I enjoy building blogs on Webflow. However there are several limitations that people don't expect when migrating a large blog to Webflow.
It's important to know these limitations and your options for workarounds to ensure Webflow fits your needs.
Major Improvements
Webflow is always improving!
Before I dive into the current limitations for bloggers, I'll note that in 2023-24 alone, we've seen the addition of;
- Markdown shortcuts
- Nesting support in ordered and unordered lists
- Improved toolbars
- Code blocks for formatted source code content
- AI writing support
- Slash-key support
/for quick formatting
These new features are exciting because they make blogging easier and more powerful- but also because they show Webflow's understanding of user needs and commitment to improving the platform.
That said, here are the key limitations that exist in as of this writing;
Layout & Design Limitations
Webflow's CMS is designed for consistency so each blog article will need to have roughly the same page layout.
You can't vary the page layouts arbitrarily between articles, and it takes a bit of creativity to even have a well-defined set of layouts- e.g. a photo gallery-centric layout, an article-centric layout, a video-centric layout.
Content Limitations
At the heart of a blog article is Webflow's rich text block (RTB). It's quite capable, but it has limitations as well.
Limited Styling Support
Suppose you want to be able to arbitrarily yellow-highlight a word, or make a specific word red, or use strikethrough- these aren't natively supported styles in Webflow's RTB.
Instead, you need to repurpose another, supported style like superscript, or use HTML embeds or script workarounds- which there are plenty of.
No Table Support
Webflow's RTB now supports formatted source code blocks and nested lists, but it does not yet support tables. You'll need a workaround, typically using an HTML embed block to paste your table HTML into.
We discuss a wide range of Webflow table options here.
No Embedded Component Support
There are similar challenges around embedding special components like CTA's, call-outs, ads, or "Did you know?" blogs within the actual blog text.
The best workaround here is tools like Finsweet's Powerful Rich Text lib.
Path Limitations
Another core limitation is your article paths.
In blog-centric platforms like WP, most bloggers are familiar with URLs like /blog/2024/article-name, or root-bound paths like /article-name but Webflow does not support either.
Webflow requires a /(collection-slug)/(item-slug) structure for all CMS pages, which can be placed inside of a static folder path.
The only comprehensive workaround is a reverse-proxy based solution like Sygnal's Fluid Paths.
Admin Limitations
For those who are familiar with large-scale publishing systems, you might also be familiar with editorial controls such as publishing workflows and roles.
Webflow only offers this type of capability at the Enterprise tier, which is out of range for the majority of bloggers.
Notes
More notes here;
- https://www.sygnal.com/lessons/rich-text-bugs-limitations
- https://bryanmanio.com/blog/webflow-kind-of-sucks-for-blogging/
FAQs
Answers to frequently asked questions.
