Yet while the functionality of building and utilizing a headless CMS is flexible and scalable for teams, it presents extra challenges, one of which is content preview. In a traditional CMS and even in decoupled situations, the content can be rendered with the presentation layer. Yet with a headless situation, the content layer is separate from the presentation layer. So how can content creators view what they’re creating in action before it goes live since there is no front-end rendering until launch? They can’t unless there is a complicated content preview that enables them to see the final product without officially publishing it.
Understanding the Role of Previews in Headless Architecture
In a headless environment, content exists in a structured state in its original form and is sent via APIs to any number of front ends. While this is an incredibly flexible development environment, it lacks certain features with which content creators are comfortable, namely, a WYSIWYG preview of content. For instance, writers, editors, marketers, and designers need to effectively visualize how their blogs will appear once published/rendered in the end-user experience or how product pages or marketing graphics will render.
Typically, a headless CMS integrated with a decoupled front end will allow for such WYSIWYG previews for real-time, on-demand visual renderings as the front-end framework would render it based on structured content. Such access minimizes mistakes, streamlines approval processes in the workflow, and assures quality content thanks to contextualized feedback before publishing. This is particularly valuable when creating digital content, as it allows teams to visually confirm that each piece aligns with branding, layout, and accessibility expectations before it goes live.
Defining Preview Workflows in Your Headless CMS
The first step to creating a robust preview capability with a headless CMS is determining the workflows that keep your content moving. This will lay the groundwork for creating a preview functionality, and this needs to be done in order to ensure different roles and responsibilities for different stakeholders will have the preview tool function as it should within established publishing pathways. This means determining who will look at content, what types of content will benefit from looking at something before it goes live, who needs to have access and when, and why there may be a use-case for something having a preview at a certain time, for example.
For example, a company with an editorial team having a blog will want to preview articles that remain in draft form as they may want to ensure proper formatting, imagery, and tone of voice are clear before they give the final approval. A company with a marketing team may want to preview landing pages for specific campaigns or seasonal offerings or what any banners or call-to-actions/interactives may be as these change per audience segmentation. A product team may want to preview any release notes or feature updates; a legal/compliance team may want to preview any and all content before it goes live just to make sure nothing does so without proper vetting from an external standpoint.
Every content type has its own workflow rules that can be established as well, and a headless CMS affords this capability through structured content models, status fields, and user permissions. Whereas the default lifecycle of a page might entail draft, pending review, approved, scheduled, published, etc., users can add and edit workflow options that better resonate with the organization’s SOPs. For example, having status updates makes it clear when a link is created for preview and who can see it or share it, as well as what elements are still pending.
Version control ensures that assets go live when they are supposed to, with the capability of providing certain preview links. Rather than overwrite published pages or modules, certain links and permissions allow for how a page or element might appear in the end. This is great for organizations that have multiple contributors on the same platform at the same time, needing to keep their works separate, as well as for A/B testing where different versions can exist without public access.
Role-based access control (RBAC) is also crucial to securing the preview process. Not everyone in the CMS should be able to preview, and not everyone should have access to everything in draft mode. For instance, freelance writers may have access to preview drafts of their submissions, while project managers and editors would have access to preview all work in draft form for any campaign. This access helps to ensure that sensitive content, content with embargoes or release dates, and content available only in specific locales are not previewed by chance to those for whom it is not intended prior to going live. In this instance, proper role-based access helps ensure the content is properly secured until it’s published.
Furthermore, companies need to implement approval chains and review touchpoints that complement the need for a preview. Design, compliance, and localization teams must approve drafts before they are scheduled for publication, and these teams need access to a preview environment that shows them what the content will look like in the wild on a website, in an app, or within an email template.
Therefore, by matching and figuring out these sorts of workflows ahead of time, the team is assured that the preview system will be not only functionally successful, but also tailored to how the company understands and truly creates and approves content. There will be no guesswork, and all reviews will be easier with all content creators aware that they can appropriately review before publishing, which helps create better efficiencies, effectiveness, and quality of digital experience.
Integrating Front-End Frameworks for Real-Time Rendering
Yet for a previewed content experience to work properly, the front end must be able to render unpublished content based on query strings or session tokens. This is typically achieved via a CMS integration with a JavaScript framework like Next.js, Nuxt.js, or Gatsby, something that can, on the fly, pull in draft content via the CMS API with intent tokens. Developers configure certain routing within the front end to acknowledge that preview mode is on typically via query strings like ?preview=true or via authenticated preview sessions. When activated, the front end instead makes API calls that retrieve unpublished content versus live content; thus, the whole page can render as it would post-publication. Content editors get an accurate picture of what their edits will look like without altering what the external front end sees.
Using Webhooks and Tokens for Secure Preview Access
Security and stability are another essential element of any preview system. A headless CMS usually provides either secure preview tokens or webhook functionality to access draft content in a permitted fashion. When a content editor wishes to preview something and hits “preview” inside the CMS, for example, a token is generated that either allows access for a limited time or a webhook is invoked that asks the front-end application to serve draft content.
This implies that only legitimate users may view unpublished works and always the most updated versions of drafts since tokens can be scoped to users with certain roles and they can expire over time. In addition to access tokens, secure HTTPs can be utilized for all preview URLs and requests made between the CMS and front-end rendered application can be authenticated to ensure that draft content is not served erroneously to anyone but those intended to see it.
Creating User-Friendly Preview Interfaces for Editors
But a winning preview system extends beyond the technical configuration. It must also foster a user-friendly experience for the content teams. For example, within a headless CMS environment, the preview buttons or links must be easily accessible, located within the same space as other workflow functions like “save draft” or “send for review.” The buttons must also open in a new tab or a new frame (depending on context) and utilize passing tokens or other configurations to trigger preview.
Some companies build their own custom preview dashboards that allow editors to toggle easily between mobile, desktop, and tablet versions. Some companies provide split screen functionality where one side is the draft, and the other side is the live experience. All options give editors added confidence in their choices with respect to layout, copy, and imagery before going live and reduce the potential for errors.
Supporting Multiple Environments and Channels
Where are modern enterprises publishing? Everywhere staging, QA, production, web, mobile, smart TV, in-store kiosks, IoT modules. If content is published everywhere, it needs to be tested and previewed in all those locations and channels as well. A headless CMS preview system must be environmentally aware and very flexible so it can be validated to look exactly the same in any published incarnation.
To this end, developers can employ custom preview URIs for each staging channel and location. This means content can be drafted and reviewed in a QA environment for staging, previewed in staging as a release candidate, or previewed in production channels with inbound tokens for draft validation. Therefore, content editors, marketing teams, and QA teams can not only see how content renders on various channels, but they can also assess appropriate functionality within proposed UX, UI, and engagement specific to each channel.
For example, a promotion may play in full imagery, animation, and sound interactivity on a responsive webpage but need to be abbreviated and constrained on a native mobile app with less real estate. Or it may need to be reduced to the bare messaging on a smart fridge door screen or digital signage kiosk. By routing each channel’s specific front-end application to the headless CMS preview space through API, each team can ensure that the same content blocks render properly across each user experience.
This type of room preview by channel is essential for cross-platform content/visual coherence and design integrity. A client should never be shocked when a project goes live; scaling issues, untranslated content, incorrectly cropped logos should all be discovered sooner through this preview room. Furthermore, this gives designers and marketers peace of mind for how their content will be experienced across the board, especially if AR/VR components or audiation opportunities are at stake.
In addition, the ability to preview across environments supports collaboration and stakeholder approval workflows. Frequently, business users and legal and geo-specific approvers need to gain access to review at various stages in a content lifecycle. Thus, being able to preview in the proper channel and at the proper time in draft, scheduled, and in a QA queue for content review becomes easier and more effective. It can be sent via secure links to external partners or channels like Slack and Teams, providing a quicker approval/comment function so nothing gets delayed from publishing.
When an enterprise can provide a seamless, cognizant previewing function across environments, it not only helps with quality control and streamlined publishing options, but also guarantees that any piece of content is fully approved and vetted before it goes to publication and an audience regardless of where that audience experiences it. This is a necessary function for successful rich digital experiences across any platform and at any level of distribution.
Enabling Collaboration and Feedback in the Preview Process
Yet previewing content is only one aspect of the editorial process. The teams also need a way to communicate, leave notes, and approve changes after they’ve finished previewing. By connecting the headless CMS to project management or communication tools, think Slack, Trello, or Asana companies can automate communication and request feedback in the already established workflows.
For example, as soon as a team drafts new content and gets a preview link, it can automatically be sent to the proper stakeholders for review. Change requests and comments can either be added in the CMS or synced to the other tools, accomplishing the feedback loop faster. The connection between previewing and operating allows for quicker turnaround times, fewer mistakes, and ultimately, better content.
Conclusion
The need for a content preview system within a headless CMS exists for team empowerment, collaborative communication, and publish day successes. Thus, with the proper front-end framework connected via API calls, access via secure token integration, and segmented workflow opportunities, companies can have in-the-moment previews to show exactly what a user will see upon publication.
Since digital content is multimodal, multi device, and multi-format, the ability to preview in a responsive and scalable manner keeps editors, marketers, and designers on the same page without having to make guesses, empowers back-end developers without overwhelming them, and ultimately makes for better, faster, and more accurate digital content delivery.
