistent output. Each page template contains a content area where editors can drag and drop components.
Why does a headless CMS need page management?
One of the main benefits of a headless CMS is that it enables companies to build a modern content architecture across different digital platforms and devices. Headless CMS allows content teams to write it once and then publish it everywhere, sending content to every platform and device that customers are using.
However, while a headless CMS gives you great functionality, some vendors claim that the separation of content and presentation that is characteristic of a headless architecture makes the concept of page management obsolete.
The website is to a large extent the anchor of every enterprise, and particular attention should be paid to the architecture of the content.
Avoiding duplicate content is an obvious advantage because it improves reliability and reduces the administrative burden (you don’t have to deal with duplicate content from multiple channels).
Let’s review a day in the life of a content editor on a typical marketing team.
- I need to create a new landing page specifically for the media. The content layout is the same as the main page, but the content is different.
- I need to be able to set SEO attributes such as meta tags and meta descriptions for each page.
- On the home page, we want YouTube videos to be below the main rich text, but on our news page, we want YouTube videos to stay above the main rich text.
- Our CEO doesn’t like that. Can we stop having YouTube videos above the main rich text area on our home page?
As the above example shows, the demands of an editor can be unpredictable. It’s not their fault, it’s just the way the game is played. Several changes occur when managing materials.
Because not using page management for your digital solution makes editing inflexible, developers who spend most of their time taking orders, adapting existing code to fit content requirements, and wishing they were doing other things should not be asked to participate in content modifications.
So what does all this ultimately mean?
- Without developers, editors cannot create/manage pages themselves
- The editor has no control over what components are on each page
- Developers get bored or overwhelmed
- More development resources/expenses are required
- The productivity of the website is affected
So who is at fault here? I’ll give you a hint, not the editor, not the developer…… It’s architecture! That’s the problem with architecture.
Benefits of using a page-managed headless CMS
With page management, you can give editors the ability to develop and manage digital solution pages by leveraging reusable building blocks (that is, modules and page templates).
Content editors can use page management to control the page tree of your site, the SEO features of your pages, and the content and features on each page.
As a developer and architect, you have complete control over which page templates are exposed to the editor, where modules can be placed on the page, and what modules can accomplish.
Summarize the advantages of page management.
- Empower editors so they can do more without developers
- Happier developers can focus on new features and improvements and have less time to respond to new content requests
- Increase productivity
- Requires fewer resources/costs
Elements of page management
Here are some factors you should consider when checking headless CMS vendors. In this article, however, we will use Agility CMS as a reference, as they do have strong support for page management.
During development, there are three things to consider.
Page templates, module definitions, and digital channel and site maps. Let’s look at these three elements.
- Page templates. Templates allow developers to identify a name and a set of modules to which content editors can add content. Developers can also write code to render this template as an HTML document.
- The module. Modules are reusable fields, from titles to more complex UI elements, such as a sliding picture wheel. In short, modules are the building blocks for implementing complex web sites.
- Digital channels and sitemaps. A site map is the content structure that developers use to render a site. In the Agility CMS, websites have one or more site map definitions, each in its channel, enabling multi-site management and fine control of each digital attribute.
These three points are the building blocks of a potential headless CMS for page management.
In the next section, we explore how the Agility CMS handles pages.
Which headless CMS have page management capabilities?
According to the G2 Crowd Headless CMS grid, there are 3 leaders in this area. Let’s take a look at their page management options.
Agility CMS
Agility CMS is a pioneer in this area. Page management Agility has been around since 2003 and is not a recent addition.
Using the Agility CMS, three aspects can be defined to make page creation and editing easy.
- Page templates. Templates allow developers to identify a name and a set of modules to which content editors can add content. Developers can also write code to render this template as an HTML document.
- The module. Modules are reusable sets of fields that can range from titles to more complex UI elements, such as a sliding picture wheel. In short, modules are the building blocks for implementing complex web sites.
- Digital channels and sitemaps. A site map is the content structure that developers use to render a site. In Agility CMS, websites have one or more definitions of site maps, each in its channel, achieving multi-site management and fine control of each digital attribute.
- URL management: Create redirects, test redirects, and batch edit in CMS.
- SEO fields: define meta keywords and Mets description, page name, decide in CMS whether the page needs to be displayed in the site map.
The main feature of the Agility CMS is that instead of coding and routing each page individually, developers now code only a few page templates and modules. These templates can be reused throughout the site, greatly reducing the amount of work developers need to do from the start.
Page management costs of Agility CMS
Page management is the default feature in all Agility CMS packages, including free development plans. It’s free and you don’t have to pay extra to use it.
The Enterprise version starts at $490 for the Agility CMS payment scheme.
Rich in content
Compose is a new app from Contentful that lets you build and publish web pages in just a few steps.
Compose is a lite version of the Contentful web app for editors and writers who don’t want to fiddle with the technical aspects of Contentful. Unlike web apps, Compose does not require knowledge of content modeling. Instead, editing can assemble pages from predefined content components and media without involving additional engineering resources.
Compose’s experience differs from that of page management using Contentful and features the following.
- Compose is for creating web pages quickly.
- Pages and fields are predefined and no additional Settings are required.
- The hierarchy of page artifacts is displayed in a single edit view.
- Entries can all be published with one click.
The cost of using Contentful for page management
For team users, Compose + Launch can be added to all Spaces within your organization for $1,995 / month. These apps are available for a free 10-day trial, which will create a test space that lets you test Compose + Launch without affecting content or operations in your normal space.
The Contentful team plans to start at $499.
Kontent
Kontent recently offered Web Spotlight as its page management feature.
Web Spotlight combines contextual Web management with the flexibility and multi-channel support of a headless CMS.
Web Spotlight makes it easy to create pages, add content, and rearrange components without any help from the developer. Once you’re done, add the page to your navigation so that all visitors can find it. With this feature, you can update content directly in your website pages. Changes can be made in seconds without worrying about how everything will look once published.
The cost of using Kentico content for page management
Web Spotlight isn’t free, you can add it to your plan for $499 a month. The Starting point for the Kentico plan is a $1,249 business plan and a $2,499 premium plan.
conclusion
Headless CMS is the future of content management, a clear departure from traditional CMS in favor of Jamstack APi-based designs.
Headless CMS is no longer the preserve of developers.
Both business teams and marketing professionals need headless CMS systems that empower content producers while freeing developers’ time.
This is where page management comes in.
Content editors can use page management, build and move pages on the sitemap in any way they see fit, and add modules to the site and update the properties of those modules.
No matter how complex a headless CMS vendor’s package may seem, the key is to know if page management is a feature they take seriously, especially if you want your site’s pages and content to be dynamically organized.
The three leading headless CMS, Agility CMS, Contentful and Kontent, all have page management capabilities. Agility CMS makes it a standard feature of all plans, even free ones. Contentful and Kontent’s page-management plug-ins cost $499 a month.
resources
- How to Use Agility CMS to design content first Strategy
- Headless Project Strategy using structured Content Management Systems – Knut Melvær
Why headless CMS Needs Page Management was originally published on ITNEXT’s Medium, where people continue the conversation by highlighting and responding to the story.