Introduction
Webflow has quickly become one of the most popular platforms for designing, building and launching responsive websites without code. With its intuitive drag-and-drop interface and powerful CMS, Webflow makes it easy for designers to create professional-quality sites.
However, not all designers have the development skills to fully optimize a Webflow site's performance and SEO. That's why hiring an experienced Webflow developer is key for building a fast, search-engine friendly website that drives results for your business.
This article will provide tips on finding skilled Webflow developers, evaluating their work, and managing Webflow projects successfully from start to finish. Follow these best practices, and you'll be well on your way to launching a high-quality Webflow site.
TL;DR
Hiring the right Webflow developer and managing the project smoothly requires:
- Sourcing experienced candidates from trusted platforms like Webflow Experts
- Asking targeted questions to evaluate technical skills
- Watching for red flags in portfolios like slow load times
- Setting clear goals and expectations upfront
- Using Webflow Project Manager for collaboration
- Optimizing for speed and SEO best practices
- Testing responsively across devices
- Closely managing content and revisions
Follow these tips, and your Webflow site will be in expert hands.
Tips for Finding and Hiring Skilled Webflow Developers
When sourcing Webflow developers, you want to find candidates with proven experience building performant, search-engine optimized Webflow sites. Here are some tips for finding and vetting top talent:
- Search dedicated platforms like Webflow Experts and Webflow Jobs to find developers endorsed by Webflow. Check profiles for client reviews and examples of live Webflow work.
- Post on communities like Reddit's Webflow subreddit to get referrals from other Webflow users. Include details on your project scope and needs.
- Ask candidates about the extent of their Webflow experience. How many sites have they built with Webflow? What types of custom interactions have they created? How familiar are they with Webflow's CMS and hosting?
- Review their live portfolio sites. Check page speeds and mobile optimization using Google PageSpeed Insights and Google Mobile-Friendly Test.
- Watch for red flags like slow load times, broken links, unresponsive elements, etc. This may indicate weaker technical skills.
- Consider hiring a freelancer if you need an affordable, experienced developer for a short-term project. For larger projects, a Webflow agency may provide more resources.
Best Practices for Managing the Webflow Project
To keep your Webflow project on track, it's essential to set clear expectations and manage the collaboration. Follow these best practices:
- Provide a detailed brief explaining your goals, target audience, content strategy and design preferences. This aligns you and your developer early on.
- Use Webflow Project Manager to share feedback and assets, track tasks and milestones, and monitor progress. This keeps everyone on the same page.
- Prioritize website performance. Your developer should minify code, optimize images, and leverage caching and CDNs to maximize speed.
- Build responsively from the start and extensively test across mobile, tablet and desktop screens. This ensures a consistent experience.
- Closely manage rounds of feedback and content changes. Use Webflow CMS tools like Collections to simplify revisions.
- Have a go-live checklist covering SEO audits, speed tests, browser testing, security checks and beta testing. This catches any final issues.
Optimizing the Webflow Website for SEO
Beyond fast page speeds, your developer should optimize your Webflow site for search engines by:
- Crafting keyword-rich page titles and meta descriptions that reflect page content
- Including alt text for images to aid comprehension
- Structuring URLs and navigation using search-friendly labels
- Adding XML sitemaps to index new pages
- Submitting the site to search engines upon launch
With the right technical SEO foundations, your content and marketing efforts will help drive organic search traffic.
Conclusion
By leveraging the tips in this guide for hiring a skilled Webflow developer and closely managing your project, you can ensure the successful creation of a high-quality website on Webflow.
The key takeaways include: finding experienced candidates on dedicated platforms, evaluating portfolios thoroughly, setting clear expectations, utilizing Webflow's collaboration tools, prioritizing speed and responsiveness, optimizing for SEO, and managing feedback and revisions closely.
With the right Webflow expertise on your team and a focus on performance and search optimization, you will launch a website that delivers results and effectively showcases your brand.
