Five Common Webflow Design Mistakes to Avoid

Webflow site design is frequently billed as more difficult to master than simpler alternatives like Squarespace or Wix. However, it does come with its own advantages — most notably superior code control and customisation as well as built-in e-commerce flexibility.

If you’re a website developer in Australia, you might want to put these advantages to work for you. In this post, we go over what to avoid when using Webflow, all the while making use of its ability to build unique and professional websites.

Webflow and Responsive Design Issues

Arguably the most important mistake you can make is ignoring responsive design by neglecting mobile-first. Today, more than half of website traffic comes from smartphones and other mobile devices. Many developers still primarily optimise for desktop, believing they can fix issues with mobile layouts later. This often leads to a poor or broken user experience on smaller screens.

• Solution: Take a mobile-first approach by designing for the smallest viewport initially, before building out to tablets and then desktops. This will ensure correct functionality across all devices.

Beginners also tend to make the mistake of overcomplicating the design, or simply cramming in too much information onto a single page. Ignoring the value of blank space will leave you with a cluttered design that overwhelms visitors and obscures the main message of the page.

• Solution: Utilise negative space intentionally to increase readability, organise content, and direct user focus to priority elements like calls to action or headlines. Appreciating the value of simplicity and a clear visual hierarchy will create a much more pleasant and intuitive sitewide experience.

Webflow and SEO Optimisation Mistakes

In the process of the learning curve, some developers slip into forgetting or ignoring SEO fundamentals. The fact of the matter is that neglecting header tag hierarchy, descriptive alt text on images, and well-written meta descriptions will almost always cost you in search engine visibility.

• Solution: Always prioritise SEO, and do so from the ground up. Take the time to craft compelling as well as unique meta titles and descriptions for each page, use relevant keywords, and structure appropriately with header tags to get your site ranked higher.

Webflow Performance Optimisation Tips

It pays to avoid improper CSS class management or lack of a naming system, as it can lead to a cluttered project that’s next to impossible to maintain. By using generic or merely descriptive class names such as div-block-1 or green-button-3, you end up being at risk of breaking designs in unrelated areas if you need to change a class.

Finally, the use of unoptimised media can cause slow page loading speeds, and an undesirable experience overall for browsers. This usually comes down to bulky, heavy media files like videos or images that can frustrate users and have negative effects on your web presence. Compressing and optimising files before uploading, as well as favouring modern formats like .webp, can yield much better results on the UX end.

Remembering design best practices while adapting your strategies to Webflow is the best strategy when using its superior potential. By doing so, you don’t trade its granular level of control for a better SEO ranking.