Headless Systems and SEO - Pitfalls

A headless CMS is a flexible content system that delivers content via an API. In these systems, several aspects change regarding SEO: On one hand, different indicators must be considered for in-depth technical analyses. On the other hand, the advantages, such as load time and performance, are enormous.
In this blog article, you will learn about the synergy effects of headless CMS in SEO and how to leverage them for optimizing your website.

What is a Headless CMS?

A Headless Content Management System (CMS) is a modern approach to managing and delivering content for websites. Unlike traditional CMS models, which tightly link content with presentation, a headless CMS separates these two aspects, allowing developers and editors to focus on what they do best.

In a traditional Content Management System, the frontend and backend systems are interconnected. The CMS not only allows content creation and management via the backend but also displays this content to end users via a specific frontend - in the form of a website. Some examples of such traditional CMS are WordPress, TYPO3, or Drupal.

By contrast, a "headless" CMS separates these two systems. It focuses solely on the backend: the creation, management, and storage of content. It has no predetermined way to display this content. That's why it is called "headless," where the "head" is a metaphor for the frontend or presentation view.

The Advantages of a Headless CMS

In a headless CMS, content is typically provided via an API (Application Programming Interface), often a RESTful API.
This allows developers to use the content in any context: from displaying it on a website to using it in a mobile app or on digital displays.
This architecture, combined with the separation of backend and frontend, offers several advantages:

• Flexibility: Developers are no longer limited by the technologies or templates dictated by the CMS. They can choose technologies and frameworks that best suit their requirements.

• Omnichannel Delivery: Since content is provided via an API, it can be used on a wide variety of platforms and devices. This means the same CMS could deliver content to a website, a mobile app, a smartwatch app, and so on.

• Scalability: Since content display is separated from content management, both parts can scale independently. This can be particularly useful when the load on one of the systems fluctuates, potentially affecting performance.

• Security: As the frontend is separate from the backend, a security breach in the frontend does not directly affect the backend and vice versa.

Headless systems also offer variability in content creation. Developers can create and store content once, allowing for faster updates and more efficient distribution across multiple platforms. Moreover, developers can tailor their content for various devices and screen sizes to ensure optimal display, regardless of the device or browser used.

Headless CMS & SEO - Can It Work?

Headless SEO is a methodology that has increasingly established itself in the field of digital marketing. It is a form of search engine optimization (SEO) that optimizes web content for discoverability and indexing by search engine crawlers, without being tied to a specific website or platform. In other words, headless SEO allows content to be created once and then indexed and found on multiple websites. And this is where one of many challenges in SEO lies.
In terms of website speed and Mobile First, a headless CMS certainly offers advantages over a traditional CMS. However, there are some content-related pitfalls. By considering this more strongly in the backend from the outset, a headless CMS can be just as SEO compliant as a traditional CMS. Combined with the advantages in technical SEO, this brings significant benefits to the headless CMS itself.
Despite the many benefits of headless SEO, there are also some challenges involved. Primarily, headless SEO requires a webmaster to be well-versed in both web development and search engine optimization. Without comprehensive knowledge of both disciplines, it may be difficult for webmasters to handle the complexity of a headless CMS. Moreover, since content is stored on multiple platforms, it can be harder to monitor content performance and make changes when necessary.

Handling JavaScript SEO in Headless CMS

The Googlebot initially crawls the HTML of a website. This is because JavaScript rendering consumes considerable resources and is therefore postponed. If there is JavaScript on the page, the page is queued and then rendered with delay (this delay can be a few seconds, but can also be longer). After rendering, the rendered HTML is added to the previously indexed content.

Thus, the HTML framework of the page is first in the index. This means that until the JavaScript is rendered, an incomplete page is in the index. If, therefore, important elements are delivered via JavaScript, they are missing. For example, the search engine would then display individual title tags because the optimized snippets are delivered with JavaScript.

Headless SEO Issues - Not Everything That Glitters is Gold

JavaScript SEO is an often underestimated but important discipline in organic search engine optimization. Headless systems come with not only advantages. As described above, all relevant and important content, which is typically delivered via JavaScript in headless, may be delayed or not read at all. These include:

• Metadata (Title Tag would then be perceived as identical)

• Canonical Tags (can massively impact crawling and indexing)

• Hreflang Tags

• Redirects (Google might then not read the redirects, leading to duplicate content and indexing problems)

For in-depth SEO analysis, other tools should therefore be used to avoid losing visibility after a CMS switch.

This is How SEO Works with Headless CMS Architectures

It should be ensured that all SEO-relevant elements are delivered in HTML and not in JavaScript. Additionally, JavaScript files should be cleansed of unused code. Only the JavaScript (JS) needed on the page should be loaded, if necessary, the extensive JS-code can also be split across multiple files (for a smaller payload).
Better performance can ensure that Google renders JavaScript (faster), but this is only experiential and not officially confirmed.
If Google does not render the JavaScript or it takes too long (several days/weeks are certainly possible), prerendering or server-side rendering may be advisable.
JavaScript links should be avoided at all costs. The old-fashioned link implementation with <a href=""> should still be used.
We strongly recommend using a crawler that understands and can read JavaScript SEO with headless systems that use a lot of JavaScript. Nowadays, major tools like SEMrush, Sistrix, or Screaming Frog can handle it. However, as with non-headless-based systems, the outcomes of the tools should be carefully questioned.

The Path to More Organic Traffic: Web Analytics as the Key to SEO Optimization

Without solid data, you're in the dark. Web analytics provides you with the valuable information you need to refine your search engine optimization (SEO) and increase your organic traffic.
A precise analysis of your website data enables you to identify which pages and content are particularly well received and where optimization potential still exists. By specifically adapting your content and optimizing your pages, you can enhance your SEO performance and draw more organic traffic to your website.
However, data is only as useful as you interpret and apply it. This is where detailed web analysis comes into play, allowing you to analyze various metrics—from bounce rate and average session duration to the most visited pages.
Through targeted adjustments of page elements and content that have high user engagement, you can further strengthen your SEO and effectively promote organic traffic. In this continuous process of data analysis and optimization lies the key to a successful SEO strategy and an increasing number of organic website visitors.

Conclusion - JavaScript & SEO

In summary, headless CMS offers a range of benefits for developers, editors, and website operators looking to harness the potential of search engine optimization. While there are some challenges associated with headless SEO, these can be overcome with a thorough understanding of web development and SEO practices.
Are you planning a relaunch to a headless CMS? How can you ensure that no visibility is lost during the relaunch and that you benefit from the full headless power? Contact us!