Choosing Webflow over WordPress
WordPress is to blogs, what Amazon is to online shopping. Everybody has an account, everybody understands it, and for the majority of users it is the path of least resistance, but the question I ask my clients is always ‘why not Webflow?’
Just like Amazon, WordPress isn’t perfect. There are issues with quality and estimated delivery time, but even though there’s a strong case for it being something everybody knows and has been using for years, it’s not necessarily the best platform for the job.
CMS comfort zone
WordPress is preferred by so many users because of the content management system (CMS). It is familiar, they already have an account, they know how to add new users and richer media. There is reticence to move to a different CMS, especially when it has been set up externally, because users rarely wish to learn a new system on top of managing their existing workload.
What I tell my clients is that WordPress, for all its familiarity, is actually notoriously tricky to use. The CMS in Webflow is very easy for clients to manage and the interface is more user-friendly than they might be used to. Just like WordPress, it is a site designer and builder and separates content from support features, allowing users to make content updates without interfering with the structure.
Editorial control
A big worry for any client is losing their current content management flexibility. They want to retain control of their web content with the ease of logging into their WordPress account and making a quick edit or adding a new content item. All Webflow designers want their clients to take control of their content after site launch, but this is still something I find I have to reassure clients about when I am introducing them to Webflow. When they see what they can do with the CMS they’re genuinely surprised at how simple it is to navigate and keep updated.
Moreover, Weblflow doesn’t require additional plug-ins for search engine optimisation (SEO), allowing users to edit their meta title and description directly, resulting in a better performance when it goes live.
Brand identity
As a designer who cut his teeth in logo creation, Webflow is the best platform I’ve used yet for capturing brand identity. The platform allows me to think about the web build as both a front-end developer and a designer, without fluency in HTML5. That’s not to do HTML5 coders a disservice, and for many larger sites, a developer/coder is a vital part of a new website build, but for the majority of those using WordPress currently, these sizes of sites don’t necessarily require the back-end development bringing down cost and delivery times and allowing the greatest flexibility for getting branding and messaging right.
Full disclosure: Webflow did not endorse me to write this blog.