A content management system (CMS) lets you use the same layout on multiple pages seamlessly. This is important for repetitive content like product pages, blogs posts, and informational pages, because they can sometimes number in the hundreds. A good CMS lets you easily edit fields in a database, without any coding knowledge, which is then reflected on the actual website. Additionally, if you need to change the layout for the repetitive page, you only have to do it once and it updates everywhere.
By the end of this post you’ll understand why the Webflow CMS is a great option for all stakeholders
Design without constraints
Webflow CMS lets you design your webpage freely because you’re not locked into a predesigned template. Once you add elements to the page all you have to do is link them to a field in the database, and it’s as simple as 2 clicks. You can also display static content that won’t change between the CMS pages, like a side-bar in a blog or a filter bar in a product page.
This means that you can choose to hide or display content using several different filter methods. The options given match the fields that you’ve chosen for that specific CMS collection. For example, you can filter products of a certain colour, price-range or even brand name.
As expert web developers that have used Wordpress, Wix and Shopify countless times, we’ve never came across an all in one solution. With Webflow, you have complete design freedom, and you can add whatever element your collection needs, where typically you’d be locked in to a theme and be limited by what dynamic content you can display.
Easy change management and version control
If you intend to run your website yourself, this is the section you should be most excited about. The Webflow CMS isn’t on a separate page that you have to keep going back and forth to see your changes. With Webflow CMS, you can make changes to your live website, visually, and publish with a click of a button (Figure 1). You have access to the static elements on the CMS collection page, without needing to code, as well as the CMS collection database. You can visually add, or remove, single items, or pages, in the collection and watch the updates happen in real-time.
Additional features include creating teams that can work remotely on the website. This isn’t unique to Webflow but its good to know that the option exists. Everyone can work in peace without worrying about breaking the layout structure of the Website (as long as you stay clear of the designer!). There’s a great 2 minute introductory video to the editor where you can see it working in full effect.. Finally, just incase you make any mistakes, Webflow creates automatic backups while you work and you can also create your own labelled backups. This is enables easy version control without having to manually push your code to a server.
Please note that you only have access to these powerful CMS features if you choose to host your website on Webflow. To replicate these features elsewhere, you do require a developer to connect your Website to a Graphical User Interface (GUI) CMS editor. Sometimes this is required if you need server functionality that isn't available on Webflow.
Define your own Schema and layout
We’ve already touched on some of the key points of a content strategy. Blogs, product pages, and anything that has a repetitive layout structure, can be developed using the schema you define. You’re not locked into specific display options, and even if you buy a Webflow template you can add, or remove, elements in the CMS schema to reflect your needs. You can also pull data from multiple collections through reference fields. This would be important for connecting an author collection to a blog post collection as an example. You can include, or omit, page content based on screen width giving each consumer an experience that’s optimised for their technological environment.
To expand on some of the features you have access to, the schema you define can dynamically connect to images, text, links, numbers, and dates, on the page to name a few! These can all be easily used in the content structure that you’ve defined (Figure 2). From a branding perspective, this relieves a lot of frustration. With experience, you can almost immediately tell what platform a website is developed on. Being the same as everyone else reduces authenticity. Imagine if all physical shops had the same layout, and packaging, but different products, where would you draw an emotional connection from?
The final point we want to touch on is the import feature. Webflow fully supports CSV fields and, if any fields are missing, you can create them there and then. This makes migrating to Webflow really easy, or if you’ve got a database of information that you need displayed you can just upload the CSV. You can even work with external applications using the Webflow API and dynamically populate your CMS collection with live data. This does require a good understanding of JSON, and the CMS documentation, and we’ll give you a brief introduction in the next section.
Work with the JSON underlying your CMS.
This lets you bring content from external data sources, connect an existing CMS or even publish to a mobile app. All of this is natively built in by the way.
The ability to export JSON lets you integrate data from multiple data sources. If you’re not familiar with JSON, it’s the preferred format for sending data over the internet in text format. It’s then parsed, or converted, into the necessary code for the desired application.
Finally, you can create custom web hooks to run CRUD operations. The acronym stands for create, read, update, and delete, and every database requires these functions. With respect to Webflow, this means you can update content elsewhere automatically whenever a specific action happens on your website e.g. a customer buys a product.
If this section just got a little complicated, fear not, Webflow supports Zapier integration. This also lets you create custom triggers to interact with other external sources without creating custom web hooks. It does however limit you to applications that support Zapier, but unless you’re running a large enterprise then most apps that you might need would.
Simplicity, consistency and a truly unique experience
To complete this post we’re going to focus on the importance of CMSs for customers. Let's face it, the majority of consumers are highly impatient and expect flawless, rapid responses from online experiences. Anything sub-par is subconsciously branded distrustful and they back out.
A good CMS should be easy to use and give the customer all the options they need to navigate the website. The less effort it is to know how to use a webpage the more success you’ll have in getting that sale, or sign up, or whatever your goal is. As consumers, we’re conditioned to expect the same layout on similar pages and this gives us more energy to focus on, for example, buying a product.
Webflow CMS lets you define custom layouts, for repetitive pages, and create dynamic embeds for repetitive content. If your product is unique, or has parameters that most don’t, then it’s very important to have a schema that reflects that. Less energy spent navigating = more positive interactions with the website. It’s simple math.
Having the ability to display content conditionally, define custom layouts, and schemas, and include, or omit, content based on device width gives you all the options you need to create a targeted user experience (Figure 2). The website is easy to manage and you don’t have to be an expert to make significant changes to the static, or dynamic, content throughout.
Is Webflow the best CMS? We sure think it's up there, and if you don’t, we’d love to hear where we can get a solution that’s better for our company and clients! If you'd like us to help you get started on your next project, also feel free contact us.
Clients Guide to the Webflow Editor
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7moqInkxo4&t=24s
Zapier Integration
- https://zapier.com/apps/webflow/integrations
