In recent years, headless websites have significantly grown in popularity, and it’s with good reason. They decouple the front-end and back-end, giving users more power and customization, translating to greater flexibility and scalability.
This is why many businesses are transitioning to headless websites. However, creating a headless website involves technical knowledge and careful preparation. Therefore, choosing the right agency for your web development is key to capitalizing on the benefits of a headless website.
If you’re thinking about building a headless website, read on. This article covers the key questions to ask your technical partner. By asking these questions, you can ensure your partner has the skills to complete a job and avoid costly mistakes.
Key Questions to Ask Your Agency
Selecting the right agency is crucial for headless website success. Considering that they’re many to choose from, it’s essential to determine which one best suits your brand’s needs. You can achieve this by asking the following questions to ensure they have the technical competence, project management skills, integration skills, and support and maintenance services for a successful headless website project.
1. Is Headless Even the Right Solution for My Website?
Before starting a headless website project, you need to decide if it suits your website. Headless websites have many advantages. However, they may not work for all websites.
Consider the following to determine whether headless is suited for your website:
- Content requirements: Headless websites are appropriate for websites with complicated content requirements, such as multilingual or cross-platform content. Traditional website architecture may work with simple materials.
- Front-end requirements: As headless websites have different front- and back-ends, they demand additional front-end development. Headless may work for websites with extensive front-end needs like bespoke animations or interactive elements. However, traditional website architecture may be better for basic front-end requirements.
- Integration needs: Headless websites can simply interact with third-party systems and APIs. Therefore, headless may work for websites that need many system connectors.
- Development resources: Headless websites demand more development resources and technical skills than standard websites. It may be a suitable fit if you have the cash and resources. On the other hand, traditional website architecture may be better if you lack resources or technological competence.
Consider your website’s demands before becoming headless. A technical partner can help you decide whether headless suits your website.
2. How Much Experience Have you Had with Headless Website Development?
When it comes to web development, experience and expertise go hand in hand. Without experience, headless implementation can cause delays, cost overruns, and poor user experience. Instead of finding out later, which will be expensive, assess your agency’s experience.
Some questions to assess an agency’s headless website development experience:
- What headless website projects have you done? Examples?
- How were these initiatives approached?
- How did you overcome your biggest challenges?
- What headless website frameworks and technologies do you use?
- Can you provide references for headless website clients?
3. What’s the Right CMS/Tech Stack for My Project?
A headless website project needs the correct CMS or technological stack. This will determine your website’s flexibility, scalability, performance, and content administration and development.
Headless website development uses several CMS and technology stacks. Some popular choices include:
- Contentful: A sophisticated API-based cloud CMS.
- WordPress: A headless CMS.
- Gatsby: A headless CMS front-end static site generator.
- React: A JavaScript user interface library for headless front-ends.
As you choose a CMS or technology stack for your website, consider your content complexity, website scalability, and development resources and skills. An expert technical partner can recommend an appropriate CMS or technology stack for your project.
4. How Can the Cost of My Tech Stack Change When the Business Grows?
A headless website project’s tech stack should scale as your business grows. However, as your website traffic and content demands grow, some technologies may become more costly.
If you pick a technology stack that demands plenty of server resources to manage large traffic levels, you may need to expand your infrastructure as your firm develops, increasing expenditures. But, if you pick a more scalable technological stack that can manage huge traffic levels without requiring considerable server resources, you may avoid costly infrastructure updates.
Ask your firm about the technological stack’s cost implications while building a headless website.
- Does this technology stack scale with traffic?
- What technological stack infrastructure is needed?
- Would growing this technology stack cost anything?
- How can we maintain cost-effective technology as our organization grows?
Asking these questions helps you pick a cost-effective, scalable technology stack and prevent costly surprises. Your agency should assist you in choosing the right technology stack and preparing for scalability.
5. What’s Your Approach to Content Management and Structuring?
Headless websites need good content organization. A Good content architecture helps you manage and deliver material while giving visitors a smooth experience.
Ask about content management and structuring when picking a headless website agency. A reputable firm will help you manage your content through seminars and planning meetings.
As you do this, here are some content structure considerations you need to focus on:
- Determining your content types: These include articles, photographs, videos, and merchandise.
- Establishing a content model: A content model specifies which content kinds are connected and which aren’t.
- Defining content fields: Title, description, author, and publishing date are content fields.
- Content delivery: Choose an API or front-end application to distribute the material to consumers.
Your firm should lead you through these processes to establish a content structure that meets your demands. By planning your content structure, you can organize, manage, and provide it to consumers smoothly.
6. What Level of Control Will I Have Over My Website’s Content and Functionality?
Headless websites provide more control over content and functionality. However, control comes with responsibility. Therefore, it’s crucial to understand how you’ll handle your website’s content and functioning when the project is over.
Ask about content and functionality control when picking a headless website agency. This involves learning how to maintain material, update, and add features. Ask the following questions:
- What CMS will be utilized, and how will you manage your content?
- Will you be able to upgrade your website’s code and infrastructure?
- How will you obtain assistance when the project is finished?
By understanding the level of control you’ll have over your website’s content and functioning, you’ll know how to manage it efficiently and make updates and adjustments as needed to maintain it up-to-date and responsive to your company’s needs.
Additional Consideration
While selecting an agency for your headless website project, you also need to consider numerous other factors. Remember these factors during the selection process since they can affect your project’s success and goals.
1. How Scalable or Popular Is the Chosen Tech Stack?
Your headless website project’s tech stack should be scalable, as this can affect your project’s success, maintenance, and growth.
A widely used and actively maintained tech stack ensures continual upgrades and support, lowering the danger of being stranded with old or unsupported technologies. In addition, popular tech stacks have bigger developer communities, making locating developers for continuous development and maintenance simpler.
So, while picking a headless website firm, ask about the tech stack’s popularity and scalability. Ensure the agency has the technical experience and can show successful projects.
2. How Fast Can You Roll Out New Features?
With headless websites continually improving, you’ll need to roll out new features as they are available to remain competitive. While headless architecture allows quick modifications and updates, it’s only if the agency has a streamlined development process and the capacity to add features rapidly. Therefore, consider how quickly new features may be added when planning a headless website.
Ask about the development pace and capabilities while choosing a headless website agency.
- Can they work rapidly yet well?
- Do they implement and test features quickly?
You can keep ahead of the competition and adapt to changing market conditions if the agency can supply new features swiftly.
3. What Security Measures will be in Place to Protect My Website?
All website needs security, but headless websites need much more protection. Ask your headless website agency about their security procedures to secure your website and users.
In this regard, the first thing is secure hosting. Ask the agency if they will use a reliable hosting provider with firewalls, SSL encryption, and DDoS protection. They should also regularly patch and secure the hosting environment.
The agency should provide secure hosting and regular website security monitoring and maintenance. So, software upgrades, security audits, and vulnerability assessments will be necessary. Inquire about their security detection and response procedure and how quickly they can resolve concerns.
Lastly, your website must comply with GDPR and PCI DSS. So, ask the agency how they will make your website compliant.
4. What Kind of Support and Maintenance will be Provided After the Project Is Complete?
Developing a great headless website is only half the work of an agency. The rest comes after they deliver the project. Therefore, it’s important that they provide the necessary support to ensure your headless website stays up-to-date and safe after the project.
Ask the agency about their continuing support and maintenance services, including software upgrades, bug fixes, security patches, and continuous maintenance are included. Ask about their response speed, availability, and continuing support and maintenance expenses. Understanding the support and maintenance given will help your headless website function successfully for years.
There’s no Room for Taking Chances
As the ecommerce space and overall digital space become more saturated, it’s only the brands that consistently meet client expectations that will thrive. Depending on your needs, a headless website may be an invaluable tool. It gives you flexibility and scalability to meet your growing needs.
However, while you must get the support of an agency, be sure to choose the right one. The questions highlighted in this article will help you achieve this.
