The right CMS for the problem. SEO and performance from day one.
Every build starts with proven architecture
We build content platforms on the CMS that fits your problem — not the one we're most comfortable with.
FocusReactive is an engineering-led headless CMS agency that builds high-performance content platforms with Next.js. We're official partners of Sanity, Storyblok, Contentful, and Payload CMS — and we've shipped production sites on Directus and DatoCMS too. Every project ships with SEO/GEO, Core Web Vitals optimization, and structured data built into the architecture, not added as a follow-up.
Headless CMS development is our entire focus. That focus compounds. Over years of shipping content platforms, we've developed a deep library of reusable, production-tested components — our CMS-Kit. Page builders, navigation systems, localization patterns, structured content models, SEO configurations — the architecture that takes most teams weeks to figure out, we've already built and refined across dozens of deployments.
Our headless CMS development services cover the full scope: platform selection, content modeling, Next.js frontend build, CMS integration with your existing tools, and performance engineering from day one. We run technical audits for teams who need an expert assessment of their current stack, and handle full-scale migrations from WordPress and legacy platforms to modern headless architecture.
If this sounds like the kind of problem you're working through, let's talk.
We’ve built a scalable content platform for QuantHealth with DatoCMS and NextJS
20%
Load time reduction
80+
Unique CMS components
<1 sec
Page load time
50%
Faster content updates
Six platforms. Deep expertise in each.
Payload CMS
Payload CMS Full-stack TypeScript CMS and application framework. Custom schemas, built-in authentication, file management, and a flexible admin UI — all in a single codebase. A strong choice when the CMS and application layer need to live together.
Storyblok Visual-first headless CMS with a real-time editor and component-based content model. The platform we recommend when editorial independence is the priority — your content team builds and previews pages without developer involvement.
Sanity Real-time, API-first content platform with deep customization. Sanity's content lake architecture gives developers fine-grained control over content modeling, and its live collaboration makes it a strong fit for teams with complex editorial workflows.
Directus Open-source data platform that wraps any SQL database in a configurable headless CMS. The right pick when you need to build on top of existing data structures or want full control over infrastructure.
An enterprise-grade, cloud-native CMS offering robust APIs, localization, and structured content modeling.
DatoCMS
DatoCMS Developer-friendly CMS built for performance. Strong support for static site generation, GraphQL APIs, image optimization, and localization — well-suited for Jamstack projects that need fast global delivery.
Reusable, production-tested architecture Our CMS-Kit — bespoke page builders, navigation, localization, content models, SEO configs — has been refined across dozens of production deployments. Your project starts where our last one finished.
Performance by Default
SEO and performance from day one Every project includes a Next.js and SEO audit as standard. Core Web Vitals, structured data, rendering and caching strategy, GEO configuration — so your content surfaces in traditional search and AI-powered results alike.
Accurate Estimates
Accurate estimates, predictable delivery 90% of our projects stay within initial scope. We invest the time upfront so the estimate reflects what we'll actually build.
Our Clients Say
"FocusReactive helped us launch a high-performing website with 20% faster load times and 40% less manual work thanks to seamless integrations. DatoCMS also allowed our team to update content 50% faster, all delivered with clear communication and reliable project management."
Gal Lampel
Operations Manager, QuantHealth
We worked with FocusReactive to bring our website and blog into a single, modern setup that’s much easier for our team to manage. They rebuilt the pages based on our designs, migrated the blog to Payload CMS, and handled changes smoothly as the project evolved. Communication was quick and straightforward, and the end result is a flexible platform that will scale with us as our content and product grow.
Jonathan Bull
CEO at EmailOctopus
"FocusReactive has been an exceptional partner, delivering all our requirements ahead of schedule. Their team feels like an extension of ours, understanding our strategy and anticipating our needs. They helped us build two modern, SEO-friendly marketing websites that our marketing team can easily manage without relying on developers. The team is incredibly talented, responsive, and always takes pride in their work. Thanks to FocusReactive, we've been able to scale our marketing efforts more effectively. We couldn’t have asked for a better partner."
Mike Addonizio
VP of Marketing at Betway
We picked FocusReactive over other partners because of their no-nonsense approach, technical know-how, experience and price. FocusReactive’s work has doubled SEO traffic in the first week and has received positive feedback from stakeholders. A lot of companies have layers of sales on top of them and if you don't plan in advance, you cannot get the resources needed. FocusReactive ensures that you are never blocked because they will prioritise for you.
Igor Oudekerk
Product Owner, EasyPark
Our Project Types
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Marketing Content Platforms
Your marketing team needs to publish fast, experiment freely, and manage content across markets — without filing developer tickets. We build scalable content platforms on modern headless CMS stacks that give editorial teams full independence: localization, A/B testing, custom workflows — all backed by performance optimization and SEO built into the architecture.
Migrating from WordPress, Drupal, or another legacy CMS is where most teams hesitate. We've done it at scale — thousands of pages, zero downtime, redirect maps preserved, search rankings maintained. Whether it's a migration or a greenfield integration, we've seen this pattern before.
We build high-performance storefronts using composable commerce architecture. From Shopify Hydrogen to custom Next.js frontends, we connect CMS-driven content with product backends — designed for fast page loads, strong SEO, and the kind of editorial-rich shopping experience that converts.
A headless CMS separates content management from content presentation. Instead of a monolithic system where the CMS controls both what you write and how it's displayed, a headless CMS stores structured content and delivers it through APIs. Your frontend — whether it's a Next.js site, a mobile app, or a digital signage system — pulls content from the CMS and renders it however it needs to. The "headless" part means there's no built-in frontend. You bring your own.
It depends on the project. Sanity excels at custom content modeling and real-time collaboration. Storyblok is the strongest option when editorial independence and visual editing are the priority. Contentful fits enterprise teams managing content at scale. Payload is ideal when the CMS and the application need to share a codebase. Directus works best when you're building on existing databases. DatoCMS is a strong performer for Jamstack projects that need speed. We've written a detailed comparison if you want to go deeper.
A traditional CMS like WordPress couples your content to a specific presentation layer — the theme controls how pages look, and the CMS generates the HTML. A headless CMS removes that coupling. Content lives in structured fields delivered via API, and your frontend team builds the presentation layer with whatever framework fits. The benefit is flexibility: faster performance, reusable content across channels, and a frontend stack you actually control. The tradeoff is that the separation introduces architectural decisions — content modeling, caching strategy, preview infrastructure — that need to be designed well. That's the part that's easy to get wrong.
Yes — when the architecture is set up correctly. Headless CMS with Next.js gives you precise control over rendering strategy (ISR, SSR, static), structured data, meta tags, and Core Web Vitals — all of which directly impact search performance. The advantage over monolithic CMS platforms is that you're not limited by themes or plugins. The tradeoff is that SEO configuration is your responsibility, not the CMS's. We include SEO and performance engineering in every project as standard, including structured data for GEO — making sure your content surfaces in AI-powered search results alongside traditional rankings.
Editorial independence is the big one — your content team publishes without waiting on developers. Beyond that: significantly faster page loads, better SEO performance through modern rendering strategies, the ability to reuse content across web, mobile, and other channels, and a codebase that's maintainable long-term. For teams publishing at scale, headless architecture also makes localization, A/B testing, and multi-market expansion substantially easier to manage.
No. If you're running a simple blog or a brochure site that doesn't need custom frontend development, a traditional CMS is probably simpler and cheaper. Headless CMS development makes the most sense when you need editorial independence, when performance and SEO are critical, when you're publishing across multiple platforms, or when your frontend requirements have outgrown what a monolithic CMS can support. We'll tell you honestly which approach fits — even if the answer isn't headless.
In the last couple of years, the Headless CMS demand and its popularity have been increasing due to the fact that developers want more freedom and rich front-end frameworks
Choosing a Headless CMS in 2026: A Straight-Talk Guide
The headless CMS market has matured. The platforms aren't that different on paper — they all promise editorial flexibility, API-first delivery, and developer happiness. Strip away the positioning and the differences become specific, architectural, and consequential. This opinionated guide tells you what each platform actually does well, where it falls short, and who should use it.
