Among the many ways you can use Directus to power data-driven applications and projects, a headless content management system (CMS) is among the most popular.
This is a big deal, because developers are shifting away from using a monolithic, traditional CMS in favor of a headless content management system instead.
In fact, the market for headless CMS software is expected to grow at a CAGR of 22.6% from 2020 to 2027 to over $1.6 billion.
If you want to be part of this trend, it’s important to choose the right headless CMS platform. Unlike many other headless CMS solutions, Directus is a completely unopinionated, free and open-source solution that’s super easy to use and puts no limits on what features you can leverage.
And while there are many other striking differences between Directus and other headless CMS offerings, nothing demonstrates the impact a solution like Directus can have better than real-world success stories from users who have built amazing digital content management projects using the platform.
In this post, we’ll take a look at three such stories and provide links to the full case studies for those of you who want to learn more.
Using a Headless CMS for Sustainability
Held in the UK, “Polinations” is a celebration of the connection between plants and people, and an opportunity to contemplate the complex histories around the migration, identity and culture of people in the UK.
Branding agency Peter and Paul was tasked with creating an interactive website and app to promote and drive awareness for the event.
The lead designer had been using ProcessWire for content management, which leverages PHP, a server-side scripting language embedded in HTML, and wanted to move to a Node.js based tool for better managing content.
After evaluating several solutions, including Contentful, Strapi and Prismic, he chose Directus.
Directus provided an exceptional developer experience, out-of-the-box, invaluable community support via the Directus Discord channel, and a simple and intuitive interface that simplified design and collaboration.
Directus gave Tom the confidence to go outside his comfort zone and create digital experiences that push the boundaries and require reliable and fast performance.
Additionally, Directus enabled Peter and Paul to deliver a more sustainable statically generated website that uses substantially less power than a website built using PHP.
“Sustainability is a key initiative for our client and for the Polinations event as a whole. With Directus, not only does the user experience better performance, it’s less taxing on the servers.”
– Tom Smedley, Freelance Web Developer for Peter and Paul.
Using a Headless CMS for Managing Multiple Projects
Based in Paris, Web Vision 360 is a private creative agency that provides a variety of creative services to large and small organizations across many industries. Their services include UI/UX design, Google Ads, video production, social media and more.
They had been using the on-prem version of Directus for powering multiple client projects as well as their own website.
When Directus rebuilt the platform in Node.js, they were able to connect their React.Js and Next.Js front-end designs, which enabled them to build modern, high-performing apps and easily manage content.
The agency has taken advantage of Directus’s multilingual capabilities to meet the needs of its global client base. They have integrated websites and apps with CRM systems, HubSpot and Stripe, so they can provide best-of-class solutions to customers.
Using Directus, Webvision 360 has built digital experiences for:
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The Center For Sports Training and Animation (CDFAS), a center for sports excellence, welcomes more than 250,000 people from national and international federations each year.
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Mad-Up Pro, a maker of medical devices for health and sports professionals a safe
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Cybelle and Cie, An interactive platform that connects pet sitters with pet owners.
“We chose Directus as our headless CMS because it enables us to provide the highest-quality applications and tools to our customers. Since content is processed on the server side, the websites are fast-loading and eco-friendly, as well.”
– Kiril Gorbatenko, Co-founder, Webvision 360
Using a Headless CMS to Improve SEO and Performance
New Zealand-based Cucumber serves industrial commercial clients like Bio Crop and kiwifruit exporter Zespri, solving complex technical problems with digital solutions, from websites to full-blown analytic platforms.
They used Directus to modernize the Young Innovators Awards (YIA) website for its 2022 awards, held annually for young people with creative and groundbreaking business ideas.
The goal was to improve its performance and SEO based on Lighthouse measurements.
The site’s data was coming from multiple, disparate sources which made optimizing performance a challenge. They wanted to improve their existing score of 80% as much as possible.
Using Directus, Cucumber was able to create a modular, repeatable design with ready-made components, reducing development time and costs while making bespoke output possible – a completely different approach from using monolithic CMS platforms. Directus enables commercial-grade consistency and security, and the flexibility to render content for different UIs and devices.
With Directus, Cucumber earned 100% Lighthouse scores across all five parameters: performance, accessibility, best practices, SEO, and progressive web app (PWA).
“Directus enabled us to make our own choices and set the YIA website up in the right way, whereas other more opinionated situations prohibit that freedom of choice”
– Matt Skinner, Cucumber
Looking For The Right Headless Content Management System?
Ditch the monolithic CMS or costly Headless CMS offerings that put limits on your creativity. Directus is a better way to design and manage your digital project and skip the backend development hassles.