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Webflow

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Last updated on:
April 13, 2022

Are you a designer or enjoy Photoshop? Then you’ll love Webflow. Webflow is your go to tool for no code makers, designers, devs who want to build a web page without actually having to code it. 

But if I were to be honest, I would not recommend Webflow if you’re just starting out looking to make and launch your first no code side project. Not because it is a bad product. Because the learning curve is high. The purpose of actually shipping a product is to get it out into the wild as soon as possible. My recommendation is to use something that is a simpler version of whatever you are thinking of by using a less powerful tool for the job. Those examples can be found back on the main home page where I talk about Carrd.

However, depending on your complexity of build, there are some fantastic resources and templates and how to’s to get started that will help you be successful.

And in fact, this website is created in Webflow. Webflo has some major advantages. Like site performance, the best SEO performance, the best CMS structure, and ability to do programmatic content approach.

I would use Webflow once your idea or side project is more validated by actual users or revenue. Because then you can afford to sink time into the product as you’ve validated your concept and you might then be ready for a more robust tool.

Below are some of the best no code actual applications created by some insanely talented Makers who launched using Webflow as part of the side project stack

How might this tool be a fit for you:

  • Most flexibility in design
  • The best performant in terms of site performance, site speed and SEO discoverability
  • Webflow has much more readable html structure compared to other no-code tools like Bubble
  • The best way to create a complex static web page - meaning you can auto import lists from a spreadsheet that uploads to Webflow and auto populates a new object in your web page
  • Similar to Adobe Photoshop
  • Allows you to export the code
  • Easy to plug into Zapier and connect to other applications

How might this tool not be a fit for you:

  • Steeper learning curve than many other static web page builders - but has more flexibility in design
  • Found it difficult to connect a list of information and update automatically and then dynamically display the updated list on the webpage
  • If you are first time Maker this is not the best starting point
  • Connecting lists is overly complex process and confusing
  • Expensive - lack of customer service care for the base tier in pricing
  • Lacking in some basic capabilities like no dynamic filtering and will have to use plugin tools

Notes from Makers

Dani Bell:
What advantage will this stack give you? “Bell used a point-and-click tool called Webflow to build her site and a client-management tool to let customers order services. Airtable, an online spreadsheet, let her store details about each job. And she glued many of these pieces together by cleverly using Zapier, a service that uses if-then logic to let one online app trigger another. (Whenever Bell creates a new task for one of her contractors, for example, Zapier automatically generates a Google doc for it, then pings her on Slack when the work is done.) Nineteen months later, her company—Scribly.io—had around 23 clients and was doing $25,000 a month in recurring business.” source: https://www.wired.com/story/new-startup-no-code-no-problem/

Corey Haines:
Job Board – Read Corey’s Full Interview
Corey’s project is an online job board for marketers. 
+ Corey used Webflow as a template for the front end of the web app and used Webflow CMS to organize the data to display into the front web page. (Notes are translated from interview.)
+ Corey credits Webflow university and Makerpad tutorials helping him set up the Webflow CMS to integrate with the form submission for the new job postings from Typeform to the backend of Webflow called Webflow CMS. (Notes are translated from interview.) 

KP: **
**Job Board – Read KP’s Full Interview

+ Terrific visual development platform. It is super early stage for many people in the mainstream but will become a blockbuster product soon. It is very similar to Adobe Photoshop in terms of its wide reaching capabilities.
+ I used the Webflow standard email signup form. Kept it simple but it worked well for v1.
 Has a bit of a learning curve just like Photoshop. I believe there are areas where you can simplify the product itself to make it beginner-friendly. I am afraid that is still going to keep many people from returning after giving it a shot. But the serious ones who really want to learn do come back and the time/energy investment is definitely worth it.

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