If you're a business owner looking to build a new website or redesign an existing one, [Webflow](https://webflow.grsm.io/webflow9465) is a fantastic option to consider, especially if you have a small to medium sized business.
TL;DR: This article explores the benefits of using Webflow for small to medium-sized businesses. Key advantages include rapid development, design freedom, intuitive user experience, robust security, and impressive scalability. The platform is also suited to integrate with third-party services. However, for larger enterprises with more complex needs or large-scale e-commerce businesses, other tailored solutions might be more beneficial.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of the main features that makes Webflow stand out among its competitors.
## Speed of Development
Webflow significantly speeds up the website design and development process. What does it mean for a business owner? Reduced development cost.
Fully custom solution can cost a few times more than a website developed with Webflow. The reason is simple. Visual building made web development accessible to a broader group of people and specialists. And it’s not only about speeding up the building process. Webflow community and the platform itself always come up with ways to make the development part of the website more productive.
Libraries and custom solutions take the development to the next level allowing reusing of the same website sections and elements as module components. There’re certain web design layouts and patterns that can be reused over and over again (with different styling of course) and visual library of such components makes using them simple and efficient.
## Webflow's Design Freedom
While Webflow is an intuitive visual builder aimed at designers, it does not restrict you creatively in any way. Under the hood, Webflow produces clean, semantic HTML and CSS code that you have full control over. This means there are no limits to building custom functionality on your sites.
### Use Code If You Want To
Webflow gives you the ability to write your own HTML, CSS and JavaScript code and integrate it into your designs. You can create complex interactions, animations and components that are tailored to your needs. Webflow will not overwrite or remove your custom code when making visual changes. This flexibility allows developers to build powerful custom sites on the Webflow platform with total creative freedom.
### Integrate 3rd Party Services
Webflow also has an open API and integrates with many third-party services. You can incorporate services like Wized for intranets, Memberstack for membership sites, Slack, Mailchimp, and more. These services add advanced functionality to your Webflow site. Wized, for example, allows you to build multi-language intranets, employee directories, and knowledge management systems within Webflow. The possibilities are endless.
While Webflow makes website design visual and intuitive, it does not limit your creative options in any way. Between custom code, an open API and integrations with powerful third-party services, you have full control and flexibility to build the custom site you want. Webflow’s design freedom is unsurpassed.
## Intuitive User Experience
Not only is Webflow easy for developers to use but also for clients and website administrators. Adding, rearranging and updating content on Webflow sites is very simple with their CMS (Content Management System). This allows business owners to make quick changes themselves without needing the web agency for each update.
While open-source solutions like WordPress are popular, their interfaces can be confusing and cumbersome for non-technical users to navigate.
Webflow, on the other hand, is designed to be visual and code-free, with an extremely intuitive interface that requires almost no technical knowledge.
With solutions like WordPress, even simple content updates or design tweaks typically need to go through a developer or design team. This slows down workflows and optimization efforts. For marketing teams, quick experiments and constant testing is key to high performance, so reliance on technical staff for website changes is problematic.
Webflow's code-free interface cuts out the technical team requirement for tasks like:
- Editing and adding content - Add CMS items and edit the text through Webflow Editor. No coding or workaround plugins required.
- Styling and branding updates - Change fonts, colors, layouts, and themes through an intuitive visual design tool. See changes in real-time without worrying about CSS issues.
- Conversion optimization - Easily build and modify landing pages, calls-to-action and other page elements to optimize user experience and flow without needing a developer. Conduct A/B tests in minutes.
- Integrating third-party services - Add functionality like forms, ecommerce, chatbots and more through simple, visual connections without custom code.
- Collaboration - Multiple team members can work on a Webflow site at once with built-in version control so you avoid messy Git workflows or stepped-on toes.
With a couple hours of onboarding, your non-technical teams like marketing will feel empowered to independently manage your Webflow website and gain valuable optimization experience.
Webflow's code-free simplicity enables fast experimentation, constant improvements, and bottoms-up learning you just can't achieve with developer-dependent tools.
When your teams have the power to optimize and tailor the website without constant developer roadblocks, performance and results skyrocket. This is the power of Webflow - empowering teams and accelerating outcomes through visual simplicity and ease of use.
## Security
Webflow websites are hosted on powerful secure servers with a 99.99% uptime guarantee. All data and information is kept private and encrypted, protecting you from hacking or security breaches.
Website security is a major concern for any business. Your site hosts valuable customer information and ecommerce transactions, and a breach can damage your reputation and revenue. While open-source solutions like WordPress are popular, their security vulnerabilities and responsibility on the user to maintain updates and monitoring present risks. Webflow, on the other hand, is designed to provide robust security and protection out-of-the-box so you can have peace of mind.
As an open-source platform, WordPress is frequently targeted by hackers looking to exploit vulnerabilities. There are constant security patches and updates required to combat threats like:
- Plugin or theme vulnerabilities - The open ecosystem of plugins and themes introduce risks if not properly vetted and updated.
- Brute force attacks - The WordPress login is frequently targeted by brute force password guessing.
- SQL injections - Malicious SQL code can be inserted into forms, login pages, etc. to gain access to databases.
- Phishing - WordPress sites with outdated plugins or cores are prone to phishing and malware injection attacks.
Maintaining a secure WordPress site requires constant monitoring, updating, use of plugins like security scanners, and more. For most non-technical users, this results in unwanted security risks and additional costs to manage vulnerabilities.
### Webflow's Built-in Security
Webflow is designed differently. It provides:
- Automatic security updates - Webflow's core platform and hosted sites are automatically updated to the latest, secure version with no action required from the user.
- Robust, validated HTML/CSS - Webflow generates clean, valid code without the vulnerabilities often found in WordPress sites.
- SSL encryption - All Webflow sites are automatically SSL encrypted to protect data.
- Limited access - Webflow has limited user roles and permissions to avoid unwanted admin access.
- Code validation - All Webflow templates and add-ons are vetted to be free of vulnerabilities before being made available to users.
- Server-side optimization - Webflow's infrastructure is built with security in mind, unlike the DIY hosting most WordPress users opt for.
- No plugins needed - Webflow doesn't require plugins for essential functions, so you avoid associated security risks.
While open source has its benefits, you sacrifice robust security. Webflow, on the other hand, is designed to provide peace of mind when it comes to your site security.
### Scalability
Webflow is remarkably scalable, making it an excellent choice for businesses with growth in mind. You can start small with a landing page, and as your business grows, evolve into a CMS-driven news website with complex integrations and automations.
As your business and marketing needs evolve, your website must scale with you. Some solutions lock you into a narrow set of functions that can't adapt over time. Webflow, however, provides a path to start simple and scale infinitely as required. You get flexibility and control at every stage of growth.
## Best Suited For?
Webflow is ideally suited for small to mid-size businesses that require flexibility, scalability, and a robust digital presence. However, for larger businesses with more complex needs, a custom-built solution might offer better control over CMS and hosting, and potentially lower costs in the long run.
As for e-commerce, while Webflow does support online stores, it's better suited for boutique stores with a smaller range of products. Larger e-commerce businesses may find platforms specifically tailored for large-scale e-commerce to be more efficient. For instance, a jewellery designer with a limited collection would benefit more from Webflow's e-commerce feature than a major retail store with thousands of different products.
## Final thoughts
Webflow is one of my favourite digital products that I use daily to build web pages for my customers and myself. I started to use Webflow to build my blog and ended up changing career from architectural design to web development.
Still have questions about [Webflow](https://webflow.grsm.io/webflow9465) or have a project in mind? Feel free to contact me for a quick conversation.
Best,
Ayk
