What is Webflow? The Future of Website Design is Already Here

Today, it is almost unimaginable for companies not to have a website. That's why the website industry constantly evolves, combining the best we can get from website builders' tools with the digital innovation wave.

In this evolutionary process, we've recognized Webflow - a cloud-based CMS website-builder that allows us to build websites with or without code. Why do we even mention code? Well, the platform more or less uses code, which can impact its distribution in the web industry.

The freedom we have with Webflow to create our websites with or without code makes it the best choice if you want to create modern, functional, and beautiful websites with great efficiency.

Read on to learn what is Webflow and how its use can improve the website-building process.

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How Does Webflow Work: No-code & Learning curve

Like any other website building platform, Webflow uses code for creating a web project – but you as a web designer don’t need to know how to use it.

So, what’s the main difference here?

Let’s put it like this: while you’re in the process of building a website, Webflow is writing a clean code in the background, the code is hidden but it’s accessible. No matter if you’re using a Webflow template, or you’re building it from your unique vision, code is happening behind the scenes and you don’t have anything to do with it.

But here comes the good part – if you have knowledge of how to use a code, and you want to make fully customized websites, you can access the code and adjust it further to your needs.

Webflow also has a very streamlined learning curve, in other words, you are learning while you build websites, and thanks to Webflow University you can always check whether you are on the right track.

Regarding this, we like to say that Webflow is a great option for building complex websites for new web designers, as well as for website-building experts. However, the learning curve outcome will mostly depend on your past web building and code experience.

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Who Can Use Webflow & What Kind of Websites Can You Build?

Thanks to code freedom, Webflow is a great option for web designers, as well as for marketers who want to build websites without involving developers. Webflow is also good for business owners, as well as for those who need frequent content updates (thanks to Webflow’s user-friendly CMS!).

So, what kind of websites can you build in Webflow?  Put in simple words – Webflow website builder gives you the freedom to build almost any type of website.

Let’s name 5 most common types:

• Personal websites – For example, portfolios, or informative types of one-page websites
• Blog websites – Type of websites that have a high need for content updates
• E-commerce websites – Webshops and online stores
• Business websites – Complex websites for promoting business services
• Enterprise websites – Large websites for corporations

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Webflow Designer

We can say that Webflow is a combination of design types of programs with a little bit of code background. Regarding this, a lot of designers use an approach where they make a website design in some of the design programs and build their website in Webflow.

Here we can see that one of the main practices is using the Figma to Webflow plugin: designing a website in Figma – and exporting it to Webflow. However, if you want to design your website directly in the Webflow, feel free!

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Key Features of Webflow Designer

The anatomy of the Webflow Designer could be described as intuitive, and easy to navigate. In the Webflow Designer, you will find all of the essential tools to build the website you want.

Toolbar, panels, canvas, swatches – in the Webflow you have an extensive toolbox kit for your creative work. Even if the Figma to Webflow plugin is very popular, Webflow Designer could be used without it.

Some of the main benefits of it are:

• Drag and drop functionalities – Webflow designer uses drag and drop functionality and has a very clean interface to work on. Thanks to this you can build your website’s structure, design, animations, content, and more without knowing how to code.
• Collaborative Designing – This is one of the key advantages of Webflow Designer, it allows you to design websites collaborative, in real-time. You, your teammates, and even your clients could be engaged in the process of building a website ensuring that the process is moving in the right direction.
• Code exporting – Websites built in Webflow aren’t forever fixed in the designer mode, so if you ever need the code, you can always export it for further usage.

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What is a Webflow Editor?

Along with the Webflow Designer, we have a Webflow Editor made for updating and managing the content on the website. Webflow Editor is also user-friendly, and it’s a great choice for team members without technical skills to access it and manage the content.

The interface of Webflow Editor is simplified which makes it a perfect option for multiple-user collaboration in which content can be edited. However, Webflow Editor is made only for content management, for the design you will have to use Webflow Designer.

One of the recommendations, if you want more control, is to publish and edit your content in the Webflow Designer, or directly on the site.

Put in the simple words, Webflow Editor:

• Focuses on content management - Allows you to edit text, images, and links on your website without needing to touch design, animations, or code.
• Is easy to use - Thanks to the user-friendly and intuitive interface Webflow Editor is great having, or not having Webflow expertise.
• Great for teamwork - All team members can have access to Webflow editor, which makes it perfect for the marketing team to edit the website content live.
• Is SEO friendly - Webflow is SEO-friendly, and in the Webflow Editor you can optimize your website content for search engines.

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What is Webflow CMS?

Webflow CMS stands for a Content Management System, which is the digital place within the Webflow platform in which you can control the dynamic of your website's content.

Webflow CMS has a very logical structure made of fields, that are a part of the items, and all items are making a collection. Once created, collections can be reusable and can serve as a template for your future content.

Collection from the Webflow CMS can be used either in the Webflow Designer, where you can change the specific design features, or in a Webflow Editor, for editing content that is already live, in both cases Webflow CMS offers a completely flexible form of managing the content.

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Webflow for E-commerce

Webflow stands out as a great tool for e-commerce type of websites as well, in which you can be sure that you will get both seamless code and attractive design.

Webflow for e-commerce allows you to create multiple pages for your online store, post products, add descriptions and buttons, and update everything when you need.

In Webflow e-commerce, you can see a true Webflow's ability to provide you with excellent digital creation.

Some of the main features of Webflow e-commerce include:

• stylish design of webshop, custom or template-made
• drag and drop interface for all webshop features
• SEO friendliness
• integration of various marketing tools for boosting sale
• scalability options

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What is Webflow for Marketing Success?

As we have already mentioned, Webflow is not only a good choice for web designers but also marketers, as it offers many marketing options. Let's start with SEO - with Webflow, you get a modern, functional website that not only won't be a headache to create but also an SEO-friendly website that meets search engine standards.

Webflow offers important SEO features such as meta elements and 301 redirects, which are essential for a healthy SEO result. In addition, you can manage structured data (schema markup) at will, set up effective internal linking systems, and develop different content types for specific search queries.

All of the mentioned Webflow marketing features combined with Webflow's remarkable UX, page loading speed, and intuitive navigation lead us to conclude that with Webflow we have everything in one place.

And we also have content - with the advanced Webflow CMS and collection templates, we can implement blogs into our website, which is a bonus for our SEO and authority.

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Webflow Plugins and Integrations

Moving down the list, we need to cover one more important aspect of Webflow which makes it one of the best website-building tools available.

The purpose of those plugins and tools integrating with your Webflow website is to maximize its potential, and you can use one, or more according to your needs.

One of the most popular plugins for Webflow we've mentioned is the Figma to Webflow plugin, also we have to mention Google Analytics, Zapier, Hubspot, and Semflow - a straightforward SEO tool for Webflow.

More about Webflow plugins and integrations you can read in this article.

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Webflow Pricing

Webflow pricing is determined by a plan you choose, and for now, Webflow offers 5 plans, all of them suitable for different requirements.

• Starter plan – This is a starter, free plan, and it's good for exploring a Webflow environment, testing some of the Webflow functionalities
• Basic plan – If you need a simple website, only for the informative online presence of your business Basic plan will be enough for the beginning. Basic plan pricing is $18/mo billed monthly, or $14/mo billed yearly.
• CMS plan – For more complex, mid-sized websites with frequent content updates, edits, and general CMS options, the CMS plan is the right option with pricing going from $29/mo billed monthly, and $23/mo billed yearly.
• Business plan – For businesses who expect higher traffic on their website, Webflow offers Business plan with pricing going from $49/mo billed monthly, and $39/mo billed yearly.
• Enterprise plan – Final Webflow pricing plan is the Enterprise plan that goes along with advanced Webflow options, suitable for large companies that need enterprise website solutions. For Webflow Enterprise plan pricing Webflow has to be contacted directly.

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When it comes to Webflow E-commerce website pricing, Webflow offers 3 plans:

• Standard - Basic plan for e-commerce websites, with 500 items limit and CMS plan features, with pricing going from $42/mo billed monthly, and $29/mo billed yearly.
• Plus - E-commerce plan for higher volume businesses, 5000 e-commerce items and Business plan features, with pricing going from $84/mo billed monthly, and $74/mo billed yearly.
• Advanced - Plan that is suitable for larger businesses with 15k e-commerce items and Business plan features, with pricing going from $235/mo billed monthly, and $212/mo billed yearly.

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Webflow Stands Out As an All In One Solution

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, Webflow surprises us with its expanded range of abilities and proves that you're well-equipped for online success seconds after you sign up.

From fundamental website design, its key features, and seamless design and editor experience to CMS options and integration, Webflow is made to support your business to thrive online. 

You can always try Webflow with your company's team or hire a professional Webflow agency for your next project. And if you're still looking for a Webflow agency to bring your website to life, check out the Vezafy Webflow directory and find your perfect agency.