Trending resources

Infographic

Four Key Differences Between Legacy and Headless CMS

Infographic

Busting Common Myths About Headless Platforms

Any conference, meetup or even LinkedIn post is talking about digital transformation and how tech evolves all the time. Yet, when it comes to content management systems, many organizations find themselves stuck in the past, paralyzed by misconceptions about headless CMS technology. But these persistent myths aren’t just harmless rumors – they’re actively preventing companies from unlocking more flexible, efficient, and powerful digital experiences that could transform their business outcomes.

Let’s dive deeper and see why headless CMS is not scary and can indeed be Joyful.

MYTH #1

“It’s too expensive”

Let’s be real – most companies take one look at headless CMS and think, “Whoa, that’s going to break the bank!” They picture massive upfront costs and assume only the big players with deep pockets can afford to make the jump. It’s kind of like assuming the only option available is a fancy gym membership when a simple home workout would do the trick.

And it’s not just about the initial tech investment. There’s also the nagging worry about additional training costs, potential downtime during migration, and having to hire specialized developers. When budget season rolls around, it’s easy to push headless to the “maybe next year” category when you’re only thinking about the price tag.

REALITY:

Here’s the deal – yes, there’s some initial investment (isn’t there always?), but the long-term savings are where it gets good! Headless is like meal prepping for your digital strategy – a bit of effort upfront saves you tons of time and resources later. Companies typically find themselves with faster development cycles, better scalability, and way less maintenance headaches. Before you know it, that initial spending starts looking like the smartest move you’ve made in years.

NUMBERS BEHIND THE SCENE:

Among 43 companies with over 5,000 employees, those using composable systems spent nearly $88,500 less on total CMS ownership costs compared to businesses with monolithic systems.*

*According to The Costly Composability Myth: What’s the True Total Price of Enterprise CMS?

Plus, you don’t need to hire new developers. With headless, you can stick to the technologies your team already knows, making the transition smoother and keeping your workflow intact. And when it comes to costs, traditional CMS platforms might seem cheaper at first, but they often become bloated and expensive as you scale. Headless gives you more flexibility and control, which can mean lower costs in the long run.

The cherry on top? Many headless solutions offer flexible pricing tiers, letting you start small and scale up as needed – you don’t have to go all-in immediately. When you compare all the benefits of going headless to your current situation, the ROI story becomes pretty compelling.

THINGS TO CONSIDER UNDER THE “PRICE” UMBRELLA:

Implementation Costs: Licensing fees, initial customization, integration, and infrastructure setup
Annual Maintenance: Scaling, software updates, and tailored expansion plans
Ongoing Training & Support: Employee onboarding, technical assistance, and continuous education

MYTH #2

“It’s too hard”

“We’ll never figure this out!” – sound familiar? Many teams look at headless migration like it’s rocket science. The thought of learning new systems while keeping everything running smoothly can seem about as appealing as assembling furniture without instructions.

The technical jargon alone can be enough to scare people off. Terms like “API-first,” “microservices,” and “content infrastructure” start flying around, and suddenly everyone’s nodding along while secretly Googling what these things actually mean. Add in concerns about content modeling and front end implementation, and the whole thing can feel overwhelming before you’ve even started.

REALITY:

Good news! Today’s headless platforms are way more user-friendly than you’d expect. It’s not like the old days of cryptic code and zero support. Modern migration tools come with tons of documentation, and many providers offer solid support to help you along the way. Before long, you might find yourself wondering why you thought it would be so complicated in the first place.

What’s more, you don’t need to understand every technical detail to get started. Many headless CMS platforms have intuitive interfaces for content editors that feel familiar right away. And there’s a massive community of developers sharing tips, plugins, and starter templates online. The learning curve might be there, but it’s more of a gentle slope than a cliff. Most teams report that once they get past the initial adjustment period, they actually prefer working with headless systems because they’re more logical and flexible.

CASE STUDIES:

Learning curves vary by CMS platform, but Storyblok makes onboarding remarkably straightforward. Take TomTom’s experience as an example – their technical team barely needed to train non-technical colleagues thanks to Storyblok’s intuitive Visual Editor. The process was as simple as a quick demo before handing over control, allowing content teams to get up and running almost immediately.

Another example is Oatly – they completely migrated to Storyblok and launched 16 brand new websites in just two months! That proves headless migration doesn’t have to be the slow, painful process everyone fears when using the right platform.

MYTH #3

“It’s cheaper to stay with our legacy system”

“If it’s not broken, why fix it?” – that’s the comfy excuse keeping lots of companies stuck with outdated systems. Sticking with what you know feels safe and budgetfriendly, like holding onto your old phone because it can still make calls.

There’s also the sunk cost fallacy at play: “We’ve already invested so much in our current system!” Many organizations have spent years customizing their legacy CMS, and the thought of leaving all that work behind feels wasteful. Plus, everyone already knows how to use the current system, bugs and all. At least they’re familiar bugs, right?

REALITY:

Plot twist – that legacy system is probably costing you more than you think! It’s like an old car that needs increasingly expensive repairs. The maintenance costs keep climbing, security becomes a nightmare, and you’re missing out on all the cool new features your competitors are using. With headless, your team spends less time putting out fires and more time building stuff that actually moves your business forward. Plus, your customers get a way better experience – win-win!

Consider the hidden costs too, like the talented employees who get frustrated and leave because they’re stuck working with outdated tech. Or the opportunities lost because your system is too slow or inflexible to capitalize on market trends. Then there’s the increasing technical debt that accumulates as workarounds get built on top of workarounds. When you add it all up, sticking with your legacy system isn’t the safe financial choice it appears to be – it’s actually a ticking time bomb for your budget and your competitive edge.

SO, WHAT’S ABOUT THE MONEY?

As part of their digital transformation journey, Damen Shipyards ditched their old Sitecore setup in favor of a headless approach. The results speak for themselves – they built an impressive multisite environment with vastly improved customer experience while reducing their costs by a whopping 75%. Talk about debunking the “too expensive” myth!

MYTH #4

“Headless CMS isn’t secure”

Security concerns are totally valid! Some people think headless means your content is just floating around unprotected between systems. Those APIs sound technical and potentially risky if security isn’t your thing.

It doesn’t help that security teams are often most comfortable with what they know. When you’ve spent years locking down a traditional CMS, the distributed nature of headless architecture might set off alarm bells. Questions start popping up: “Where exactly is our content stored?” “How do we control access to all these separate systems?” “Aren’t more connection points just more opportunities for hackers?”

REALITY:

Surprise – headless can actually beef up your security game! By separating your content hub from delivery channels, you’re actually creating fewer entry points for the bad guys. Those APIs come with modern security features built-in, and updating security is usually much easier than with traditional systems. It’s like upgrading from a basic door lock to a smart home security system that’s constantly improving. Many companies f ind they sleep better at night after going headless.

The architecture also means you can implement security updates without having to take your entire site offline. And because the content repository is separate from the presentation layer, you can apply different security measures appropriate to each. Most headless CMS providers take security extremely seriously, with regular audits, penetration testing, and compliance certifications that might actually exceed what you currently have in place. When implemented correctly, the API-based approach gives you more granular control over permissions and access than most traditional systems could ever offer.

LEARN MORE

Headless vs. Monolithic CMS: Which Offers Better Security?

MYTH #5

“Going headless means rebuilding everything from scratch”

The thought of starting over is pretty intimidating. Nobody wants to imagine all their content and workflows being completely torn down before rebuilding – that sounds like a nightmare!

The mental image of content migration alone is enough to make most marketing teams break out in a cold sweat. Thousands of pages, images, and documents that need to be moved over? All those carefully crafted templates and custom features? And what about SEO – will all those rankings you’ve worked so hard for just disappear? It’s easy to see why many organizations keep hitting the snooze button on headless migration when they picture it as one massive, disruptive project.

REALITY:

Chill – you don’t have to do everything at once! Think of headless migration more like updating your wardrobe gradually instead of throwing out all your clothes in one day. Start with just one project or section of your site. Try a hybrid approach where you keep parts of your old system while testing the headless waters. Your team can tackle things step by step, building confidence as they go. Before you know it, you’ll have transformed your digital experience without any dramatic disruptions or late-night panic attacks.

Many organizations successfully implement what’s called a “strangler pattern” – gradually replacing parts of the legacy system while keeping everything running. Maybe you start with a new product section or a campaign microsite. Content migration can also be automated with the right tools, preserving your SEO value and metadata. Most importantly, a phased approach lets you demonstrate small wins early, making it easier to get continued buy-in from stakeholders. The journey to headless doesn’t have to be a cliff dive, it can be a series of comfortable steps that add up to major improvement.

TAKE IT ONE STEP AT A TIME

Lano proves you don’t need to rebuild everything at once when going headless. They started small by tackling their homepage and core pages first, then methodically worked their way through their blog, podcast section, resources, and various guides. No rushed demolition job here! The best part? Even with this careful, phased approach, they still managed to migrate over 1,000 pages and country guides to Storyblok in just five days, thanks to smooth automation.

Conclusion: Not afraid anymore?

We hope you are feeling more enthusiastic about headless than you were before reading this guide. The key message we wanted to deliver is for you to remember that headless migration isn’t an all-or-nothing proposition.

Start small, create a proof of concept, and scale at your own pace. Many organizations discover that the journey is far less intimidating than they imagined, and the benefits – from cost savings and improved security to greater flexibility and better user experiences – make the transition more than worthwhile.

As you’ve seen from real-world examples like Damen Shipyards, TomTom, Oatly, and Lano, companies across various industries are successfully going headless and gaining significant benefits. The question isn’t whether you can afford to make the switch to headless – it’s whether you can afford not to.

About Storyblok

Storyblok is the headless CMS for marketers and developers who want to make bigger, faster market impact.

Developers thrive with the freedom to build better, faster, more flexible content experiences using their chosen tech stack. Marketers move with agility and independence, effortlessly editing, personalizing, and publishing content across every channel.

And customers? The seamless content experiences keep them engaged, delighted, and coming back for more.