Headless CMS Development
Headless CMS development — Sanity, Contentful and Strapi builds with Astro/Next.js frontends. One content source, every channel, sub-second pages.
HandsOnTech builds headless CMS platforms — structured content in Sanity, Contentful or Strapi feeding Astro or Next.js frontends — for teams that need editorial freedom, multi-channel publishing and performance a monolith can't reach.
Headless separates what editors touch from what users load: content lives as structured data, the frontend is hand-optimized code, and the same source feeds your site, app and anything that comes next. The craft is in modeling content so editors feel empowered, not caged.
Separate what editors touch from what users load
A headless build splits the CMS into what it should have been all along: structured content in a clean editing interface (Sanity, Contentful or Strapi), delivered through a hand-optimized Astro or Next.js frontend. Editors get real workflows — drafts, roles, scheduled publishing — while users get pages with nothing between them and the content: no theme bloat, no plugin scripts, no render-blocking anything. The same content source can feed your site, your app and whatever channel comes next, written once and published everywhere.
Content modeling is where headless succeeds or fails
The technology is the easy half. The hard half is modeling your content so editors feel empowered instead of caged: fields granular enough to power design without becoming a form with forty inputs, references that map how your content actually relates, and governance that scales past the second team. We model a real slice of your content in the leading candidate CMS before you commit — because discovering the model is wrong after migration is the expensive version of that lesson. And if headless is overkill for your case, the scoping call will say so plainly.
What’s included in every web build
SEO architecture, performance and conversion — not just pixels and code.
SEO-native architecture
Keyword-mapped URLs, hub-and-spoke internal links, Service and FAQ schema, XML sitemap and breadcrumb structure planned before build.
Core Web Vitals performance
Lighthouse 90+ targets, image optimization, lazy loading and green LCP/CLS/INP on mobile.
Marketing & e-commerce
WordPress, Shopify, Webflow or Astro/Next.js — chosen for your team and search goals.
Launch & handoff
GA4, Search Console, CMS training, 30-day bug warranty and full code ownership.
Discovery → architecture → build → launch
Staging demos every two weeks — SEO and CWV checked each sprint.
Discovery
Free audit, competitor SERP review, metric agreement and written fixed quote.
Architecture
URL map, wireframes, schema plan and internal linking before production code.
Build
Two-week sprints with staging links, CWV tuning and on-page SEO per page.
Launch
Go-live, indexation checks, analytics and 30-day warranty.
Three ways to engage
Every model starts with a free consultation and a written quote — the price you sign is the price you pay.
Fixed-Price Project
A scoped build with a written price and a launch date — agreed before design begins.
- Written scope and fixed quote within 48 hours
- Two-week sprints with staging demos every other Friday
- Milestone payments tied to shipped work
- 30-day bug warranty in the contract
- Code, designs and content transfer on final payment
Growth Retainer
Monthly compounding work on organic and paid visibility, reported against pipeline.
- Monthly sprint plan agreed in advance
- Live dashboard — the same numbers we see
- AI visibility report: which prompts name you
- No long lock-in — cancel with 30 days notice
- Same team as your build, no handoff loss
Dedicated Team
Senior specialists embedded in your Slack, repo and standups — capacity without recruiting.
- Start within 1–2 weeks of the intro call
- Your tools, your process, your time zone
- Scale seats up or down with two weeks notice
- NDA and full IP assignment from day one
- Direct access — no account-manager relay
Shipped, measured, still running
Live projects with measured results — visit them before you hire us.
BusyHen
A seven-screen booking flow rebuilt to three taps — around how parents actually book.
Ultimate Junk Removal
A brochure site rebuilt as a quote machine with local SEO in the structure, not sprinkled on top.
Angel Care
Rewritten in plain language, WCAG 2.2 AA throughout — and search finally found it.
HandsOnTech vs. typical dev shops
The stack we ship with
Chosen per project for your team and roadmap — never by our habits.
Design
Frontend
Backend
Platforms
Mobile
AI
What our clients say
“HandsOnTech nailed our new website. The design was stunning, the development flawless, and their marketing lifted our visibility right away.”
“From concept to launch, they delivered. Their development brought a complex application to life and put us in front of exactly the audience we needed.”
“We needed a full brand refresh. They gave us the look, the platform and the growth engine — and the growth engine is still running.”
30-day warranty
Bugs found in the first month get fixed free — in the contract.
You own everything
Code, designs and content transfer on final payment.
U.S. hours overlap
Standups and demos on ET, CT, MT or PT — your pick.
Fixed price, fixed date
Quoted in writing before work starts. No surprise change orders.
More Web Development services
Explore other capabilities
Common questions
Is headless CMS overkill for our marketing site?
Sometimes — a small brochure site rarely repays the setup. Headless earns its cost when you publish across channels, run multiple sites from one content source, need frontend performance a monolith can't hit, or your dev team wants a modern stack. Scoping settles it with your actual requirements.
Which headless CMS do you recommend?
Sanity for editorial flexibility and real-time collaboration, Contentful for enterprise governance and multi-team scale, Strapi when self-hosting or budget control matters. The honest answer depends on your team's workflow — we model a slice of your actual content in the leading candidate before you commit.
What is Headless CMS Development?
Headless CMS Development is a scoped engagement from HandsOnTech — a U.S. design, development and growth studio. We map URL architecture, internal links and schema before build, tie web development work to one business metric and deliver in two-week sprints with staging demos.
How much does headless cms development cost?
Every project is quoted after a free audit and scope review. You receive a written fixed-price proposal with milestones and timeline within 48 hours — no hourly creep or surprise change orders.
How long does headless cms development take?
Marketing websites typically ship in 4–6 weeks. Web apps and AI dashboards take 8–12 weeks. Mobile apps take 10–16 weeks. Exact timeline is confirmed in your written scope before work starts.
Is SEO included in the build?
Yes — technical SEO is built in from the first wireframe: semantic HTML, Core Web Vitals tuning, Service and FAQ schema, XML sitemap, internal linking and on-page structure. Ongoing SEO and AEO retainers are available after launch.
Built for founders who are done waiting on agencies.
One team. One contract. Working software every two weeks.
Tell us what you're building.
You'll get a plan, a price and a date — usually within two business days. No sales deck, no discovery-call maze.
- ✉️sales@handsontech.ioWe reply within one business day
- 📞(866) 965-8749Mon–Fri, 9am–6pm ET
- 📍2108 N ST STE NSacramento, CA 95816
- ⚡Free website auditRecorded walkthrough back in 48 hours
- 🔒NDA on requestSigned before you share anything sensitive