The CMO Guide to Headless CMS for B2B SaaS & Tech Companies.pdf

CEO & CoFounder
Alan Gleeson

contento
The CMO Guide to

for B2B

SaaS & Tech Companies
Headless CMS

The CMO Guide to Headless CMS for B2B SaaS & Tech Companies alan gleeson, cEO contento
Table of Contents
Introduction 2
An Introduction to Headless 3
Comparing Headless v Traditional CMSs 4
The Key Benefits of Headless 6
Contento - Headless CMS for B2B SaaS and
Technology Companies 7
Summary 9
About the Author 9

When it comes to choosing a new Content Management System (CMS) for your
growing B2B SaaS or technology organization there tend to be two schools of thought.

Stick with a legacy ‘traditional’ [monolithic system] like WordPress or Drupal, or
embrace the new kid on the block - the category of Headless. However, for those
sitting in a marketing or content function, the decision is not so straightforward. Do
you stick or shift?
More importantly, replatforming is not without its risk. However, as this guide will
argue, the future is indeed Headless and if you want a modern tech stack for your CMS
then moving to Headless will help you deliver on your goals without needing to firefight
website issues.

While Headless is a technical term, this guide is written from the perspective of a non-
technical reader (although we do have to use the odd technical term). After all, the
early adopters of Headless have all been development and technology leaders.

If this guide helps you to better understand the Pros and Cons of Headless it will
ensure you are better informed when it comes to the decision.

Introduction
2
2
The problem with sticking is that issues
with legacy CMS abound, be they
performance issues, security vulnerabilities,
or usability challenges. The problem with
shifting is the world of Headless is pretty
opaque for your average time-pressed
marketing or content leader. How are you
going to “de-risk” the decision you take?

Traditional CMS: The dominant historical approach to website building has been the
use of ‘website builders’ where the front-end and the back-end are tightly aligned.
When you ‘log in’ you can typically make adjustments to both the content and the
front-end visual design in one place i.e. accessible via a single interface.
Headless CMS: A Headless CMS splits this in two, with a decoupled approach where
the Content Management System (or Content Platform) acts as a separate content
repository focused exclusively on ‘managing the content’. The front-end design is
separate and is based on ‘consuming the content’ via an API leaving developers to use
whatever framework they so chose to design and build the website.
In short, you are contrasting a
traditional “all in one” approach with
limited customization capability
with a decoupled “best of breed”
approach where different elements
are tightly integrated via the use of
API’s. The argument for Headless
challenges the long-held
assumption that an “all-in-one”
platform that houses both the
content and the design is the
optimal way to build a site.
An Introduction to Headless 3
Fig 1. Comparing a Traditional CMS with a
Headless CMS
Push and Pull Factors Driving the Growth: New technologies have helped spearhead
the shift, married to more sophisticated requirements as companies grow and scale,
alongside a growing list of issues with the traditional incumbents.

As we'll explore in the next section these “push and pull” factors have led a growing
number of developers to conclude that a Headless CMS offers a viable option for their
specific use case.

Comparing Headless v Traditional CMSs 4
The following represents some of the key differences between the two contrasting
approaches:
2- One Use Case v Multiple Use Cases

A traditional CMS assumes one use case - the build is the website, whereas a Headless
CMS is designed to facilitate omnichannel delivery, so the same content can be used
on everything from a website to a mobile application to an IoT device. This partly
explains its rapid adoption amongst B2C companies as they look to manage content
consistently in a world where the number of ‘heads’ has moved beyond just a website
to include mobile applications, IoT devices, and even billboards. Primary resultant
benefits include a reduction in errors (no more conflicting or outdated content) as well
as the reduction in duplication of effort as the same content does not need to be
updated separately in different repositories.
1- The Content and Presentation Layers are Separate

When you log in to a traditional monolithic CMS like WordPress, Squarespace, or Wix
you can manipulate the design (which is often based on a template) as well as the
content. On the other hand, a Headless CMS acts more like a content repository with
the front end (website design) being managed via separate front-end technologies and
applications. This separation means a marketing team can focus exclusively on
‘managing the content’ without having to worry about how it will be presented in the
front end. Like many of these points, there are some nuances, as many Headless CMSs
include a visual preview capability but this is designed more to preview content than
to set design elements.
Back End Front End

5
3- All in One v API Lead Approach

A Headless CMS leverages the power of APIs where best-of-breed solutions are used
to create the ‘end product’ whereas a traditional CMS has a tightly coupled
architecture where the content and the presentation layer are intertwined. Often the
capability of an all-in-one solution is extended by the use of plugins that undertake
specific functions but some limitations impede the design capability.

4- Locked Down Environment v Developer Flexibility

A traditional CMS is more constrained when it comes to what you can and can’t do.
Websites built using a Traditional CMS are often based on templates and the ability to
add custom code can be limited. With a Headless CMS, the developer has a lot more
control over the build and thus can pick their preferred tools, frameworks, and
programming languages themselves.

5- Performance v Convenience

In some ways, the trade-off relates to the convenience of an all-in-one solution versus
the performance gains you can derive from a Headless based architecture (although
some WordPress developers may dispute this performance point).
Front End
API

6
So what are some of the resultant benefits of re-platforming your CMS and

migrating to Headless?

The Key Benefits of Headless
1- Enhanced Flexibility

A Headless CMS is a more flexible approach as you are not constrained to the
same extent as is the case with a traditional CMS. You can also reuse the core
content delivered across multiple platforms and channels.

4- Future Proofing Your Site

A Headless CMS is a technology-agnostic approach that enables new technologies
to be adopted without major changes to the architecture being needed. It also gets
around vendor lock-in as the architecture means you can swap different elements
as needed.

2- Suitable for Scaling

As your B2B SaaS website grows, and more people join the team, the content
engine will scale up as more content is created to try and increase traffic to
generate greater numbers of leads. Similarly with B2C sites, marketing activities
also tend to ramp up over time leading to increased traffic which a Headless CMS
can handle without compromising performance.

3- Improved User Experience

A Headless CMS lead approach empowers both the content creators in the
marketing team, and the designers and developers to craft beautiful pages
designed to convert.

5- Parallel Development Leads to Faster Deployment

In a Headless CMS setup developers and content creators can work independently
and simultaneously reducing dependencies and leading to faster release cycles.

Contento - Headless CMS for B2B SaaS

and Technology Companies
7
Contento is a Headless CMS that has been developed to meet the needs of a narrower
use case than most CMS’s. While most CMSs (traditional and Headless) tend to be
‘horizontal offerings’ and use case agnostic, Contento is built specifically for the needs
of B2B SaaS and technology websites.

So while it has all the table stakes features you’d expect from a leading Headless CMS,
the narrower use case is designed to ensure the feature set better meets the needs of
our target audience than a more general open-box approach from a horizontal
provider.

Macbook Pro
Fig 2. Live Preview - Contento CMS [Dark Mode]

8
By assuming the use case is a B2B SaaS or tech website we can set the application
up specifically with this use case in mind so workflows follow naturally and common
B2B SaaS website tasks are baked in, be that managing form submissions, or social
proof from 3rd party vendors like G2 or Capterra.

Like all Headless CMS solutions, there is a Free Trial for users to ‘lift the lid’ and to
use to assess the feature set and UI themselves
Contento
A strong focus on SEO - not a plugin or hidden
tab, but ensuring that great SEO is built in as a
core part of the feature set.
 
A genuinely intuitive UI/ UX that is designed to
meet the needs of digital content creators and
the marketing function. All too many Headless
applications cater excessively to the needs of
developers without taking into account those
who will be entrusted with managing and
maintaining the site once live.
We have thus focused in particular on several needs we find that are typical

for this niche.

Fig 3. SEO Settings - Contento CMS [Light Mode]

Summary 9
When it comes to evaluating whether you are going to consider a new Headless CMS
the content available for marketing leaders is impermeable. It is designed for
technology leaders and thus it can be difficult for the marketing team to weigh in on
the debate. This is of course a concern, as post launch it is the marketing team who
will be invariably entrusted with managing and maintaining the site. This short white
paper was created with the aim of trying to help marketing leaders and content
creators better understand the options they face.

Alan Gleeson is the CEO and Co-Founder of , a B2B SaaS content
management system that helps B2B SaaS and Tech companies scale via a best-
of-breed website. He was formerly a B2b SaaS Consultant focused on strategic
marketing and helps fast-growing B2B SaaS startups optimize their sales and
marketing functions.
Contento
About the Author
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The CMO Guide to Headless CMS for B2B SaaS & Tech Companies.pdf

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