What's new in Webflow and Takeaway from Webflow Conf 2024

Webflow Conf 2024: Key Announcements and Launches

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Introducing Webflow as the First Website Experience Platform - Webflow has expanded its core mission, moving beyond just website building. Now, it offers a complete platform solution to help teams build, analyze, and optimize website performance holistically. This shift highlights the importance of continuous optimization and data-driven decision-making.

1. Webflow Analyze and Optimize (Market's Dream Plugin)

Webflow Analyze: A native analytics tool designed to help users understand visitor's behavior, engagement, and performance without third-party tools, yes it's native in webflow. No manual setup required, automatic event tracking.

Webflow Optimize: An A/B testing, personalization, and account-based marketing features built directly into Webflow. AI Optimize enhances this by running real-time, AI-driven tests that dynamically adapt experiences for individual users. Pretty insane.

2. AI-Powered Tools for Design and Content Creation (upcoming)

AI Assistant for Design: Enables faster design workflows by generating pre-built sections using your site's existing design system. You can tweak the output to fit your brand’s aesthetic. This will be really useful to last minute client request for a section.

AI Assistant for Writing: Helps create CMS content more efficiently, generating contextually relevant content based on your CMS structure. Perfect for quick drafts that match your brand’s tone.

3. Welcoming GSAP to Webflow (upcoming)

Webflow has acquired GSAP and will be working on Webflow Interaction IX3 a robust JavaScript animation library, allowing users to create advanced animations and interactive elements, soon we will see enhanced Webflow websites.

*The upcoming tags are the feature yet to release by webflow and is not available on the date when this blog was written.

4. Improved Design Systems and CMS Capabilities

Component Style Variants: Finally!!, A game changer feature for components, you can define multiple style options on the same component, reducing design maintenance and improving flexibility. No need to make duplications of components.

Enhanced CMS API: Now supports bulk operations, making it easier to import large datasets. Also, new CMS publishing controls allow for more precise control over what content gets published and when.

5. Expanded Localization Capabilities

Webflow is improving localization features, now allowing for localized styles across all plans and increasing upto 10 supported locales in advanced plans. This helps create personalized, global experiences. Just hoping they soon increase translation limit on CMS aswell

6. Enhanced Form Functionality

Forms—critical to lead capture—have received new Bot Prevention functionality, and form management has been streamlined with a new settings panel for app integrations and form connections. This will help clients avoid lot of bots. Personally was expecting they will release Google Captcha V3, it's about time

7. Capabilities for Team Collaboration

Page Building for All: Marketers and less technical team members (specially marketers) can now build branded landing pages using designer-approved blocks, making website updates easier for non-developers. This will make sure that the page structure is not broken accidentally XD.

Improved Design Approvals: The review process has been enhanced, allowing for more detailed approvals and stakeholder reviews, ensuring site updates go through proper checks. Lot of checks are required when you play big.

New Navigation Interface: A new tab-based navigation improves productivity by making it easier to switch between Webflow tools like the Designer, CMS, and Analyze features. Webflow played with UX here.

8. Updates for Agencies and Freelancers

Client Payments and Project Fees: New features allow agencies to request client payment info directly within the platform, simplifying billing. In the future, agencies will also be able to charge recurring project fees.

Seamless Site Transfers: Transferring sites between workspaces will be smoother, with no interruptions to hosting or subscriptions. Very much needed update, I can't remember how many time I had to mail webflow for coupons just to downgrade site and transfer it to client's new workspace then host it again. Why spend on workspace plan when you can get coupons.

9. Building the Webflow Community

Webflow Practitioner Certification: Now in beta, this certification offers a new way to showcase expertise in Webflow. I was one of the Reviewer.

Template Marketplace Enhancements: Template designers now have access to better insights on demand and trends, and can distribute designs across multiple marketplaces.

Conclusion

Webflow has positioned it's as a Website Experience Platform making it one of it's kind tool with a mix setup for markets and developers all packed in one place.