How headless improves user experience

In the ever-competitive landscape of the internet, brands are continually improving the ways in which users experience their websites. It is an essential and endless process to consistently increase traffic, engagement and conversions. However, the methods used to view websites are always changing, requiring an adaptive solution for brands to keep pace with the growing demands of users. 

Here, we discuss how a headless website addresses the issues faced by brands and offers unparalleled user experience across all channels. 

A website that doesn’t keep customers waiting

The longer a user waits for your website, the more likely they are to bounce to a competitor. This makes minimising load time crucial to reducing bounce rates, increasing the conversions of your site and satisfying the needs of users. With a headless content management system (CMS), your website’s front and back ends are kept in separate ‘boxes’, using an application programming interface (API) to communicate between the two and complete requests from the user. This effectively makes a headless site lightweight and faster for the user. Given that Google recently clarified page speed as one of the most important factors in search rankings, a headless CMS could drive much more traffic to your website than a traditional CMS like WordPress. To learn more, discover our comparison of headless and traditional CMSs.

Design that bends over backwards for users 

Headless CMSs, such as our official partner Storyblok, offer UI/UX web designers more control and flexibility over a website’s appearance and customer journey. With a traditional website, a lot of unnecessary time can be spent formatting content to ensure it’s presented effectively through the CMS. However, without the hardcoded connection between the front and back ends, headless websites remove formatting restrictions that occur when code meets content, automatically formatting content based on the channel. This gives developers and designers more freedom to create unique and personalised user experiences.

Adapt to change with omnichannel marketing

How users make purchases online is always evolving and becoming more diverse. For example, years ago, the only way to buy a product online was through a desktop website. Now, there are mobile websites, apps, eBay, Facebook, Google shopping, and countless more methods. Catering to the various formats and best-practises of these channels is an arduous endeavour, especially when you consider new channels are constantly being created. With headless, the same piece of content can be automatically and flawlessly served to several different channels, with the API understanding the requirements of each and adapting content accordingly.

Robust and consistent user experience

One of the chief advantages of a headless CMS is that no updates or maintenance are required. A traditionally built website frequently needs updating to ensure security and performance. However, updating one element of your website can impact other functions and risk leaving your website broken until a developer is able to diagnose and resolve the problem. Headless avoids the risk of your website failing as a result of an update, allowing your users to enjoy the same level of experience and service consistently.