Modern web development requires efficiency to ensure you can create and update your website quickly. From product refreshes to written blog content, keeping your main audience engaged is only possible if you take a proactive approach to web development.

To bolster your web development efforts, it’s recommended that you use a robust content management system (CMS). This type of software solution gives you the tools necessary to develop, manage, and alter the content on your website without needing to have extensive technical knowledge. With the right CMS, you can grow your business even without knowing how to code.

A leading framework for building scalable web applications is Next.js. This solution makes it easier to create custom website builds that allow you to grow your company, gain new customers, and provide your customers with a website that will keep them engaged. This guide explores the top five CMS system Next js.

What Is a Headless CMS?

A headless CMS is a type of platform that you can use to manage, store, and edit the content on your website. This platform doesn’t need to have a presentation layer, which means that it can function like a database for your content. You’ll also benefit from features like composable UI and authentication.

Since this CMS is decoupled from the frontend, you can use a different technology for the presentation layer. You can then connect the headless CMS to the frontend with a software solution like GraphQL API or REST. This approach offers numerous advantages, the primary of which is that you can use Next.js as your frontend technology.

One advantage of using a headless CMS for content management is that there’s no vendor or technology lock-in. Since the architecture is composable and decoupled, you can switch to a new frontend framework without moving to a different CMS.

A headless CMS also provides better security. While systems like WordPress offer many advantages, website owners must handle numerous security threats since the frontend and backend are joined in a monolithic architecture. Without this setup, you won’t need to use third-party security plugins.

If you obtain a headless CMS for your website, you’ll benefit from having access to an all-in-one data source that can be paired with multiple frontends. Your content and data can be transferred to any mobile application or website with ease.

Why Choose Next.js for Your CMS?

Next.js is among the most popular frontend solutions because it supports composable web principles and offers a superior developer experience. It simplifies the frontend development process, which allows you to create a high-quality website with less effort.

Next.js also offers ample flexibility in content delivery. You can use web development techniques like SSG, SSR, and ISR. This software can be integrated with various backend systems, such as Sanity and Strapi. Next.js gives you the features and tools you need to develop large websites and complex web applications.

Top 5 CMS Systems for Next.js

1. Sanity

Sanity is an advanced CMS that provides developers with collaboration and customization tools that allow them to scale digital experiences. This is a developer-friendly CMS that supports the latest React features and provides developers with extensive documentation as well as access to a large community.

You’ll gain access to intuitive and powerful APIs that facilitate composable content architecture. The software’s real-time collaboration tools allow every developer on your team to communicate seamlessly with one another. Content is synced and stored as JSON, which means that it can scale properly. You’ll also benefit from the following features:

• Simple editing functionality
• Live preview capabilities
• Easy integration with Next.js for seamless data fetching
• Embeddable studio

While Sanity is available for free with a limited feature set, the paid subscriptions start at $99 per month but can scale depending on your needs. For example, the Business package costs $949 per month but accommodates 20 non-admin users.

2. Storyblok

Storyblok is a headless CMS that takes an API-driven approach and offers a powerful visual editor. Even if you’re not a technical user, the visual editor allows you to develop a website. This CMS was designed specifically to be paired with Next.js for more developer freedom. The features that you’ll gain access to when using Storyblok include the following:

• Full control over the content on your website
• Easy customization with the use of component-based architecture
• Effective live preview feature
• Flexibility in design for developers

When considering pricing, you can obtain the community version of Storyblok for free. There are four additional packages that allow you to scale based on the size of your team and the types of features you require. For example, the Enterprise Plus package supports up to 3TB of traffic per month.

3. Strapi

Strapi is an open-source headless CMS that wants to provide developers with technologically advanced features that accelerate backend development. This CMS is capable of generating GraphQL or RESTful APIs for developers. It’s a self-hosted solution that provides automation and content management tools.

The content you create and manage with Strapi can be shared with any digital device. Your developers can use different frameworks and tools with Strapi. Some of the advantages available to you include the following:

• Plugin-oriented architecture facilitates seamless integration
• The admin panel is extensible and customizable to suit your needs
• Can be used with many different frameworks
• Entirely free to use
• Reusable component system

While the base software is free to use forever, you’ll receive additional functionality and features with the paid subscriptions. For example, the Pro subscription costs $99 per month and offers features like an email provider and real-time logs. With the Team subscription, you can benefit from audit logs, high bandwidth and storage, and increased seat limits.

4. Contentful

Contentful is another headless CMS that uses an API-first approach for content management. It’s among the most popular composable content platforms that helps businesses create robust experiences for their customers. This software provides more affordability and developer flexibility than other options. Because of its affordability, it’s ideal for small and medium businesses. Some of the benefits of using this software include the following:

• Can be integrated with Dropbox and similar services to leverage your existing tools
• Developers can pair this CMS with many different frameworks and programming languages
• It’s possible to edit content from any device in any location
• This solution provides an intuitive web app that allows developers to efficiently create and manage content

While a portion of this software is free to use, it’s only available for individual projects. The Basic subscription costs $300 per month and is available to 20 users. With the Premium subscription, you can customize the features based on your current needs.

5. Prismic CMS

Prismic CMS is a type of SaaS-based headless CMS with powerful API support. It provides flexibility to marketers and developers who want to select frameworks and model content schema. When developing a website, you’ll gain access to multi-language support and comprehensive planning tools. The types of features your developers will be able to use with Prismic CMS include the following:

• Can be integrated with a wide range of other sources for better site functionality
• Easy installation and setup
• Drag-and-drop rich text editor is available for simple content customization
• User-friendly interface
• You can plan and preview your content updates before you publish them

This software also comes with excellent API documentation and modular content creation. The subscriptions range from free to $575 per month. If you work for a large corporation, you can select the Enterprise subscription, which offers additional security and has custom pricing.

The Importance of Custom Website Builds for Business Growth

To grow your business and meet the demands of modern customers, it’s important to create a custom website that’s true to your brand and provides your audience with a unique experience.

Enhanced User Growth

By tailoring features to your audience and providing them with a custom design, it will be easier for you to meet specific business needs and goals. A headless CMS will help you reach these goals.

Improved SEO Performance

A custom website build also delivers better SEO performance. Once you optimize your website structure and content for search engines, your pages should begin to obtain high search rankings. Higher rankings on Google and Bing lead to more visibility and an increase in traffic.

Scalability and Flexibility

A custom website allows you to adapt to changing business requirements and market trends. With a headless CMS, you can grow your online presence as your company expands, which should help you keep your customers engaged.

Competitive Advantage

Custom solutions also give you a competitive advantage. They differentiate your website and brand from the competition by making sure that every facet of your online presence is consistent with your brand image.

Conclusion

Next.js is a popular and powerful frontend solution that allows you to design an effective website that can appeal to your main audience. Using a CMS with Next.js means that you can develop more dynamic and scalable custom websites. Investing in a tailored web solution can drive business growth by providing your developers with added flexibility while designing and developing your website. Explore the listed CMS options in this guide before getting started on your Next.js project.