Headless CMS: unlimited flexibility

Does your content only exist on your website? Today your customers search for you on Google from their phones, use apps, see notifications, and interact from devices we couldn’t imagine 5 years ago. If your current system forces you to manually duplicate content for each channel, you’re wasting time and money.

Flexible content management systems (Headless CMS) let you publish once and appear everywhere. But not every business needs it.I’ll explain when you do and when it’s overspending.

What is a Headless CMS?

Imagine you have all your photos in a digital safe. You can display those photos on your website, in your mobile app, on screens in your physical store, or on your customers’ smartwatches. Publish once, appears everywhere automatically.

A Headless CMS does this but with all your content: products, articles, images, offers, whatever. You save it in one place and display it wherever you want.

Traditional system (like WordPress): Your content lives inside your website. If you want a mobile app, you have to copy everything manually.

Flexible system (Headless CMS): Your content lives independently. Your website, app, and any other channel display it automatically.

When you DO need it

1. You have (or plan to have) mobile app + website

If you sell online and want:

• Website for purchases from computer
• Mobile app for frequent customers
• Offer notifications on mobile

With a traditional system, you update prices twice. With Headless CMS, once.

Real example: Chain of 12 restaurants with reservations. Before, they spent 3 hours updating menus on web and app. Now 20 minutes, one place.

2. Multiple countries or languages with same catalog

You sell in Spain, France and Germany. Same product, 3 different websites.

Without Headless: You upload 300 product photos 3 times. With Headless: You upload 300 photos once, they appear on all 3 websites.

Real savings: Fashion client took 2 days updating catalog in 4 countries. Now 4 hours.

3. Rapid growth planned

If your 2-year plan includes:

• Launching mobile app
• Opening marketplace on Amazon/eBay
• Digital kiosks in physical stores
• Social media integration

A Headless CMS prepares you to grow without redoing everything each time.

4. Your website receives millions of visits

Sites with massive traffic need extreme speed. Headless CMS serve your website 5-10 times faster than traditional systems.

Result: An e-commerce saw +18% conversion just from speed after switching from WordPress to Headless.

When you DON’T need it

1. You only have a website and don’t plan more channels

If your only channel is your corporate website or blog, and you’re not launching an app or anything else, normal WordPress is cheaper and easier.

Reality: For a real estate agency that only needs to show properties on their website, Headless is overspending.

2. Tight budget (< €3,000 for website)

Implementing Headless CMS costs more upfront:

• Normal website: €2,000-€5,000
• With Headless CMS: €8,000-€15,000

If your budget is limited and you only need basic digital presence, start simple.

3. Small team without technical knowledge

If your marketing team only knows WordPress and you don’t have a trusted developer, maintaining a Headless CMS will be frustrating.

Better: Start with WordPress. Migrate to Headless when you grow.

How much does it really cost?

Popular systems and their prices

Contentful (for large companies)

• From €489/month
• Ideal if you bill >€500,000/year and need maximum scalability

Strapi (economical option)

• Free if you install it yourself / from €99/month managed
• Perfectly valid for SMEs

Ghost (specific for blogs/content)

• From €9/month
• If you only publish articles, it’s enough

Development and integration

• Initial setup: €5,000-€15,000
• Maintenance: €100-€300/month

Case study: Online training academy

The problem

Academy with 45 online courses wanted:

• Website to view courses and purchase
• Mobile app to watch downloaded classes without internet
• Learning platform to do exercises

Option A (traditional WordPress): They would have needed to copy the 45 courses in 3 different places. Each update = triple work.

Option B (Headless CMS): Upload course once, appears automatically on web, app and platform.

The implemented solution

Headless system with:

• 45 courses with videos, PDFs, exercises
• Responsive website to purchase
• Mobile app for iOS and Android
• Everything synchronized automatically

Investment: €25,000

The Results (6 months later)

• Content management time: -70% (from 15h/week to 4h/week)
• Mobile students: +180% more engagement than before
• Website speed: Went from 3.2s to 0.7s load time (Google rewards with better position)
• Courses sold: +35% (better experience = more sales)

The return

Content team savings: No longer need 2 people, 1 is enough = €24,000/year saved More sales: +35% = €52,000/year additional Total benefit: €76,000/year

Recovered investment in 4 months.

Alternative: start with WordPress, evolve later

You don’t have to choose all or nothing. You can:

Phase 1: Start with normal WordPress (€2,000-€5,000) Phase 2: When you bill more, convert that WordPress to Headless keeping the content (€8,000-€12,000 migration)

Advantage: You invest little at first. You grow when the business justifies it.

Example: Online store started with WooCommerce. Upon reaching €300,000/year billing, migrated to Headless. They didn’t spend on something they didn’t need at first.

Signs you need Headless CMS

• ✅ You plan to launch mobile app in the next 12 months
• ✅ You manage the same content on multiple sites
• ✅ Your team wastes hours manually copying content
• ✅ Your website receives >100,000 visits/month and needs more speed
• ✅ You sell in multiple countries with similar content

Signs you still DON’T need it

• ❌ You only have website and don’t plan more channels
• ❌ Initial budget < €8,000
• ❌ Your team doesn’t have technical support available
• ❌ You receive < 10,000 visits/month
• ❌ You only publish content occasionally

Conclusion: invest when it adds real value

A Headless CMS is a smart investment when:

• You need to be on multiple channels (web + app + more)
• You manage lots of content you update frequently
• Your business volume justifies the investment

It’s overspending when:

• You only need a basic website
• You don’t have multimedia expansion plans
• Your budget is limited

Technology should serve your business, not the other way around. Start with what you need today, evolve when your growth justifies it.

Does your business need a Headless CMS or are there more economical options for your current situation? Let’s talk. We’ll analyze your growth plans, current channels and budget to recommend the solution that truly suits you, without selling you unnecessary technology.