The future of Webflow

How Webflow unites marketers and developers

In this post, we'll take a detailed look at Webflow's developments after Conf 2024. Together with Mike Pecha, we'll discuss the latest features and where the platform is heading for web designers.

Mike Pecha online:

Multi-step forms in Webflow: https://inputflow.io
X: twitter.com/mikepechadotcom
Site: mikepecha.com

Webflow Conf 2024: Our impressions

This year's Webflow Conf brought numerous exciting announcements:

New page building mode: A tool with great potential for working more efficiently, which has received little attention so far.
Acquisition of GSAP: A strategic move that could significantly expand the animation options in Webflow.
Improved localization: Particularly important for international projects, as the localization features have been improved in the medium plans. However, there are issues and bugs that we disclose.

Focus on marketers: What does that mean for web designers?

Webflow seems to be increasingly focused on marketers. Some developers might be unsettled by this, but we see benefits:

Advanced Features: More options for complex marketing websites.
New tools such as Analyze and Optimize: Although these are currently more relevant for enterprise customers, this will result in more revenue on the Webflow side in the future and, as a result, more new products can be developed for everyone.
More orders: A stronger marketing tool could lead to more demand and therefore more projects for web designers.

Competition and prices: A look at the market

The competition never sleeps. Platforms such as Framer and Wix are also evolving:

Framer now offers features that could challenge Webflow, such as unlimited CMS collection list integrations per page.
Wix has made price adjustments and offers virtually unlimited creation of CMS elements.
wordpress faces its own challenges, which could lead to a possible migration of users to platforms such as Webflow.

App ecosystem

Another important aspect of Webflow's future is that App ecosystem. We have worked intensively on the development of Webflow apps and would like to share our experiences.

From our point of view, the platform has developed into a valuable marketplace for extensions. It allows developers to integrate specialized solutions directly into Webflow, which significantly expands the range of functions.
Quality of app review by Webflow: Webflow has made significant progress internally when it comes to verifying and approving apps. The strict quality controls ensure that only reliable and secure applications are available in the App Store.
Ways to generate revenue: For developers, the platform offers attractive opportunities to generate income. Mike Pecha, who himself called a Webflow app Inputflow has developed, shares his experiences: “I am currently working full time on Inputflow and can live off the income from the app. It is impressive to see how a software business can be built within the Webflow ecosystem.”

The app ecosystem thus offers enormous advantages for both developers and designers and contributes significantly to the flexibility and performance of Webflow.

Final thoughts

The future of Webflow looks bright. Despite the increased focus on marketers, we web designers benefit from the new features and expanded options. It remains exciting to see how the platform evolves and what new tools await us.

Questions from the Patreon community that we answered in the podcast:

Cathrin asks:

What is the score of Webflow eCommerce?
Multistep form theme in Webflow itself. How do you rate the feature?
I think the new build mode is super useful for customers. Webflow seems to be increasingly responding to the needs of funnels and online marketing, what do you think of that?
I have the impression that Webflow is developing extremely strongly, especially for SMEs and online companies. How do you rate this compared to other CMS?
In the last interview with Dennis, he was a bit critical when it came to the topic of developers. From a developer's point of view, CMS such as Typo3 and Drupal are very strong, from a designer and marketer's point of view, I don't think any CMS comes close to Webflow, but how do you see that?

Fabian asks:

As Cathrin wrote, Webflow sees a clear strategy and a focus on (larger) marketing sites.

Will Webflow free itself from “corpses” such as e-commerce, membership or logic in order to work out this focus even more clearly?
Many of my customers, who are used to CMS such as Wordpress or Contao, are not getting along with the Webflow CMS for now because it is too “rudimentary” for them (especially in the UI).
What other potential does the CMS have to make the whole thing more comprehensive and also more customer-friendly?
How do you think Webflow will approach the integration of GSAP with Webflow?
Squarespace, Wix, Shopify are all on the stock exchange. Will this be the next step for Webflow? What effects do you think this would have?

Video Chapters

00:00 Webflow Conference 2024: Impressions and new features
01:57 Localization issues
04:59 Simplify Webflow Bug Report
06:35 More than a website builder
07:50 Webflow CMS and API
08:40 Optimization tools
11:30 Figma plugin and the Webflow ecosystem
12:37 From a no-code tool to THE marketing tool?
13:59 Webflow's positioning in the market
16:11 Webflow target groups: past and future
17:58 Why Jonas switched to Webflow
19:14 The importance of enterprise customers for Webflow
25:55 Prices and perception in the digital world
27:09 The time savings with Webflow are immense
28:23 Why does Webflow Localization have to be so expensive?
31:43 How other website builders influence Webflow prices
34:17 Digital Experience Platform: A New Paradigm
38:33 Webflow complete course
38:57 Components and what they mean for Webflow
43:57 Sophisticated extreme example of Components and Variants
48:48 The end of Webflow Editor?
52:11 Problem of translations in Switzerland
53:24 Webflow e-commerce and future developments
54:52 Webflow and e-commerce integration
58:37 Multistep Forms in Webflow
01:00:48 Webflow compared to other CMS
01:01:21 WordPress Drama
01:03:51 Framer has the hype on her side
01:08:19 Is the Webflow CMS too rudimentary?
01:10:10 What are we missing in Webflow CMS?
01:14:24 How will Webflow approach GSAP integration?
01:16:02 The future of Webflow: IPO or not?
01:20:26 Status and use of Webflow apps
01:25:32 Payment integration and the future of Webflow apps
01:30:05 Is app development worthwhile instead of customer orders?
01:31:32 Outro
01:32:21 More videos