Both Webflow and WordPress have ready to start layouts and templates. So it’s a no-brainer that you would want the best for your website!
It’s simply a software platform that hordes and manages content. But if you’d like it in technical jargon, here you go:
A content management system is a software platform that will allow the user to create, edit, report, distribute, and publish content.
Unless you are new to the world of blogging and content marketing, you’d know that the terms CMS and WordPress are always spoken of in the same breath, such is the reputation WordPress has built for itself over the years!
And Webflow?
Webflow isn’t a CMS but a cloud-based website builder and it has a dashboard similar to a CMS.
WordPress is an open-source content management system used to build websites and blogs- it is mainly used by bloggers and small-scale companies for their websites. Currently, it powers nearly 40% of websites on the internet.
You can create business websites, blogs, portfolios, and even eCommerce stores for free on WordPress, with limited knowledge of programming. It has a host of free plugins and extensions as well.
Webflow is a website building and design tool which also has CMS facilities. It is the new kid on the block, founded in 2012 as opposed to WordPress, which was founded in 2003.
However, WordPress has made its way up the website building list quite quick and it is quite user-friendly as well.
And in this article, that is exactly what we’re going to explore- if Webflow can stand up to or compete with the grand old man of content management- WordPress.
Pros:
Firstly, the code is clean and easy to understand, which directly causes the page speed to go up. This helps the website to shoot up to the top of the Google SERPs and also provides a smooth and satisfactory user experience.
But how does Webflow go about it?
It natively gets rid of unnecessary code. (WordPress users need to use the W3 cache plugin to do this.)
Webflow automatically prevents the user from downloading the same file from the website time and again. (You need W3 cache plugin to exercise this in WordPress)
Super, super helpful if you are catering to a global audience!
Webflow uses Amazon Cloudfront CDN which serves website content to the reader from the nearest server.
While WordPress has undoubtedly THE BEST plugins for SEO (Yoast and Elementor), it doesn’t help SEO natively, which Webflow does.
The following 3 factors detail why Webflow is great for SEO too:
We typically use the Yoast plugin in WordPress to edit the meta description to our liking. But there is no hassle at all with Webflow in this department! Because it will inherently ask you to do so.
WordPress inherently uses web URLs with the date and name of the domain on them. This can especially be harmful from the ranking point of view because Google frowns upon outdated posts. You have to manually change the settings.
But Webflow will let up only what is needed in the URL- domain and topic name.
For both of these, you need external plugins in WordPress.
However, in Webflow, you can just paste the Google Analytics ID or the Google Site Verification ID and voila, your job is done!
WordPress follows a lengthy Preview procedure:
Save a draft. Go to the preview page. Open a separate tab.
And still, you may be bombarded with multiple pages till you find the one you want to preview.
Webflow?
Hit the Toggle Preview button on top of the webpage. Done.
Huge, huge relief! You need not worry about the system or network malfunctioning. Your work is getting autosaved instantly.
Webflow provides you with a whole different webpage for you to review and update changes- the yourdomain.webflow.io page.
Make all your changes here and directly publish them in the main domain.
In WordPress, you have to copy both your files and database, make changes, and copy them back. That’s a lot of work!
The sole purpose of using content management systems is so that you can work with zero code. But in WordPress, the more complex the design is the amount of code increases.
However, Webflow allows you to customize your website using only the drag-and-drop facility!
Cons:
If you are new to web development, it might be a steep learning curve for you. However, they have been trying to mitigate this issue by providing a series of video tutorials for users.
WordPress is open-source and so the website building and design don’t cost a penny. But Webflow does- the cheapest version starts at $12 a month.
Pros:
It is free. You only have to pay a meager amount for hosting and if you want any paid plugin. This makes it far more affordable than Webflow.
It is highly customizable, with thousands of plugins and extensions (yes, for free!).
It has the best plugins for checking your content for SEO and also boosting the ranking for your website. Yoast and Elementor are the best of the lot.
It is an open-source platform with contributions from a plethora of developers. Any issue you run into, there will be someone to solve it. You can tap into the community and hire a developer to customize your website as well!
WordPress has enjoyed a monopoly in the CMS field for a while and as a result has several 3rd party integrations, which are bound to make the job easier for the user.
Cons:
For complex and customized designs, you will definitely need to hire a developer (in case you are not one), because that entails a good lot of coding.
Most of the plugins and extensions on WordPress are free and of great use.
The catch? They run ads on the backend of the website. Well, if they’re offering services for free, this is the least they can expect out of the deal!
However, these ads may cause the site to slow down or lead to poor UX.
WordPress is an open-source platform and even though it has a large developer community, it doesn’t have dedicated customer support. Since all the plugins and extensions are made by 3rd party developers, they may not be compatible. In this case, solving the issue might be a problem.
Both WordPress and Webflow can be used to create blogs, portfolios, eCommerce stores, business websites, and landing pages.
Both are customizable to a high degree and play a part in perfecting SEO for your site.
If you are looking to opt for simpler websites, Webflow would be our choice. It is easy and can be customized without coding.
But if the site is complex, go for WordPress- it has more options. You can hire someone from the developer community to do the job and also troubleshoot issues.
Though WordPress is undoubtedly the most tried-and-tested platform, we assure you Webflow won’t disappoint.
We could also help you with building your website on either of the platforms.
Hurry! Give us a call!
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