Read why we have adopted Webflow as our primary web development platform.
Over the past 20 years or so we have designed and developed 100's of websites of all sizes and complexity. In the early days we would code sites from the ground up but as the web evolved so did the requirements of the websites we were being asked to build. Soon every site needed to be dynamic and built using a content management system (CMS). We built sites in various platforms such as CMSMade Simple, Perch, Squarespace and WordPress to name a few.
WordPress became the standard, for now...
About 10 years ago we began building sites in WordPress and mastered building custom WordPress themes by hand. We built some incredible sites but the cost of these were quite high and beyond the budget clients were willing to pay at the time.
Design Control
At the same time the choices of CMS platforms were dwindling and so we focused on WordPress, the problem was that they were expensive to build. So to combat this we reviewed various WordPress builder Themes and plugins. We eventually opted for Divi as our site builder and over the years built lots of sites, all unique in their design but there was something we always knew was missing and that was ultimate design control. Although WordPress and Divi gave us 90%design control it was not quite enough for us.
Continuous updates
Alongside this little niggle was the constant updates to WordPress, it's theme(s) and plugins every other week or month. You see, WordPress straight off the shelf does not do an awful lot, you need to install lots of plugins on top of a Theme and if you do not keep these up to date or/and should WordPress update itself and the plugins don't, you can end up with a site that does not work.
Malware attacks
The third worry with WordPress is the constant malware or brute force attacks. Due to its popularity, WordPress is a prime target for Malware attacks. Even if you keep all your plugins and themes up to date, sit it behind a firewall, configure additional security such as WordFence Pro or Sucuri or even host your website on an expensive managed server, that can only do so much, it is not a guarantee that a WordPress site will not be compromised. It was time to find a new development platform.
Enter Webflow, a modern platform for site development
Launched in 2013 as a WordPress alternative aimed at design agencies who understand web design and fed up with WordPress, Webflow provides a modern development platform that is more suited to today;s modern web. many people would say that you can build anything with WordPress, which to some degree is correct but do you really want the headache of managing loads of plugs, in the hope that one does not break or conflicts with another with little or no support.
No more plugin updates
With Weflow you have none of that, everything is self contained and managed in one place. Unlike WordPress where you can not simply contact WordPress for support, you have to rely on searching WordPress forums for help, Webflow provided dedicated support.
Faster sites
Webflow produces less code than WordPress, which means your site will be faster, which in turn improves your Google ranking. Not only that but Webflow sites are hosted on Amazon Web Services (AWS), the fastest around. WordPress on the other hand is usually hosted on a regular shared hosting solution which can be slow.
Faster development time
Due to how Webflow is setup, it reduces a lot of server configuration which saves time and therefore improves site development time. Also because of how sites are built in Webflow there are no templates, everything is built from the ground up but based on reusable components, Sites are coded as they should be, using CSS and classes, which means we have complete control of the design and layout of the site. This is one area that particularly excites us, we are not constrained by Themes or plugins any more.
A powerful Content Management System (CMS)
One of the most powerful features of Webflow is its content management system. With it you can build pretty much anything from blog posts to complex property listings, anything is possible. This is because Webflow provides the tools to build complex structures without the need of plugins like WordPress.
This is just a summary of Webflow and what makes it an exciting development platform. We are glad that we have introduced it to our design and development process and look forward to answering any questions you may have about Webflow.
