Headless WordPress is now a buzzword in the tech world. Although it is a new trend, it allows businesses to build super-functionable websites like those for Trip Advisor, Nike, or The New York Times. 

In this article, we’ll cover everything you should know about headless WordPress, mainly: 

• What is headless WordPress?
• Real-life examples of WordPress with React.
• The benefits of headless WordPress.
• How to start developing with a headless WordPress website design agency.

Let’s get started! 

What is Headless WordPress? 

Headless WordPress is the use of the WordPress admin panel without pre-made WordPress themes or separating the WordPress back-end from the front-end. 

We know that a WordPress website has the design part, which we see, and the functionality part, which we interact with (changing themes, uploading texts, processing shopping operations, and more). 

The design part, or front end, is presented in numerous WordPress templates. The functionality part, or back end, is presented with the pre-built admin panel, uncountable plugins, and possibilities to build new features.

Both have benefits, but they also have flaws. To maximize the pros and minimize the downsides, developers started using a hybrid approach: WordPress with React or headless WordPress. 

In 2015, it became possible to separate WordPress’s back-end from front-end. This separation allowed WordPress users to control content and experiment with front-end development using other technologies, like React, Angular, or Vue. Among them, the React framework overtakes the others in popularity, with React being preferred by 40.58% of developers worldwide, Angular being used by 17.46%, and Vue.js being used by 16.38%. 

The Benefits of Headless WordPress  

The rich content management opportunities of the WordPress back-end drive millions of users. No wonder more than 10,000 new WordPress websites are published daily. 

Yet, the growth of competition (as of 2024, there are 810 million WordPress sites worldwide) requires new features to stay ahead of the pack. Therefore, headless WordPress developers experiment with technologies like React that allow them to build richer and faster websites. 

A headless WordPress website powered by React inherits the advantages of the React framework, mainly: 

• Component-based architecture

React: The framework’s modular design means developers can create components (pieces of code) for user interfaces that they can reuse later. 

WordPress with React: Headless WordPress with React makes it easier to scale applications, i.e., add and release code faster. 

• Simple Script

React has the free syntax extension JSX. It introduces writing shortcuts, which make creating new code faster and cleaner. Clean code creates conditions for fast applications. 

WordPress with React: It is easier to understand and debug issues with the WordPress website, so maintenance periods become shorter. 

• Speed

React: the Facebook team that developed React for their high-volume applications introduced the Virtual DOM feature, which allows traffic to run more efficiently. 

WordPress with React: a headless WordPress site with React becomes more efficient in terms of performance, meaning it renders high speed even during high loads. 

• Stable code structure

React: In React, the code is built as a tree, with data flowing from the top to the bottom. Small changes or bugs in the branches of the tree don’t affect the code in general. This sort of code is more stable and faster to run. 

WordPress with React: React’s code structure allows for the fast updating or debugging of websites, almost without interruption to the website’s functionality. 

• Search engine optimization

React: the framework has inbound possibilities for better SEO, like server-side rendering, dynamic rendering, and meta tags. 

WordPress with React: Combining WordPress with React, js. makes it easier to create sites that rank high on Google result pages.  

• Flexibility

React: With React, developers have the flexibility to choose the architecture, libraries, and tools they need. Thus, they can tune the development stack to the needs of their project. 

WordPress with React: Combining headless WordPress with React allows for easily implementing clients’ ideas about functionality. 

This is a short list of the benefits headless WordPress receives with React, which is why some of the world’s largest companies use this tech combo. 

The examples of headless WordPress

The list of real-life examples of websites that use both WordPress and React includes the world’s most crowded platforms, such as Booking.com and Bloomberg.com. 

According to the tech platform BuiltWith, 54,083,431 websites use React and 63,190,172 companies use WordPress. 

The companies that use both the technologies include the world-famous names like:

Company	Website	Traffiс
Business Insider	businessinsider.com	Very high
Sephora	sephora.bustle.com	Very high
CBS News	cbsnews.com	Very high
Nike	nike.com	Very high
The New York Times	nytimes.com	Very high
Office 365	outlook.office365.com	Very high
Tech Overstock	tech.overstock.com	Very high
The Epoch Times	theepochtimes.com	Very high
The Hill	thehill.com	Very high
Trip Advisor	tripadvisor.com	Very high

Table: Headless WordPress Examples

Source: Builtwith report

So, if you were curious about what a headless WordPress site is like, the examples above give a clear illustration: a typical headless WordPress site is feature-rich, easy to update, and sustains super-heavy traffic without interrupting its services. 

 

How do you start development with a headless WordPress agency?

The combination of Headless WordPress with React allows you to benefit from WordPress content management opportunities while experimenting freely with React. Yet, this type of development requires a strong technical background. 

Therefore, you might need help from a headless WordPress website development agency. 

Usually, a headless WordPress agency, like 5e, has rich experience in React Development and building websites based on the WordPress CMS. This allows development teams to build fast and functional websites in high quality and quick terms. 

A collaboration with an agency specializing in headless WordPress usually takes the form of a tailor-made project, hiring an on-demand team, or consulting. The form of collaboration depends on your project’s stage of development and needs. 

To start with an agency, you must decide what type of collaboration you’ll need and what services you require. The functionality and general goal of your website define that. 

Summing up

As technology evolves, market development pushes SMBs to discover new horizons in web development, and headless WordPress is one such. Although this technology is quite complicated, creating a website using WordPress with React will pay off in multiple benefits, like your business’s scalability, flexibility, and growth opportunities. 

Interested in the possibilities of headless WordPress development?

Contact 5e for a consultation and advice! Our company specializes in creating custom WordPress themes on super-fast technologies like React js to help our clients boost their website performance and cater to their business growth. Click here to learn more!

 

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