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Payload is a modern headless CMS that uses powerful technologies like TypeScript, Node.js, and React—technologies that form the core of our frontend development stack. Its endless customisation options enable us to build tailored APIs and flexible content structures that perfectly match our clients' specific requirements.

What is Payload CMS?

We’ve seen countless benefits from Payload since we’ve been using it, and they’re benefits to both us and our clients. We’ve picked out our top seven benefits below:

The benefits of Payload CMS

A lot of our clients often come to us with a website and a few third-party SaaS systems they want to speak to their website, portal, or app, like <a href="https://sidigital.co/services/integrate/salesforce">Salesforce</a> or a <a href="https://sidigital.co/services/integrate/payment-gateways">payment gateway</a>. Payload’s headless CMS features an Application Programming Interface (API) endpoint, and when paired with our Si Middleware, we can integrate systems into websites, portals, or apps with ease. It means data can be fetched, updated, and created quickly and easily, so our clients can access their data from the CMS anywhere they like.<a href="https://sidigital.co/services/integrate">We integrate all sorts of third-party systems</a> into our client websites, and Payload makes the process a lot quicker and easier for both our clients and us. It’s a win-win situation.

1. Integration

Nobody wants to have to rebuild their website every year. Not only would it be costly and time-consuming, but it can be a jarring experience for your users too. Payload is a future-proofed CMS option. Using the latest TypeScript and Node technology, Payload is built to be secure and reliable. It receives regular updates as well, keeping everything running smoothly on your site.

2. Longevity

Websites can often be left in the same state for long periods of time, and this is often due to the pain of trying to get changes and code updated. Payload is built around flexible content modelling, which means it’s easier for our developers to quickly add features and fields to your website. This means websites can grow and scale at the same rate as your business, so your website never falls behind.

3. Flexibility

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Security is normally our clients’ top priority. Over the last few years, cyber attacks and hack rates have rocketed, meaning there’s more focus than ever before on keeping your website’s sensitive data safe and secure.Payload is self-hosted, which means you have control and oversight of all the data that the website holds and accesses. This is a huge benefit for companies that have websites that contain sensitive user data such as personal information. Your data is fully controlled by you, not a third-party service.

4. Security

Website performance is essential for success in the world of digital. Studies have found that around <a href="https://prerender.io/blog/page-speed-tips-and-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">40% of desktop users</a> will leave a website if it takes more than three seconds to load - and this number rises to 53% for mobile users. It’s also worth noting that search engines like Google <a href="https://www.debugbear.com/docs/page-load-time#what-is-a-good-page-load-time" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">penalise websites that take over 4 seconds to load</a>, pushing you further down the results list. The message is clear: the faster your website performs, the better chance you have of keeping visitors engaged with your content.Payload's headless CMS is optimised to load content and images quickly, especially when combined with Next.js static site generation. Users expect to find content quickly and easily—it's a fundamental UX principle that leads to higher conversion rates, and this performance boost ensures your users are getting to where they want to be quickly.But it’s not just your website’s users that can benefit from the performance boost. The backend of the CMS is lightning quick as well. Building out new pages can take a matter of minutes. Adding in blocks is instant, uploading images is rapid, and saving your page between edits is speedy, meaning clients spend less time waiting around for content and blocks loading in.

5. Performance

Quality is at the heart of everything we do here. Payload supports TypeScript, a powerful enhancement of JavaScript created by Microsoft, to ensure our code meets the highest standards. Its strict typing system helps us catch errors early and write more reliable code, resulting in robust and maintainable websites for our clients.

6. Quality

It’s important as ever to ensure your site performs well from an SEO perspective to ensure the correct users are finding your site. Improving rankings on Google and other search engines means more traffic to your site. Payload comes with a whole host of SEO tools built-in as standard, and they’re super easy to use.Its visual-led design tells you how your meta descriptions and images are performing, as well as giving you an SEO check score out of three. You can upload a custom meta image too to maximise impact. Payload will even give you a preview of how your page will look when it shows up on search listings.

7. SEO

Thanks to Payload’s flexibility, it’s a great option for many different types of websites across all sorts of industries. We’ve built massive websites with complex SaaS integrations like Harwin, to smaller brochure sites like our own. But Payload CMS is also a great option for content-rich websites and blogs, membership platforms, internal enterprise tools, and much more.

What type of site would benefit from a Payload CMS?

From flexibility to security to SEO, Payload excels at being a slick, optimised CMS for our clients that lets them reap the rewards of a fully optimised website. Moving CMS is never an easy decision, and usually involves a full website rebuild and redesign, but the benefits can be huge. Payload is an excellent example of how a CMS should be, and as a modern agency, we’ve loved every minute of our move across to Payload.If you’ve got a website you’re thinking of rebuilding and want to move across to Payload, <a href="https://sidigital.co/contact">get in touch</a>.

Conclusion

Have a read of some of our other articles

The benefits of choosing Payload CMS for your business’s next website

Every year, some of the backend development team head off to <a href="https://www.phpconference.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">PHP UK Conference at The Brewery in London</a>. With over 300 sponsors, <a href="https://www.phpconference.co.uk/speakers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">speakers</a>, and delegates, the conference is all about the latest tips, tricks, and technologies relating to PHP programming. We asked some of the team what their key takeaways were; here’s what they had to say, as well as some behind-the-scenes photos!

Our first takeaway is from Wim Godden from Cu.be Solutions. His talk covered <a href="https://www.redhat.com/en/ansible-collaborative" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ansible</a>, an open-source IT automation tool that simplifies tasks like system configuration, software deployment and workflow orchestration. Ansible is written in Python and uses a human-readable language, so it’s great to work with.Wim gave us an insight into how his company uses Ansible to deploy code to hundreds of different Linux-based machines all over the globe, all with varying states of network connectivity. It was interesting to learn how flexible Ansible is for use cases like this, and a really unique take on code deployment.

01. Unique uses for Ansible

Our next takeaway is from Katy Ereira from Personio. Her talk titled ‘Shrek, Onions and Architecture’ was a great analogy and a good listen, especially when it came to ‘hexagonal architecture’, a software design pattern that aims to create a flexible, maintainable, and loosely coupled system. She also highlighted some useful tips for working with legacy and monolith codebases and how to refactor and organise them to modernise and reduce complexity.We often have clients come to us with complex, dated codebases, so this is something we can’t wait to try out, and we think the benefits for our clients will be great.

02. Codebase efficiencies

Our third takeaway was from Lorna Mitchell, a technology leader and developer experience expert from Yorkshire. She gave an in-depth talk about the latest developments in the OpenAPI Spec, which we’ve recently been using to document some APIs we’ve been working on.OpenAPI Spec can be used for so much more, like documenting 3rd party APIs, while giving you the ability to overlay changes on top of new revisions. Or, you can use software like <a href="https://microcks.io/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Microcks</a> to run a mock server based off an OpenAPI Spec to rate your spec out of five. This is also really useful for allowing frontend and backend teams to work simultaneously, improving efficiency across the board.

03. More OpenAPI Spec uses

Our final takeaway was from Nils Adermann, co-creator of a powerful tool we use called <a href="https://getcomposer.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Composer</a>. He gave an interesting talk about supply chain security, where he emphasised the importance of not only making our own code secure, but also the third-party code your own code depends on. Securing our own code is the first step, but many people forget about securing third-party code, so hackers often target this code first.Composer manages the metadata of the third-party code used in projects, but pulls the code from the source, like GitHub, where there are lots of ways malicious attackers can control the code, such as GitHub Repo hijacking.Nils goes on to talk about how a lot of these issues can be mitigated and minimised by using tools like Private Packagist in order to secure your own version of both the code and metadata, giving you total control of your security.

04. Supply chain security

It looks like it’s going to be a good year ahead for PHP, and we can’t wait to bring some of these exciting new features to our client projects in the future to make their websites more secure, streamlined and reliable.We’re already looking forward to PHP UK Conference 2026!

Our top four takeaways from PHP UK Conference 2025

In the world of software development, technical debt is the accumulation of code, shortcuts, or imperfections that are introduced to speed up a project. While these quick fixes may seem like a good idea in the short term, they can lead to long-term challenges. Just as financial debt accrues interest over time, technical debt accrues "interest" in the form of additional time and resources required to maintain and enhance the software.

Understanding Technical Debt

Technical debt can manifest in various ways; affecting the scalability, performance, and maintenance of software systems. As businesses evolve and technology advances, the burden of technical debt can obstruct innovation and hinder progress for team members.Addressing technical debt is not just a matter of software quality; it’s there to ensure the long-term sustainability of a custom software build.

Implications of Technical Debt

Here at Si digital, we uphold proactive measures to mitigate technical debt and create software solutions with the aim of efficiency and longevity. Here are some of our top strategies we use to address and resolve technical debt effectively:<ol class="list-number"><li value=1>Refactoring & Code Cleanup: Regular refactoring of code and elimination of redundant or outdated components can help improve the quality and maintainability of software systems.</li><li value=2>Automated Testing: Implementing robust automated testing frameworks can identify and flag potential issues early in the development process, reducing the accumulation of technical debt.</li><li value=3>Knowledge Sharing: Maintaining documentation and knowledge sharing within teams can prevent the recurrence of technical debt and promote best practices. It’s also a great way to enhance team-working skills.</li><li value=4>Iterative Development: Adopting an iterative development approach allows for frequent feedback and opportunities to address technical debt throughout the project lifecycle instead of it building up towards the end.</li></ol>Technical debt is an inherent aspect of software development, but it does not have to be a hindrance. By understanding the implications and implementing proactive measures before it becomes an issue, businesses can ensure the sustainability of their custom builds.

Tackling Technical Debt

If you’d like to book in a consultation with us, feel free to submit a <a href="https://sidigital.co/contact">form</a> to get in touch. At Si digital, we are committed to finding elegant solutions to complex technical problems, ensuring that our clients achieve their customer satisfaction goals.

What is technical debt and how can it be solved?

Custom software development caters to the unique needs of businesses, providing tailored solutions that integrate with existing systems like Salesforce or Sage. However, with this level of customisation comes the responsibility of safeguarding sensitive data and ensuring its integrity and confidentiality. At Si digital, we work hard to implement robust security measures to protect our clients' data and uphold the trust they place in us.

Ensuring Data Integrity & Confidentiality

With cyber threats and data breaches constantly on the rise, the need for secure custom software is more important than ever. That’s why our approach encompasses a proactive stance on cybersecurity. We’ve worked with <a href="https://sidigital.co/work">clients</a> in the UK and the US to mitigate cybersecurity risks and solidify their digital infrastructure against potential threats.

Mitigating Cybersecurity Risks

Adhering to data privacy regulations and industry standards is a non-negotiable aspect of our custom software development process. At Si digital we are committed to being ethically responsible which drives us to implement privacy-by-design principles, allowing the protection of personal data to be at the forefront of our practices.

Regulatory Compliance & Ethical Responsibility

In an environment where consumer trust is pivotal, businesses that prioritise data privacy and invest in secure custom software gain a competitive advantage. From our past experiences, demonstrating a commitment to safeguarding data fosters an environment of trust and loyalty which helps us achieve long term partnerships with our clients.

Data Protection as a Competitive Advantage

Our client relationships are created and nurtured through trust and respect. By partnering with Si digital, you can rest assured that you’ll be working with a team that upholds the principles of confidentiality, integrity, and innovation, whilst safeguarding sensitive information and digital assets.

Choosing Si digital for a Secure Digital Future

The importance of having secure custom software and data privacy

Custom software allows businesses to create solutions specifically designed to meet their unique requirements. Whether it's building bespoke mobile apps, custom software systems, or integrating existing systems like Salesforce and Sage, the focus is on delivering solutions that are aligned with the organisation's processes and objectives. Creating this tailored approach allow users to interact with software that has been carefully crafted to cater to their needs.

Tailored Solutions for Unique Needs

By investing in custom software, businesses can streamline their internal processes and improve overall efficiency. At Si digital we’ve helped companies like <a href="https://sidigital.co/work/hasbro">Hasbro</a>, <a href="https://sidigital.co/work/wightlink">Wightlink</a>, and <a href="https://sidigital.co/work/harwin">Harwin</a> improve efficiency and performance through custom software solutions. Custom software development ensures that businesses have the tools and systems in place to operate effectively, resulting in smoother workflows and an enhanced user experience.

Streamlined Processes & Efficiency

Wouldn’t it be great if within your business you had the flexibility to integrate with existing systems? Custom software offers exactly that. The integration ensures that businesses can leverage their current systems whilst increasing the functionality to fit unique business needs. Custom software solutions are not only designed for scalability but also consider the sustainability of businesses by optimising on current systems.

Integration & Scalability

At Si digital, we believe that well-thought-out design is essential for enhancing user experience. Our development skills are complemented by a focus on UX and UI design, ensuring that the end-user finds the software visually engaging and intuitive. Our custom software development services are aimed at creating solutions that not only function effectively but also provide a visually appealing and user-friendly experience.By recognising the value of custom software in enhancing UX and customer satisfaction, businesses can leverage tailored solutions to create meaningful and engaging experiences for their users, ultimately driving success and growth.

Clever Development Skills & Thoughtful Design

If you’d like to book in a consultation with us, feel free to submit a <a href="https://sidigital.co/contact">form</a> to get in touch. At Si digital, we are committed to finding elegant solutions to complex technical problems, ensuring that our clients achieve their UX and customer satisfaction goals.

How custom software enhances user experience (UX) and customer satisfaction

Firstly, look for a company with a proven track record of delivering bespoke software solutions. Check out their <a href="https://sidigital.co/work">case studies</a> to assess the quality and complexity of previous projects. An experienced company will have the expertise to unpack a complex problem and create a tailored solution with a twist of creativity that meets your business goals.A company’s drivers and values are also a good reflection of how well your thoughts may align. When involving an external partnership, a company’s <a href="https://sidigital.co/about">values</a> and drivers are a great indicator as to whether you will be able to build a long-lasting valuable relationship.

Expertise & Experience

A reliable bespoke software company should offer custom solutions that are unique to your business. Companies that provide one-size-fits-all solutions won't fully address your specific needs. Therefore, prioritising companies that specialise in creating customised software which align with your company’s processes and objectives will prove to be more of a productive fit.Researching the <a href="https://sidigital.co/services">services</a> a company specialises in would be a good starting place, then delve into the finer details within your consultation call.

Customisation Capabilities

With technology constantly evolving, you’ll want to ensure that the bespoke software company has access to the latest technologies and tools. A company that stays updated with the latest trends in software development will be able to offer innovative solutions for your software integration needs. Inquire about the technologies they use, such as PHP, React, JavaScript, and AWS, to gauge an idea of what is available.

Technology Utilisation

Effective communication is essential for a successful partnership. We encourage honest communication with our clients to allow a safe space for asking questions. Choosing a company that maintains open and transparent communication throughout the development process will create a natural flow. Ensure that the company provides regular updates on the project status and is responsive to your queries and feedback. A company that offers ongoing support and maintenance services after the project completion can also be valuable, but ideally you’re looking for a company that actions the full solution during the estimated project time.

Communication & Support

Selecting the right bespoke software company is a vital decision that can impact the success of your project. By considering factors such as expertise, customisation capabilities, technology stack, and communication, you can choose a reliable company that will deliver a customised software solution tailored to your business needs.

If you’d like to book in a consultation with us, feel free to <a href="https://sidigital.co/contact">submit a form</a> to get in touch. Here at Si digital we love the opportunity to solve problems, with the aim to also build and maintain long-term client relationships!

How to choose the right bespoke software company

Last year was a tough year for WordPress, with seemingly never-ending dramas, publicity nightmares and websites going down all over the web. So, in 2025, we think we’ll begin to see a shift away from WordPress over to more modern, more secure content management system (CMS) options like Payload.WordPress has definitely had its place in the digital world over the last 20 years or so, and is used for just over <a href="https://w3techs.com/technologies/details/cm-wordpress" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">43% of all sites you see on the web</a>. But, it’s become outdated, difficult to manage and insecure. A lot of clients that come across to us here at Si digital often bring their old WordPress builds with them, and they’re often blown away by their new site and CMS when we’ve finished the build and launched. From improved site speed to the simplicity of the CMS to the enhanced site security, CMS’ like Payload are advancing in areas that WordPress has fallen behind in.We made the move across from WordPress to Payload back in 2023, and throughout 2024 we saw the rewards of the move for our clients. You can learn <a href="https://sidigital.co/lab-notes/why-weve-swapped-wordpress-for-payload">more about our move here</a>.

Content Management Systems

Motion UI design is an upcoming 2025 digital trend that we think will take off throughout the year. It’s designed to improve website usability through subtle animation cues, and can help to guide users through a website or user flow with more ease. Animations can help to draw attention to key elements like buttons, or enhance user engagement through dynamic experiences. A few websites are already utilising motion UI design. Take <a href="https://www.apple.com/uk/airpods-pro/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Apple’s AirPod Pro 2 landing page</a>.

Motion UI

This is a great example of how to draw a user to your page through subtle and dynamic animation and motion. While motion UI design can be time consuming, the rewards for the user can be worth it, especially when it helps users get to the content you want them to see.

90% of people say that using <a href="https://www.demandsage.com/voice-search-statistics/#:~:text=Voice%20Search%20Statistics%202024%20(Top,anticipated%20to%20use%20voice%20assistants." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">voice search is easier than searching online</a>, and with voice assistants like Siri and Alexa becoming increasingly integrated with AI, businesses will need to ensure their websites are optimised for voice search. Throughout 2025, we expect to see websites adapting their content to make it suitable for voice search.This involves some work from both developers and copywriters. Content needs to be clear, direct and optimised for natural language processing (NPL) for voice assistants to be able to return useful results to users.It’s also worth remembering that <a href="https://www.demandsage.com/voice-search-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">27% of users use voice search on mobile devices</a>, so ensuring your site is optimised for mobile is also an important factor when it comes to voice search

Voice Search

The market for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) devices <a href="https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/infographics/virtual-reality-market-101378" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">gradually picked up throughout 2024</a>, and it’s expected to be a $244 billion industry by 2032. In 2025, we’re expecting to see some exciting new VR and AR experiences launching. From entertainment to healthcare to education, VR will begin to integrate into new areas of life, bringing with it new accessible, user-friendly experiences.We also think the line between AR and VR will begin to blur, as both technologies begin to share more and more features.We’re just down the road from one of the <a href="https://www.port.ac.uk/research/research-groups-and-centres/ccixr" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">UK’s first VR & AR facilities</a> at the University of Portsmouth, so we’ll be testing out some experiences throughout the year.

Virtual & Augmented Reality

With cyber threats and hacking becoming increasingly sophisticated, digital security will be a top priority for web developers in 2025. With so many potential security threats, developers and businesses will need to introduce more robust security measures, like AI-powered security detection, stronger encryption and two-factor authentication. This is especially important for business that collect sensitive user data.General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) are also <a href="https://formiti.com/preparing-for-uk-and-eu-gdpr-compliance-in-2025-navigating-post-brexit-changes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">becoming stricter worldwide</a> in 2025, so staying ahead of the game could be key to ensuring your website’s security this year.

Cybersecurity

We can’t really talk about 2025 digital trends without mentioning AI. We’re excited to see how AI progresses over the next year. As a company, we are investigating the different ways we think we can leverage AI in the future to help both us and our clients, so watch this space.

2025 looks to be an exciting year for digital trends. From Payload through to voice search, it’s going to be a year of exciting opportunities for the world of digital. Keep up to date with our latest news and updates <a href="https://links.sidigital.co/socials">on our socials</a>.

Lab Notes