I recently migrated my portfolio to Webflow, a platform often touted as a no-code solution. While it’s marketed that way, I’ve found it surprisingly useful, even incorporating it into my client work as an alternative to WordPress. My freelance workload often doesn’t allow for the time commitment of building custom WordPress themes and managing the associated complexities. As a markup enthusiast, I prefer focusing on HTML and CSS rather than wrestling with PHP and MySQL. Having used Webflow extensively, I’d like to share my insights as a designer who can code, outlining the pros and cons of using this platform for production websites.
Pros
Streamlined Publishing
As a designer, deploying websites can be a daunting task. Managing FTPs, server configurations, and the occasional Git push can be a real headache. Webflow’s publishing process is refreshingly simple: click publish, select the domain, and it’s done. This streamlined workflow allows for significantly faster deployment, encouraging more frequent updates.
Integrated SEO
Webflow’s page settings include built-in SEO fields, simplifying customization and previewing. This user-friendly interface is a welcome alternative to WordPress plugins like Yoast, eliminating the need for third-party additions.
Effortless Password Protection
My portfolio previously resided on a static site generator. When I needed to password-protect specific sections, I faced limitations without resorting to restructuring and protecting a subdomain. Webflow offers a convenient solution, merging CMS and SSG functionalities to address this need.
Cons
Coding Quirks
Webflow presents some coding frustrations, particularly regarding CSS structuring. Custom code is often required for styling selections and focus outlines for accessibility. Pseudo-elements for link interactions are also frequently necessary. The cascading style sheet implementation can be limiting. Targeting specific list items within a parent element requires individual class names instead of leveraging descendant selectors, leading to less clean markup. To circumvent this, I often resort to adding custom styles in the project settings, which feels counterintuitive in a “no-code” tool.
Absence of Static Page Templates
The lack of static page template options can be inconvenient. While CMS pages offer templates, achieving consistency for top-level static pages requires duplicating and modifying existing pages. My workaround involves a password-protected style guide containing page templates within a pattern library and brand guide, mirroring my WordPress multisite approach. This allows clients to duplicate templates for new static pages, but a dedicated static page template feature would be preferable.
Combo Class Conundrum
Background images for non-dynamic modules on static pages pose a recurring challenge. Maintaining a stylesheet with multiple combo classes for different background image variations is cumbersome. While inlining styles in WordPress offers a solution, Webflow’s symbol overrides lack this functionality. This limitation extends to pseudo-elements, where combo classes replace nth-child selectors, creating unnecessary complexity.
CMS Limitations
Webflow’s CMS, while flexible, lacks some standard database functionalities. Linking between post types requires manual custom field configurations, unlike the built-in functionality in WordPress.
Accessibility Improvements Needed
While Webflow has made significant strides in improving accessibility, some pre-built components still fall short. Styled links masquerading as buttons lack semantic accuracy, and carousels may lack proper keyboard navigation. Implementing skip links can also be challenging. These accessibility considerations are crucial, especially for a platform targeting designers who may not be deeply versed in accessibility best practices.
The Bottom Line
Despite the cons, Webflow’s ease of use and rapid development capabilities outweigh the drawbacks for my current needs. It’s significantly faster than setting up a local WordPress environment, connecting to Git, and coding everything from scratch. While I still write custom code in Webflow, it’s far less time-consuming than dealing with WordPress theme complexities. I’ve developed workarounds for the accessibility limitations, avoiding pre-built components whenever possible. Webflow is ideal for smaller brochure sites that require more than Squarespace but less than a full-blown WordPress setup. The platform has immense potential, and I anticipate further improvements. For now, it’s a valuable tool in my workflow, albeit with some coding caveats.
