If you are in the design industry, it is more likely that you have heard of Webflow. In a nutshell, Webflow is an innovative site builder that simplifies the web design process but without sacrificing design quality and no coding skills required.
A design is simply to create something that solves a problem. Webflow, on the other hand, aims to provide solutions so that it will be easier for designers to hurdle through a variety of design challenges. It has plenty of tools to make the process easier so that the time required from concept to production is cut short. This would mean that intended users get to have their hands on the products, which are the websites, earlier because designers do not get to waste countless hours in the traditional methods of bringing websites to life.
Read along to learn through Webflow tutorials and know more about how it works, why it is essential, and how you can harness the necessary skills to maximize its benefits.
How does Webflow Works?
Traditionally, designers are quite dependent on programmers when they are building websites. They may also build websites on their own, given that they also learn and hone their coding skills. With the current growth of internet technology, it is safe to say that the modern world is expecting a lot from the web and visual designers. It is a must to come up with designs that do not only look good but can also enhance the overall user experience.
Internet users expect to navigate through websites that are lightning-fast. Delays can only decrease satisfaction thus reducing subsequent sales if you are using a website for e-commerce. Not meeting the criteria or expectations of the customers will have you losing a lot of money because you will be unable to reach the optimal views or visits that you need to push your website up the Google search ranks.
Webflow is intended to change the game by empowering designers, all creative professionals, and online entrepreneurs to create outstanding visual assets for web use. The main difference is that instead of hiring someone else to make the website, designers can actually start the production and build it using Webflow.
Fully customized web pages can be built out of hundreds of professionally-designed templates. Aside from superb quality and flexibility, Webflow ensures that you can have a website that looks great and can be designed according to your brand.
Webflow Categories
Webflow recognizes that a perfect website cannot be achieved even with the best design. This is why its site-building or template-editing features are divided in order to accommodate the different elements of website-building.
To give you an overview of how powerful Webflow can be, here are its four primary categories:
1. Designer
It used to be that writing code lines is the only way to make a website. With Webflow’s visual designer, you can harness the full power of HTML, CSS, and Javascript even without learning about codes. This would allow you to customize everything according to your preferences. You can choose to add features, create custom color transitions, and even create trigger-based interactions (such as scrolling, hovering, clicking, etc.) through the easy-to-navigate platform.
Because of simplifying everything, one might assume that there is a steep learning curve to using Webflow. This, however, is not true, especially for those who are already familiar with the Adobe interface. Most of the components are pre-built and customizable so designing will really be an easy task. It also helps that This feature works across major web browsers so there will really be not much of a challenge in using it.
2. Content Management System
Aside from being a powerful site builder, Webflow is also a full Content Management System. What makes it extra helpful is that it focuses not only on ability but also on flexibility. Unlike other CMS, Webflow is not blog-centric Users may import content from their existing databases and also export content for use in other applications. It offers schemas that you can use to build a design that you want for your website. It is a great alternative to other CMS that needs to be regularly updated or be installed with updated features. It even dynamically transforms content to create customized pages that target specific visitors.
3. Hosting
Just like other website builders, Webflow is also a hosting service. It is the best one to have for startups because its server fleet is infinitely scalable. This is because Webflow has the technologies to cater to whatever traffic that you generate from your website. Aside from being powered by Amazon CloudFront and Fastly, Webflow has more than 100 servers and data centers across the globe. SSL certificates, collaboration tools, and an HTTP/2 compliant infrastructure are also provided to users. This allows Webflow to deliver enterprise-grade reliability in terms of lightning-fast page loads, 99.99 percent uptime, and dependable support for all levels of web traffic.
4. Editor
Publishing content may not be the most challenging part of creating a website but it can be the most time-consuming. This will not be the case if you are using the Webflow editor. Basically, you can publish content under a few mouse clicks. Edit content in a flash without having to worry about disrupting the design of the website. You can even check through the live preview feature for any mistake before publishing. With its collaborative feature, colleagues can contribute to the content publishing and you will have access to a detailed history to check on any changes made.
As you can see, Webflow provides an all-in-one solution for designers. There is no need to wait for someone else to do the programming. You do not even need to be stressed about learning coding skills or get confused about hosting and publishing options. Webflow has all the features that you need to get your website up and running so that you can move on to new projects or concentrate on making progress with your startup.
Is Webflow Easy for Beginners
Since it is gaining so much popularity these days, one can’t help but get excited about using Webflow in building their websites. But, is it going to be easy for beginners or will it require hundreds of Webflow tutorials just to get a grasp at how to use it properly?
What you must notice right away is that Webflow is taking over the design and developer industry so easily. The reason is that it offers a no-frills solution to designing and developing websites. It is currently leading the no-code tools market which is kind of a game-changer for aspiring designers and developers. To answer the grueling question of whether it is beginner-friendly or otherwise, Webflow is definitely easy to deal with. Take it from someone who also couldn’t write a single line of code. I am definitely a non-technical person but Webflow promises to make anyone create fully-responsive websites, no codes required.
From the information early on, Webflow is like a fusion of a website builder, a CMS, a hosting provider, and a content editor. In short, it is everything that you need to create a website, make it go live, and offer your content to target users. Unlike other website builders, however, Webflow is really into providing maximum customer support. The team offers a lot of Webflow Tutorials, courses, articles, and forums to make it easier to explore everything about it.
Who Needs Webflow?
Anyone who wants to build a website needs it! But to be more specific, Webflow is great for:
Designers
who has the capability to create stunning designs but does not have the technical skills necessary to build websites using more complex systems.
Teams
who need to collaborate either with their clients or other team members. Webflow has amazing collaborative features that would make it easier for teams to create a dream project, albeit remotely.
Users who want more creative freedom
Webflow is unlike a traditional website builder that is very limiting in terms of customizable options. It allows one to challenge creativity limits while still being able to arrive at the design.
Suffice to say that Webflow is a powerful solution that is perfect for any web design and development needs.
How to Get Better at Webflow
Just like other website builders, it can be tricky to use Webflow if you are not familiar with it. Since a lot of users are applauding it for being so easy to use when building websites, it would help if you are aware of what to expect from it.
The first thing that you need to familiarize yourself with is the Flexbox Layout. It is a CSS module that serves as a visual editor to let you adjust columns and make them flexible in different screen sizes. This can be a little frustrating using other methods but with Webflow, you only need to flex the parent container and set the widths in percentages for the child item. It automatically scales to fit so you should never have to worry about manually adjusting the values over and over again.
Another feature that you need to be familiar with is the Content Management System or CMS. What makes Webflow very useful is that you can actually create templates for recurring pieces of content. This makes it easier to create specific page styles that look consistent every single time.
Webflow also uses CSS classes so you can create symbols that may be used repeatedly on all pages. This means that you do not need to create pages individually, which can be a lot of work, and instead save page elements as symbols so you can just drag them around the artboard.
As for animations, create little bits of eye candies to amp up your website visuals, and yes, you may do it in Webflow. It is quite fast and easy to do, actually. Just keyframe the popup elements then you need to adjust the start and end positions. Create all the elements, adjust the elements, and see how quick it is to make simple animations without codes.
These are just some tricks that you can do with Webflow. The best part is that it has tons of other features that can help you get better at using it.
Design impressive and responsive websites with the help of the following most recommended Webflow tutorials:
Top 5 Webflow Blog Tutorials:
1. Webflow Blog
This tutorial lays down the basics of using Webflow. By the end of it, you will gain a solid understanding of how Webflow works, the functions of all the features, and how to start building powerful websites using visual coding. It even shows a step-by-step tutorial where you can see how a homepage is made. Check out how easy it is to add website elements, adjust the content, and how you can customize it by adding logos. It even has a bonus wherein it shows how you can make the design responsive so that it looks perfect even when viewing the page using a mobile device.
2. A Webflow Tutorial for Absolute Beginners
This tutorial from Torque Magazine offers a broad overview of how Webflow works. It was written in sections so that it will be easier to find specific topics. Everything is written in plain language, not with heavy coding terms, so you can’t be swamped with technical details.
3. The Easiest Guide to Webflow for Beginners
Jan Losert created this free article to explain the basics of Webflow. It is peppered with screenshots and GIFs so that you will not feel lost while reading the tutorial. You may consider it as an instruction manual but written in a friendly tone to lighten the mood and get you excited with using Webflow.
4. Create a No-Code Responsive Website with Webflow
Coursera offers this 2-hour course that will teach you how to build a responsive website using Webflow. The course is divided into stages so that every step is covered. It is a fun course to have in the sense that you can actually work side-by-side with an instructor on the split-screen format. The instructor for this course is Angelo Paolillo and the course fee is only $10.
This is the most comprehensive Webflow course and beginners might find it a bit challenging to follow through. What’s great about it though is that there are plenty of bite-sized videos that are very useful in augmenting the learning gaps. Plus, access is free and you will be learning straight from the Webflow staff.
Top 5 Webflow Video Tutorials:
This Learning Webflow course from LinkedIn Learning is an in-depth tutorial that is neatly compacted in 1 hour and 46 minutes. It basically covers how to start and publish a project. The content is clearly targeted towards beginners as it explains everything about the Webflow interface and guides on creating individual pages.
If you are a first-timer and are keen on really diving deep into the world of Webflow, then this tutorial is a great one. This course has 36 lectures for a total of nearly 5 hours of video. It tackles using the Webflow interface, creating individual elements, and a guide to building a sample landing page. This course cost $44.99 but it is often offered on sale so you better watch out.
Bonus tip: you may want to check out the free course, Use Webflow to build your web design business, which is more directed to teaching how to use Webflow in business.
You will find plenty of Youtube Webflow tutorials but this one by designer Ran Segall tops the list. He presents the theory of structuring websites and how you can apply it correctly using Webflow. The 8-minute video tutorial will save you countless hours of mulling over what mistakes you made since it is a very common error that new Webflow users make. The Youtube channel is called Flux and it has an entire playlist about Webflow tutorials which you might also find useful.
This tutorial is split into 12 different 10-20 minute videos. You can learn your way through the screen share views and find it easier to navigate through the software and even learn to recreate advanced techniques with ease.
Webflow has plenty of templates that you can work with so that it will be easier for you t create stunning web pages in minutes. The problem with having a lot of options is that it can be difficult to choose which one to have for your current project this 38-minute video tutorial will help you sort this problem out. It is made by Pixel Geek, a designers support group, and is hosted by Nelson Abalos Jr. This Youtube channel also has two playlists for more Webflow tutorials. Check out Webflow for Beginners and Webflow for advanced users whenever you want to binge-watch.
Take away...
As you can see, Webflow is the ultimate platform for designers who are searching for easier methods of creating responsive websites without having to sacrifice their exceptional designs. It has its strengths and weaknesses but it definitely can hold its own in terms of design.
What makes it incredibly advanced is that it has everything that a designer needs and is still quite accessible. It has templates that can be used across a wide range of industries and also allows third-party integrations if there is a need. It is user-friendly and highly intuitive in terms of website building which makes it the best alternative to people who are already using other site builders, such as Weebly, Wix, and Squarespace.
Designing with Webflow is an excellent stepping stone for many designers who are looking forward to trying the front-end development. It is equipped with all the tools necessary to create and edit websites without having to write custom codes. It is the most intuitive thing that you need to have to easily build full-featured websites. You need to get your hands on it whether you are a designer or a business owner that wants a robust solution to enhance your web presence.
Still not on board? Check out Webflow University for more Webflow tutorials and see for yourself how you can leverage the power of Webflow for your next design project.
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