01
Content modelling
Content types, fields, references and validation designed around how your team writes and reuses content, not around page templates.
FIG 01 · Headless CMS Development
Headless CMS development services for fast, flexible websites
Content models in Sanity, Contentful, Strapi or headless WordPress, a server-rendered Next.js front end, live preview for editors, and migrations that carry your rankings across. Platform-neutral advice, and honest about when headless is overkill.
See how it works
FIG 02 · Quick answer
What is headless CMS development?
Headless CMS development separates where content is edited from where it is shown, so one CMS can feed a website, app and other channels through APIs. Elgrith models your content in Sanity, Contentful, Strapi or headless WordPress, builds a server-rendered Next.js front end, and migrates content without losing rankings.
- Content model feeding web, app and more
- 1
- Projects delivered since 2015
- 1,000+
- Clients across the USA, UK and India
- 250+
- Your code, repository and IP
- 100%
FIG 03 · Why it matters
Headless is a fit, not a trend. Choose it for the right reasons.
From Google Search Central, the Sanity docs and W3Techs, read on 23 Oct 2026.
01
SSR
Google still recommends server or pre-rendering
Google’s JavaScript SEO guide: “server-side or pre-rendering is still a great idea because it makes your website faster for users and crawlers”. Every headless front end we build renders on the server.
Source: Google Search Central, JavaScript SEO basics(opens in a new tab)02
Structured
Content stored as data, not pages
Sanity’s docs: “Sanity’s Content Lake stores your content as structured data”. That is the real benefit of headless: the same content reused across pages, apps and channels.
Source: Sanity docs, Content Lake(opens in a new tab)03
<0.1%
Of websites run Sanity or Strapi
W3Techs puts Sanity and Strapi each in its “less than 0.1%” group of sites. Headless is a niche by site count, so choose it because it fits your team and channels, not because it is new.
Source: W3Techs, CMS usage overview (22 Oct 2026)(opens in a new tab)
FIG 04 · Define
What is a headless CMS?
A headless CMS stores and manages content but has no built-in front end. Your website, app or other channel fetches the content through an API and decides how to show it. A traditional CMS such as WordPress with a theme does both jobs in one system.
| Traditional CMS (e.g. WordPress with a theme) | Headless CMS (e.g. Sanity, Contentful, Strapi) | |
|---|---|---|
| Front end | Built in: themes and templates | Separate: usually Next.js or another framework |
| Channels | Mainly one website | Website, apps and other channels from one source |
| Content | Pages and posts | Structured content types, reused anywhere |
| Editor preview | Built in | Set up as part of the build |
| Developer needs | Lower: plugins and themes | Higher: a front-end team owns the site |
| Best for | Content sites with a small team | Multi-channel content, custom design, larger teams |
FIG 05 · What you get
Headless CMS development services
Custom headless CMS development for marketing sites, content-heavy products and multi-channel brands, from the content model to the migration.
02
Next.js front ends
Server-rendered Next.js sites that read from the CMS, with static generation or incremental regeneration where content changes rarely.
03
Editor preview and visual editing
Draft preview and click-to-edit, so editors see the real page before they publish, set up for your CMS’s own preview tools.
04
Migration from WordPress or Drupal
Posts, pages, media, authors and URLs moved into the new content model, with redirects mapped and checked.
05
Integrations
Site search, ecommerce catalogues, digital asset management, forms and analytics connected to the CMS and the front end.
06
Localisation and multi-site
Locales, regional variants and several sites from one content source, with clear rules for what is shared.
07
Self-hosted CMS builds
Strapi or Payload CMS hosted on your own infrastructure, when you need data control or want to avoid per-seat plans.
08
Editor training and governance
Roles, workflows and short guides so editors publish confidently and the content model stays clean.
Deliverables
11
deliverables, in writing
Included in every build, written into your fixed quote before work starts.
FIG 06 · Flagship build
Proof: a platform we designed and engineered
Kenerate AI is our flagship build, an all-in-one AI studio. It is not a headless CMS project; it shows the product, front-end and API engineering we bring to every build, with 500+ guides published for its users.
- 200+ AI models behind one app, one login and one credit balance
- MCP & CLI: Kenerate works inside Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and 19+ AI apps
- 23+ studios and tools, with up to 4K output
- 1,000+ projects for 250+ clients since 2015
Home: one prompt box for image, video and musicDesigned and engineered by Elgrith
- AI models in one app
- 200+
- Studios and tools
- 23+
- Maximum output
- 4K
- Guides
- 500+
FIG 07 · Platforms
Which headless CMS?
We are platform-neutral, with no partner badges to protect. These are the platforms we recommend most, and when.
06principles
Sanity
A Sanity agency build: structured content in the Content Lake, queried with GROQ, and a customisable Studio. Strong for custom models and real-time editing.
Contentful
A hosted headless CMS suited to larger teams that want a managed platform with roles, environments and an app framework.
Strapi (self-hosted)
An open-source Node.js headless CMS you host yourself, for full data control and custom plugins.
Storyblok
A headless CMS with a visual editor, for marketing teams that want to build pages from components.
Headless WordPress
Headless WordPress development keeps the WordPress editor your team knows, served to Next.js through WPGraphQL or the REST API.
WordPress developmentCustom APIs behind the CMS
When the content needs custom logic, we build the API layer in Node.js.
Node.js development
FIG 08 · SEO
Headless and SEO
Headless sites rank well when the HTML is rendered on the server and the basics are rebuilt on purpose. We treat SEO as part of the build, not a launch checklist.
06principles
SSR, SSG or ISR
Each page type gets the right rendering: server-side for fresh content, static for evergreen pages, incremental regeneration in between.
Crawlable HTML
Titles, meta, headings and links in the first HTML response, as Google’s JavaScript SEO guide recommends.
Structured data
Schema.org JSON-LD generated from CMS fields, so articles, products and FAQs stay accurate when editors change them.
Redirects and sitemaps
Every old URL mapped, redirects managed in the CMS and sitemaps generated from published content.
Core Web Vitals
Optimised images, fonts and scripts, measured before and after launch.
FIG 09 · Choose
How to choose a headless CMS development company
Questions worth asking any headless CMS agency, us included.
06principles
Will they tell you not to go headless?
If every answer is headless, the advice is about their stack, not your needs.
Do they start with the content model?
Ask to see how they model content before they design pages.
How will editors preview?
Preview and visual editing should be in the scope, not an extra.
What is the SEO and migration plan?
Rendering, redirects and structured data should be written down before the build.
What will it cost to run?
CMS plan or hosting, front-end hosting and build minutes, not just the build fee.
Who owns the accounts?
The CMS, hosting and repository should be in your name. With us, they are.
FIG 10 · Process · 6 steps
Model the content, then build the site
A fixed written quote after a free call, a content model you approve before design, and sprints with weekly demos. You own the code, the CMS account and the IP.
- Step 01
Free call
Your channels, editors, content volume and current CMS, and whether headless is the right fit at all.
- Step 02
Content audit and model
Your existing content mapped into content types, fields and references, reviewed with your editors before any design.
- Step 03
Fixed written quote
A written scope with the CMS choice, rendering strategy, migration plan and a fixed quote.
- Step 04
Build in sprints
CMS set-up, Next.js front end and preview built in sprints, with a weekly demo on staging.
- Step 05
Migrate and redirect
Content migrated in trial runs, every old URL mapped to a new one, and the redirect list checked before launch.
- Step 06
Launch and support
A planned launch with a crawl before and after, editor training, and ongoing support if you want it.
FIG 11 · What you get
Everything included
Written into your fixed quote, so you know exactly what you are paying for before work starts.
11items
- Written scope and fixed quote
- CMS recommendation, in writing
- Content model with field-level docs
- Next.js front end in your repository
- Editor preview and visual editing
- Content migration with reconciliation
- Redirect map and sitemaps
- Structured data from CMS fields
- Running-cost estimate (CMS, hosting, builds)
- Editor training and guides
- CMS, hosting and code in your name
FIG 12 · Tech & tools
The tools behind the work
Proven, well-supported tools, chosen for your project and set up in accounts your business owns.
- Sanity
- GROQ
- Contentful
- Strapi
- Storyblok
- Payload CMS
- Decap CMS
- Headless WordPress
- WPGraphQL
- WordPress REST API
- Next.js
- React
- TypeScript
- Vercel
- CDN
- GraphQL
- Schema.org
FIG 13 · Who it’s for
Headless CMS builds for teams that publish to more than one place.
Where headless earns its cost, and where it doesn’t.
3 audiences
Marketing sites
Fast sites editors can still run.
Custom-designed marketing sites with a Next.js front end, live preview and page building from approved components.
- Server-rendered Next.js
- Component-based pages
- Live preview
- SEO rebuilt on purpose
Multi-channel
One content source, many front ends.
Content written once and shown on your website, apps, in-store screens and partner feeds through the same API.
- Structured content types
- Web and app from one CMS
- Localisation and regions
- Roles and workflows
UK teams
A headless CMS agency for UK teams.
UK projects run through our London client partner, with engineering at our New Delhi HQ. We write in UK English, design data handling around UK GDPR and stay platform-neutral.
- London client partner
- UK English throughout
- Fixed written quote in GBP
- No platform bias
FIG 14 · Working with us from the USA and UK
Built in New Delhi. Run on your hours.
Every project gets a point of contact in New York or London and an engineering team in New Delhi. Here is how today’s working days line up, live.
New York
North America
--:--ET
New Delhi team Your working day- Shared working time
- ≈ 3 hours today
- New Delhi is
- 10.5 h ahead
- Live calls, your time
- 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET
London
UK & Europe
--:--UK
New Delhi team Your working day- Shared working time
- ≈ 4.5 hours today
- New Delhi is
- 5.5 h ahead
- Live calls, your time
- 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. UK
Three ways to work together
- 01
Fixed-scope project
A written scope, one fixed price and a dated plan. Suits websites, apps and MVPs.
- 02
Dedicated team
Designers and engineers on your roadmap every month, billed monthly.
- 03
White label
For US and UK agencies: our work, your brand, unbranded deliverables.
Every engagement
- Fixed quote in USD, GBP or INR after a free 30-minute call
- NDA before discovery. You own all code, designs and content
- A working demo every sprint, not status slides
- Reply within one business day, calls inside your hours
Book a call
Calls on ET or UK hours
FIG 15 · Fit
When to go headless, and when not to
Headless costs more to build and needs a developer to change the front end. These are the signs it will pay off, and the signs it won’t.
| Question | Headless fits when… | Stay traditional when… |
|---|---|---|
| Channels | Content goes to a site, an app and more | It is one website |
| Editors | Several editors and roles, structured content | One or two people editing pages |
| Design | A custom design system and front-end team | A theme or builder does the job |
| Preview | You will fund preview set-up in the build | Editors need WYSIWYG with no set-up |
| Budget | Room for a front-end build and its upkeep | A tight budget and no developer after launch |
| Skills | A developer or partner owns the front end | Nobody will maintain code |
If most answers land in the right column, a well-built WordPress or Webflow site will serve you better, and we will say so.
A simpler option: Webflow developmentFIG 16 · Rendering
SSR vs SSG vs ISR for a headless site
How each page is rendered decides its speed and how search engines see it.
| SSR (server-side rendering) | SSG (static generation) | ISR (incremental regeneration) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| When HTML is built | On each request | At build time | At build, then refreshed in the background |
| Best for | Personalised or fast-changing pages | Evergreen pages and docs | Large sites with content that changes sometimes |
| Content freshness | Always current | Until the next build | Within the revalidation window |
| SEO | Full HTML for crawlers | Full HTML for crawlers | Full HTML for crawlers |
FIG 17 · Compare
Sanity vs Contentful vs Strapi vs headless WordPress
| Sanity | Contentful | Strapi | Headless WordPress | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Hosted Content Lake | Hosted platform | Self-hosted (or Strapi’s cloud) | Your WordPress hosting |
| Content model | Defined in code, very flexible | Defined in the web app | Defined in code or the admin | Posts, pages and custom post types |
| Query | GROQ or GraphQL | REST or GraphQL | REST or GraphQL | REST API or WPGraphQL |
| Editor experience | Customisable Studio, real-time | Structured, enterprise roles | Admin panel you can extend | The WordPress editor |
| Best for | Custom models and multi-channel | Larger teams on a managed platform | Full data control and custom logic | Teams already on WordPress |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers about Headless CMS Development with Elgrith.
A headless CMS stores and manages content but has no built-in front end; your website or app fetches the content through an API. WordPress with a theme is a traditional CMS that edits and displays content in one system. WordPress can also run headless, keeping its editor and serving content to a Next.js front end.
FIG 18 · Related
Keep exploring
Free 30-minute call
Write it once. Publish it everywhere.
Tell us where your content lives today and where it needs to go. After a free call you get a written scope, a CMS recommendation (or advice not to go headless) and a fixed quote.
Pick a day for your call
OpenPick a day. You'll choose a time in your own time zone on the next step.