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Headless CMS with Sanity

A headless CMS is a content management system that stores pages, posts and cases as structured fields and delivers the content to a website through an API. Pavlo Zhydkykh sets up a headless CMS with Sanity in every Astro + Sanity build: from $1,200 for a landing page or $3,000 for a multi-page site, in 1 to 4 weeks.

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CMS
Sanity Studio
Front end
Static Astro site
From
$1,200
Timeline
1 to 4 weeks
Editors
No developer needed
After launch
$30 / hour

Key takeawaysUpdated By

Key takeaways

  • A headless CMS makes content available through an API for display on any device, without a built-in front end.[1]
  • Sanity Studio is an open-source editing app where developers define the content model in JavaScript.[2]
  • Sanity stores content as JSON documents, so one entry, such as a case or a FAQ answer, can be reused on many pages.[3]
  • Pavlo Zhydkykh sets up Sanity Studio with one content type for each kind of thing on the site: page, post, case, team member, FAQ.
  • Sanity comes with every Astro + Sanity build by Pavlo, from $1,200 for a landing page and $3,000 for a multi-page site.

What is a headless CMS?

A headless CMS is a content management system that stores content without a page layout and delivers the content to the website through an API. Editors fill in clear fields and the website decides how each field looks, so the same content feeds several pages and the sitemap, and survives a redesign without being re-entered.

Wikipedia: Headless content management system

Pavlo Zhydkykh

“A CMS is only as good as the fields inside. Get the content model right and editors stop asking a developer for help.”

Pavlo Zhydkykh · Web designer and developer since 2016

Fit check

Is Headless CMS
right for you?

A good fit if

  • Marketing teams that publish posts, cases or docs every week.
  • Sites where the same content repeats: FAQ answers, team, pricing, logos on many pages.
  • Teams that want the content in a Sanity project on the company account, separate from any one design.
  • Content with a clear structure: integrations, locations, product specs, glossary terms.

Not the right fit if

  • A five-page site whose texts change twice a year.
  • Editors who want to move sections and design layouts without a developer: a headless CMS edits content, not layout.
  • Projects where nobody will own the content after launch.

Compared

Page-based CMS vs headless CMS

WordPress-style pages against structured content in Sanity.

Page-based CMS vs headless CMS
CriterionPage-based CMSSanity, headless
Content stored asPages with layout mixed inFields by meaning: title, summary, author
ReuseCopy and paste between pagesOne entry, referenced anywhere
RedesignContent re-entered page by pageNew design, same content
EditingPage builder, easy to break the layoutClear forms with validation
DeliveryPage built on each visit or cachedStatic pages built from the content

Checklist

7 content model mistakes that slow editors down

Most of the pain editors feel in a CMS starts in the content model. Pavlo rules these out in week 1.

  1. 1. One big rich text field

    A page stored as one long text block cannot be reused or validated. Split the page into fields: title, summary, sections, call to action.

  2. 2. Layout in the field names

    Fields like "left column" or "blue box" tie content to one design. Name fields by meaning, so a redesign keeps the content.

  3. 3. Copies instead of references

    The same FAQ answer pasted on five pages goes out of date on four of the five. Store the answer once and reference the entry.

  4. 4. No SEO fields

    Without a separate title, description and social image, every page falls back to a default. Pavlo adds these fields to each document type from day one.

  5. 5. Images without alt text

    Make alt text a required field next to every image, so an image cannot be published without a description.

  6. 6. No validation

    Required fields and length limits stop a 200-character headline before the headline breaks the layout.

  7. 7. Slug changes without redirects

    Changing a slug breaks every link to the old URL. Decide who adds the redirect each time, or the old URL returns a 404.

How it works

From content model to launch in 1 to 4 weeks

The content model comes first, before any page is built. Here is the path for a multi-page site.

From content model to launch in 1 to 4 weeks, step by step
#StepWhenWhat happensYou get
01 Call and fixed price Week 1 A call with Pavlo about your content, who edits the content and how often. A fixed price and timeline in writing
02 Content model Week 1 Every content type, field and reference planned with you, from pages to posts. An agreed content model
03 Design: key pages Weeks 1-2 Key pages designed in Figma around the model, then your first round of feedback. An approved design
04 Studio and site build Weeks 2-4 Sanity Studio with your content types and validation, and the Astro site reading from Sanity. A working Studio and site on a preview link
05 Content and SEO Week 4 Your final texts added, SEO fields, schema, sitemap and llms.txt set up. A site ready for Google and AI search
06 Feedback, round 2 Week 4 A second round on the working site and the Studio. Final fixes
07 Launch and handover End of week 4 Site live on your domain, and Pavlo walks your editors through the Studio. Editors who publish without a developer

Pricing

Build your estimate

Pick the project and add what you need. The final price is fixed after the first call, before any work starts.

01 · Project
02 · Add-ons

In their words

Headless CMS, in the words
of docs and Pavlo's clients

Word for word, with the source linked: research, official documentation and the people Pavlo Zhydkykh has worked for.

“Most platforms provide web-based interfaces for creating and managing structured content while exposing that content through APIs (typically REST, GraphQL, or both) for delivery to websites, mobile applications, and other digital channels.”

WikipediaHeadless content management systemSource ↗

“Sanity Studio is an open-source, real-time collaborative content workbench where developers define content models using JavaScript objects.”

Sanity DocsSanity StudioSource ↗

“Sanity stores your data, and some system data, in JSON documents.”

Sanity DocsContent LakeSource ↗

“He is amazing in what he contributes, both design-wise and also from the ideas.”

Oliver BockOwner, The B2B Answer · Website design, 2025Source ↗

“It was an absolute pleasure working with Pavlo. The quality of work he delivered was AMAZING.”

Ed ClarkeFounder, Inturai · Website design and SEOSource ↗

“One of the best contractors I have worked with. Really thoughtful about communication. Would 100% hire again.”

Remi LabelleCOO, Accolade Pro · Web app designSource ↗

FAQ

Questions about
Headless CMS

Still unsure? Ask your AI about Pavlo Zhydkykh:

ChatGPTPerplexityClaudeGeminiGrok

Q.01

How much does a headless CMS setup cost?

Sanity comes with every Astro + Sanity build by Pavlo: a landing page from $1,200, a multi-page site from $3,000. Adding Sanity to an existing Astro site gets a fixed quote after a first call.

Q.02

How long does a headless CMS setup take?

1 to 2 weeks with a landing page, 2 to 4 weeks with a multi-page site. The content model is agreed in week 1, before the build starts.

Q.03

Who owns the content?

You do. The Sanity project is created on your account and the content can be exported at any time, so the content depends neither on Pavlo nor on the current design.

Q.04

What do I need to provide?

A list of what you publish (posts, cases, team, docs), the texts for launch and the names of your editors. Pavlo turns that list into the content model.

Q.05

What are the risks?

The main one is a weak content model: fixing the model later means editors re-enter content. That is why Pavlo agrees the model with you in week 1, before any page is built.

Q.06

What happens after launch?

Editors publish in Sanity Studio without a developer, and each publish rebuilds the site. You pay Sanity directly on the Sanity plans, and new fields or content types are small jobs Pavlo does at $30 an hour, with no retainer.

Sources and further reading

  1. [1] WikipediaHeadless content management system
  2. [2] Sanity DocsSanity Studio
  3. [3] Sanity DocsContent Lake
  4. [4] Astro DocsSanity and Astro
  5. [5] Google Search CentralIntroduction to structured data
Pavlo Zhydkykh

About the author

Pavlo Zhydkykh

Pavlo Zhydkykh is a web designer and developer in Eastern Europe who has built websites for AI, fintech and B2B startups since 2016, designing and building each project himself on Framer or Astro + Sanity. Clients include MStudio Asia, Silicon Data, Inturai, Accolade Pro, NimbleStax and Sancts.

  • Top Rated on Upwork
  • 100% Job Success
  • 10 years since 2016
  • 50+ sites shipped
  • 90+ PageSpeed at launch
Kulparkivska St. 200, Lviv 79021, Ukraine +380 93 610 62 68 [email protected]

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