What is a headless website, and do you actually need one?

"Headless" is one of those terms that gets used a lot without much explanation. Here's what it actually means, and — more usefully — how to tell if it's actually worth it for your business.

The short version

A headless website separates the front end (what visitors see, usually built in a framework like Next.js) from the back end (where content lives, in a headless CMS or a custom API). The two only talk to each other through an API, so the front end isn't limited by a CMS's themes or plugin ecosystem — it can be exactly as fast and as custom as the framework allows.

Signs you probably need it

Custom functionality a plugin can't reasonably provide, a bespoke backend or database, multiple front ends (a website and an app, for instance) reading the same content, or performance requirements beyond what a typical CMS-based site achieves.

Signs you probably don't

If the honest requirement is "an easy-to-manage brochure or blog site that a non-technical team member can update", a headless build is more complexity and cost than the requirement justifies. That's exactly the case WordPress is built for.

Where to go from here

See headless website design and development for what a build actually involves, or get in touch to talk through which fits your specific requirements.