Let’s focus on headless SEO, a specialized approach to search engine optimisation tailored for headless content management systems (CMS for short). We’ll begin by defining what is a headless CMS, especially when compared to a traditional CMS such as WordPress; Drupal or Magento.
Your common traditional monolithic CMS platforms have three joined components typically: the database, the admin interface for content management, and the website front-end as shown in a web browser. While this setup has suited Web 1.0, the evolving landscape of user behaviour across various devices (mobile apps, chat-bots, wearables, tablets and others) and channels means that web builds have to adopt a more flexible approach. Not just for managing sites but for development as well.
This is where a headless CMS come in. Like its traditional counterpart, it comprises a database and a means to administer the app, but crucially, it separates the front-end rendering. We are all accustomed to the terminology of templated designs and pages which are so restricted by what content is served within them. But this notion of decoupling, allows for multiple front-end designs ( the “head” part of “headless”) simultaneously, allowing easier presentation on diverse platforms other than the humble web browser.
With the assistance of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) which pull in any dynamic data, the transition from platform to platform is mostly effortless.
But we need to know whether headless CMSs offer clear advantages for SEO or not
They can be advantageous, particularly if your content requires extensive reuse or if you’re managing interconnected systems requiring real-time synchronisation, such as sites using complex e-comm inventories or multi-language international SEO projects. There are also some nifty performance boosts from serving content in this decoupled way, meaning pages are served pre-built and often via CDN.
So how does SEO work within a headless CMS? The main distinction lies in content creation. You’re not trying to alter content to fit a certain platform since the headless CMS will allow the content to populate different platforms without intervention from the editor.
Omni-channel content reuse is so important to meeting user intent in today’s digital landscape. This is particularly true when brand messaging, CTAs and SEO need to be consistent throughout different user touchpoints.
With users searching not only on Google but also using other search platforms, it’s essential to have a presence wherever your audience may be. Headless CMSs can facilitate this by enabling the creation of channel-agnostic (a common term in headless CMS terminology which essentially sums up the separate nature of front and back end) content, though it’s up to the creator to determine where the content ultimately ends up.
Headless CMSs don’t normally come with SEO functionality
Headless CMSs’ are often built with only the fundamental functionality so some plugins are often required. For instance, in the case of Strapi, a Node.js-based headless CMS, an SEO plugin needs to be used to enable it to have all the necessary basic SEO functionality (Titles, Descriptions, Canonicals etc).
Look for official plugins, although there could well be third parties creating them in dedicated marketplaces. Just don’t expect thriving WordPress levels of support when it comes to development communities. Strapi is not the only headless CMS that requires DevOps to go seek plugin support. CraftCMS also has an official plugin with a more versatile paid-for third-party plugin available. It’s a layer of inconvenience that needs to be navigated.
Annoyingly, there’s also a need for developer intervention when it comes to XML sitemaps and applying custom schema markup in the case of Strapi at least.
Don’t expect an SEO magic bullet with Headless CMSs
Overall, headless SEO presents a paradigm shift in content management, offering versatility and scalability for the modern digital experience be that on browsers, wearables and socials. A headless CMS is a programmer-friendly way of approaching app builds but don’t expect any clear-cut advantages for SEO. It’s like saying Drupal is better than WordPress for ranking when deep down the issues are with exactly what’s on the pages that drive optimisation.
Like it’s always been really.