What is Sitecore Helix and Why Should We Use It?
Sitecore Helix was introduced in 2016 by Sitecore themselves as a set of official architectural guidelines and recommended practices for Sitecore development; essentially a how-to guide on the best way to build Sitecore websites. Alongside it, a project called Habitat, which is an exemplar Sitecore website built by them upon the Helix principles and guidelines. The basic premise of Sitecore Helix is to make website building less complicated and more scalable.
Sitecore has always been the most flexible CMS, as it is a component-based page architecture rather than a static page-based template. Sitecore Helix really develops on this key USP, and many fantastic websites have been built using this initiative since its conception.
We asked Joe Dearsley, one of our own Sitecore tech leads who has been with us for nearly 20 years, his favourite bits of Sitecore Helix. His first project using the methodology was for The Pensions Regulator (check out that case study here!)
Joe's Key Benefits:
1) Easier to build new features
Sitecore Helix restricts the amount of inter-dependencies between components at the early stages of a build meaning that new features can continually be brought in as business requirements change. This removes the need to go back and undertake lots of rework to incorporate new features.
2) Easier to move between projects
If you adopt the Helix principles on all your projects, it makes it easier to switch between them.
3) Long term business features
Helix makes it quicker and easier to update sections of the website, meaning the client has a Sitecore solution that is easy to upgrade.
4) Faster and cheaper to market
As your website is easier to work on, you can get it live as quickly as possible.
5) Better quality and longer-lasting Sitecore implementations
Helix allows you to avoid more technical obstacles in a project, meaning a better website is delivered faster and at a higher quality.
6) Easier troubleshooting
As Helix follows a set of guidelines, if something goes wrong it is easier to identify and solve.
If you're thinking of starting a web project and want to talk to some lovely experts, don't hesitate to contact us.