Why Use a CMS for Website Development?

Before the emergence of CMSs to manage sites and content, website developers had to create entirely new HTML pages for every additional piece of content. Changing the header, footer, or any other static content meant manually modifying all of the HTML pages. This process took up a lot of time and made errors and oversights practically unavoidable.

Website designers and developers don’t necessarily need to code in HTML and other languages with a CMS. They can also make changes within a dashboard that will propagate through the entire site. Most of all, they don’t need to build any pages by hand but can rely upon the site’s theme and template to create the basic page, and the website developers, designers, and managers can use the CMS editor to add content. Also, popular CMSs tend to have large ecosystems with lots of plugins and themes to choose from, so it’s easy for developers to create a unique, feature-rich website.

How Does Webflow Compare to WordPress?

WordPress still stands as the most popular CMS on the planet. According to W3Techs’ best estimate, WordPress earned over 42 percent of the worldwide CMS market. That puts WordPress far ahead of any competitors, and only Shopify, a dedicated eCommerce site builder, comes close.

For some projects, a newer CMS called Webflow may offer a better option. Since WordPress has a long history and a vast market share, you can find many introductions to this CMS. Take a few minutes to enjoy an introduction to Webflow to see if it might offer an alternative to WordPress.

What is Webflow?

Primarily, web designers think of Webflow as a zero-code visual website builder. Designers can develop customized, professional sites visually without needing to know any HTML or other coding languages. Developers can use the API to publish, change, add, or delete content from other software. Webflow also offers its own hosting platform.

Webflow also functions as a CMS, and that’s the functionality that businesses will care about the most. It’s Weblfow’s content management, with its ability to scale and change, along with a dynamic organization, that truly makes this solution shine in comparison to even such popular and versatile solutions as WordPress.

For example:

• Content management: Content editors and producers can create and update directly on the current page and publish their work on the web with one click. These content professionals can see exactly how their work will look in a real-time preview on the page as they work. With WordPress, users add content in the backend and rely on a separate preview screen to see how it looks live.
• Organizational changes: Webflow lets content managers add custom content structures and types to meet their current needs. In this way, Webflow allows for a dynamic organization that enables businesses to scale and adapt with minimal fuss. With WordPress, changing organizational items like categories and tags may take more manual effort to update various content pages, menus, etc.

What Other Benefits Does Webflow Offer?

Webflow offers intuitive yet powerful tools to structure content in various ways. For instance, it provides features for importing content from other online sources, from another CMS to a .csv file from a spreadsheet. The CMS also makes it easy to invite other collaborators with permission to add or edit content.

For instance, content managers can let collaborators publish right away, like with a social network. Alternatively, they can hold content for review before publishing. This flexible way to manage various kinds of dynamic content provides site managers with an efficient way to grow their sites, obtain more SEO visibility, and manage them efficiently.

Examples of Webflow Crowdsourced Content Websites

Consider a couple of examples of businesses that used Webflow in creative ways to improve customer satisfaction and improve their organic search reach:

Hugo

Hugo developed an app that businesses can use for meeting notes. Using crowdsourced templates from various partners, the company needed to respond to many customers that needed to transition from in-office to remote work during the pandemic rapidly. The Webflow blog describes how Hugo used Webflow to develop a professional site within hours to meet this demand.

Emma

A Canadian life insurance company called Emma hoped to attract more new mothers with a searchable database of baby names. They identified the top baby names in English and French, along with information about the name’s origins and meanings. They imported this data from .csv files into their Webflow site, which helped improve search engine rankings for their target market.

What’s the Best Solution for Your Next Big Idea?

If your business needs more efficient site design and management, contact us here at Temper and Forge. Let us know what you need to build, and we’ll offer you the best solutions.