What is Webflow? A Comprehensive Exploration

‍Webflow has been making waves in the website creation world. But what exactly is it, and what can it do for you?

In a nutshell, Webflow is a cloud-based website builder platform that empowers you to design, build, and launch beautiful, responsive websites – all without needing to write a single line of code. That's right, Webflow functions as both a visual website builder and a content management system (CMS), making it a one-stop shop for your website needs.

It doesn’t matter if you are an experienced designer or a complete beginner, Webflow can be a valuable tool. So, let's dive deeper and explore what is Webflow used for, its key features, and the benefits it offers.

What Webflow Can Do?

Webflow's versatility makes it suitable for a wide range of projects. Do you need a stunning website to showcase your portfolio? Check. Perhaps a landing page to capture leads for your business? Done. Or maybe a blog to share your insights with the world? Well, know that Webflow's got you covered for all. It even allows you to create full-fledged online stores using Webflow Ecommerce.

This no-code web design platform is particularly attractive to designers and non-coders thanks to its intuitive visual editor. Imagine dragging and dropping elements to build your website layout, just like using a design tool. Webflow provides you the opportunity to bring your creative vision to life without needing broad coding knowledge.

Webflow's Key Features

At the heart of Webflow lies its user-friendly visual website builder. With a drag-and-drop interface, you can easily structure your website's layout, add content sections, and customize the design to your liking. 

Webflow also boasts a robust CMS (Webflow CMS), allowing you to manage your website's content effortlessly. This means you can update text, images, and other elements without needing any help from developers. 

Lately, Webflow has added the Webflow Apps section in addition to its previous 3d party integrations through APIs making the platform extend its capabilities with the new functionality allowed by the different Webflow apps that now number more than 115+, from content management to ecommerce, security tools, marketing automation, and more.

For a clearer overview, here are some of the Webflow’s key features in bullet points:

• Visual Editor: Webflow's intuitive visual editor allows users to design websites in a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) manner, making it easy to create pixel-perfect designs.
• Responsive Design: All websites created with Webflow are automatically responsive, ensuring a seamless user experience across devices of any size and type.
• Webflow CMS: The built-in CMS feature enables users to create and manage dynamic content effortlessly.
• Hosting and Deployment: Webflow provides reliable hosting and seamless deployment options, making it easy to publish websites with just a few clicks.
• SEO Optimization: Webflow includes powerful SEO tools to help users optimize their websites for search engines.
• Integration: Webflow previously through integrations and now via the Webflow apps seamlessly integrates with popular tools and services, including Figma, Hubspot, and many others, to enhance design collaboration and streamline workflows in website development.

Why Choose Webflow? The Advantages are Clear

Webflow offers a multitude of benefits that make it a compelling choice for website creation. Here are just a few:

• Ease of Use: Even if you're new to web development, Webflow's intuitive interface and plentiful learning resources make it easy to learn and use.
• Clean Code Generation: Behind the scenes, Webflow generates clean, well-structured HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code, ensuring your website performs well and is search engine friendly.
• Design freedom: Not only that generates clean code while you design but Webflow offers full customization capabilities like no other.
• Responsive Design Made Easy: Creating websites that adapt seamlessly to different screen sizes (desktop, tablet, mobile) is a breeze with Webflow.
• Ecommerce integration: Having Ecommerce included, allows you to bring your business online and boost your revenues.

A Beginner's Guide: How to Use Webflow?

Webflow offers a treasure trove of resources to help beginners get up and running. There's a library of beautiful website templates (Webflow templates) to jumpstart your project, along with a comprehensive Webflow University packed with tutorials and courses. Additionally, you can find numerous Webflow tutorials online to guide you through the process.

Of course, there are many intricacies when using Webflow, and that is what Webflow University and other learning resources are for, but to paint you a more straightforward picture, here is how to use Webflow in a nutshell:

• Sign up: Create an account on the Webflow platform.
• Choose a Template: Start with a pre-designed template or build from scratch.
• Design: Use the visual editor to customize your website's design and layout.
• Add Content: Populate your website with text, images, and other media.
• Optimize: Utilize Webflow's SEO tools to optimize your website for search engines.
• Publish: Once satisfied with your design, publish your website for the world to see.

Exploring Webflow's Additional Features

Webflow doesn't stop at basic website creation. It offers advanced functionalities like:

• Ecommerce: As mentioned earlier, Webflow Ecommerce allows you to create and manage online stores with ease.
• SEO Integration: Optimize your website for search engines with built-in SEO tools to improve your website's visibility.
• Custom Code: For those comfortable with code, Webflow allows you to add custom code for even greater customization.

How Much Does Webflow Cost?

Webflow employs a tiered pricing structure with plans catering to different needs. There's even a free account option that lets you experiment with the platform and build smaller websites under the webflow.io domain.

There are two main categories of plans when it comes to the Webflow pricing structure: Site Plans and Workspace Plans.

Here is the difference:

Site Plans determine the features and functionality of your individual website. Webflow offers a free Starter Site plan for very basic prototyping and design. To publish your site with a custom domain and access more features, you'll need to upgrade to a paid Site Plan. Here's a breakdown of the Site Plans:

Workspace Plans determine how many team members can collaborate on a project. They offer a free Starter Workspace which allows you to create two websites by yourself. If you need more collaborators or sites, you can upgrade to a paid Workspace Plan.

• Site Plans:
  • Starter (Free): Ideal for hobbyists and staging sites. It has a Webflow.io subdomain, limited features, and allows for 2 pages.
  • Basic ($14/mo. billed yearly, $18/mo. monthly): Good for simple static sites. It allows for a custom domain and 50 CMS items.
  • CMS ($23/mo. billed yearly, $29/mo. monthly): Suitable for content-driven sites like blogs. It includes features for managing content (CMS) and allows for 500 items. This is the most popular option recommended by Webflow!
  • Business ($39/mo. billed yearly, $49/mo. monthly): Best for larger sites. It offers all the features of CMS plans along with increased capacity for items and bandwidth.
  • Enterprise (Contact for pricing): For businesses needing advanced security, collaboration features, and uncapped users.

• Ecommerce Plans (For online stores):
  • Standard ($29/mo. billed yearly, $42/mo. monthly): Ideal for starting online stores. It allows for up to 500 products and charges a 2% transaction fee (up to $50k annual sales volume).
  • Plus ($74/mo. billed yearly, $99/mo. monthly): Good for growing stores. It includes all features of Standard plans and allows for up to 3,000 products with no transaction fees.
  • Advanced ($212/mo. billed yearly, $269/mo. monthly): For high-volume stores. It offers advanced features for managing large product catalogs and subscriptions.

Webflow recently has also added the Localization feature which helps you localize your content for different languages and regions. This feature has an additional cost that starts from $9 per month, and doesn’t come as an included feature in any of the Site or Workspace Plans.

If you need more information about Webflow's Workspace and other pricing features click on this link.

Webflow vs. The Alternatives: Making the Right Choice

While Webflow shines brightly, there are other website builders and design tools out there. Here's a quick comparison:

• WordPress: A popular open-source CMS, but requires more technical knowledge and separate plugins for functionalities like drag-and-drop building. Hosting and site maintenance are also to be purchased separately. 
• Wix: Another user-friendly website builder, but offers less design flexibility and customization compared to Webflow.
• Figma & Framer: Design tools primarily focused on user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design, not website development.

Conclusion

Webflow is a powerful platform that empowers users of all skill levels to create beautiful, responsive websites. Its intuitive interface, clean code generation, and feature-rich environment make it a compelling choice for designers, entrepreneurs, and anyone looking to build a modern website without the hassle of traditional coding.

To learn more about Webflow and web design in general, follow our blog where we regularly post about the latest news and updates in the web design and development industry!