Editors lose preview
Without a preview integration, editors publish blind and check the live site afterwards.
Website Development · Headless CMS
Headless CMS development services with a Next.js front end
We separate your content from your presentation: editors work in a headless CMS, and a fast Next.js site renders that content, with previews and publishing that still feel immediate.
What is Headless CMS Development?
Headless CMS development services are the design and build of websites where content is managed in a CMS that has no front end of its own, and delivered through an API to a separately built front end such as a Next.js application. The CMS handles content modelling, editing and workflows; the front end handles design, routing and performance. The same content can also feed apps, kiosks or other sites, at the cost of running and maintaining two systems.
Teams move to headless for speed, design freedom or multi-channel content, then discover new problems: editors can't preview pages, published changes take a rebuild to appear, and nobody planned how the CMS and front end are deployed and kept in sync. Headless works well when these are designed in from the start rather than solved after launch.
Where headless projects stumble
Stale content after publishing
Statically built pages don't update until the next build unless revalidation is wired to CMS events.
Content modelled like pages
Copying a page-based structure into a headless CMS loses the main advantage: reusable, structured content.
Two systems to run
Hosting, deployments, access and monitoring now apply to both the CMS and the front end.
Our Headless CMS Development service
Architecture & CMS selection
Choosing a headless CMS (hosted or self-hosted, such as Sanity, Strapi, Payload, Contentful or headless WordPress) based on editors, content model, hosting and budget.
Structured content modelling
Content types, references and reusable sections designed for the website now and other channels later.
Next.js front-end build
A Next.js application with static generation, server rendering or incremental revalidation chosen per route, and a component library mapped to CMS blocks.
Preview & publishing flow
Draft previews of unpublished content and on-demand revalidation triggered by CMS webhooks, so published changes appear promptly.
SEO & performance foundations
Metadata, structured data, sitemaps and redirects generated from CMS content, with images served through optimized pipelines.
Deployment & operations
CI/CD for the front end, hosting for both systems, environment separation, monitoring and handover documentation.
Included capabilities
- API-first content delivery
- Structured, reusable content blocks
- Draft preview of unpublished content
- Webhook-triggered on-demand revalidation
- Per-route rendering strategy
- Image optimization pipeline
- Metadata and sitemaps generated from content
- Localization and multi-site support
- Typed content queries
- Separate staging and production environments
What Headless CMS Development changes for your business
Front-end freedom
Design and interactions aren't limited by a CMS's theme system.
Fast pages
Pre-rendered and cached pages served from the edge, with revalidation keeping them current.
Reusable content
Structured content can feed new channels without re-entering it.
Independent upgrades
The CMS and the front end can be upgraded or replaced separately.
Where it makes the biggest difference
Marketing sites with strict speed goals
Organizations that want pre-rendered pages and fine control over every script on the page.
One content source, many outputs
Content reused across a website, a mobile app and partner sites from one CMS.
Modernizing WordPress
Keeping the familiar WordPress editor while replacing the theme with a Next.js front end.
Content plus commerce
Editorial content from a headless CMS combined with product data from Shopify or another commerce API.
From fit assessment to two-system launch
Preview and revalidation are built mid-project, so editors test them long before launch.
Assess fit
Confirm headless is justified versus a traditional CMS for your goals and team.
Choose the stack
Select the CMS, hosting and rendering approach, with costs written down.
Model content
Design content types and blocks, tested with real content examples.
Build components
Next.js components mapped one-to-one to CMS blocks.
Wire preview & revalidation
Draft previews and webhook-based updates set up and tested by editors.
Migrate content
Existing content transformed into the structured model and imported.
Launch & hand over
Deployment, redirects, monitoring and documentation for both systems.
What it connects to
Headless CMS Development
- Sanity, Strapi, Payload or Contentful
- Headless WordPress via REST or GraphQL
- Shopify Storefront API for headless commerce
- Odoo data via its external API
- Search services such as Algolia
- Vercel, Netlify or self-hosted Node.js
- Analytics and consent tools
Built with
Headless or traditional CMS?
| Criterion | Traditional CMS | Headless CMS + Next.js |
|---|---|---|
| Front end | Theme inside the CMS | Separate Next.js application |
| Preview | Built in | Needs a preview integration |
| Content reuse across channels | Limited | Designed for it |
| Systems to maintain | One | Two |
| Best fit | Content sites with standard layouts | Custom design, strict performance or multiple channels |
Security, quality and scale
CMS not publicly exposed
The editing system can sit behind authentication, separate from the public site.
Scoped API tokens
Read-only tokens for published content, separate preview tokens, all kept server-side.
Verified webhooks
Revalidation endpoints check a shared secret before acting on CMS events.
Edge scalability
Static and cached pages absorb traffic spikes without loading the CMS.
What working with us looks like
Next.js in production
Next.js is a core part of our front-end stack, including caching and revalidation patterns.
Honest about headless
If a traditional CMS would serve you better, we'll recommend it and explain why.
Editor experience matters
Preview and publishing are built and tested with your editors, not left for later.
Full-stack team
We handle the CMS, the front end, hosting and integrations such as Odoo or Shopify.
What it costs
Fixed-price packages with the scope written down, paid stage by stage. Your project goes live once it's fully paid.
Related services, technologies and industries
Sources and further reading
Official documentation and guidance if you want to read more about this topic.
Headless CMS Development: questions we hear most
What is a headless CMS?
A headless CMS is a content management system that stores and manages content but doesn't render web pages. It delivers content through an API to a separate front end, such as a Next.js website or a mobile app.
When is headless worth it?
Headless is worth it when you need a custom front end, strict performance control, or the same content in several channels, and you have the budget to run two systems. For a content site with standard layouts and a small team, a traditional CMS is often simpler and cheaper.
Can editors preview pages in a headless setup?
Yes, when preview is built in. We set up draft previews so editors can see unpublished changes rendered by the real front end before publishing.
Can we keep WordPress and go headless?
Yes. Headless WordPress keeps the WordPress editor and serves content through its REST API or a GraphQL plugin to a Next.js front end. Some plugins that rely on the theme layer won't work in a headless setup, so we review your plugins first.
Which headless CMS do you recommend?
It depends on your editors, hosting preferences and budget. Hosted platforms such as Sanity or Contentful reduce operations work, while open-source options such as Strapi or Payload can be self-hosted for more control. We compare them against your requirements before recommending one.
Is a headless website good for SEO?
It can be very good for SEO when pages are pre-rendered or server-rendered, so search engines receive full HTML, and when metadata, sitemaps and redirects are managed from the CMS. A headless site rendered only in the browser would be weaker, which is why we use Next.js rendering.
Next step
Check whether headless fits your site
Tell us about your content, editors and channels. We'll tell you if headless is worth it and which CMS and rendering approach we'd use.