3 ways to build content-driven website
Hi there! 👋 Let’s explore how to build content-driven websites. Examples of such websites include blogs, documentation sites, and knowledge bases. The way you structure these websites depends on the source of your content.
GitHub as a Content Source
In this approach, content is stored directly within a Git repository. Content is typically written in Markdown or MDX files, and a parser is used to convert them into HTML.
Advantages:
- ✅ Developer friendly
- ✅ Supports MDX, allowing for highly interactive websites. Check out this example
Disadvantages
- 😓 Difficult for non-developers, as content lives within the codebase
- ⌛ Every change requires a deployment, meaning updates are not real-time
- 📦 Repository size grows as content increases
Examples
- Astro is framework for building static sites
- Content collections
Github with an Admin-panel
This approach is similar to the previous one, but with an admin panel, allowing content to be published directly from a web interface.
Advantages:
- ✅ Friendly for both developers and content creators
- ✅ Enables the creation of interactive websites
Disadvantages
- ⌛ Changes still require a deployment since content is stored in GitHub
- 📦 Repository size grows as content increases
Examples
Dynamic Content Source
In this approach, content is fetched from a database or a content provider, enabling real-time updates.
Advantages:
- ✅ Content creation and publishing are seamless
- ✅ Scales well for larger websites
Disadvantages
- 💰 May incur costs for setup (although free services are available)
- 🤔 Choosing the right stack can be challenging, as there are many options
Examples
- PayloadCMS - A Next.js-native headless CMS
- Sanity
- Contentful
Each approach has its own pros and cons, so the right choice depends on your use case. If you’re a developer comfortable with Git, GitHub-based approaches might work well. If you need real-time publishing and better scalability, a dynamic CMS is the way to go.