The Webflow Decision: Why We Build Every Client Site on One Platform in 2026

87% of B2B buyers say the company website is their most trusted source when researching a purchase decision. Yet most businesses are still managing their sites with platforms that make simple updates feel like major IT projects.

We've spent seven years building websites on every major platform. WordPress, Squarespace, Framer, Webflow, we've deployed production sites on all of them. Each has genuine strengths. Each solves real problems.

But only one consistently delivers what our clients actually need: websites they can manage without a developer on speed dial.

That platform is Webflow.

This isn't a sponsored post or affiliate pitch. It's the accumulated wisdom from managing dozens of client websites across multiple platforms, watching which ones our clients can actually use, and tracking where our support requests come from.

Here's what we've learned.

The WordPress Problem Nobody Talks About

WordPress powers 43% of the internet. That's an astonishing statistic!

It's also somewhat misleading.

The WordPress ecosystem is brilliant for certain use cases. Huge content libraries, complex membership sites, extensive e-commerce operations—WordPress can handle all of it. The plugin ecosystem means there's literally a solution for everything.

But that plugin ecosystem is also the problem. Every WordPress site becomes a Jenga tower of dependencies. Your contact form plugin needs updating. That update conflicts with your SEO plugin. Your SEO plugin needs the latest version of PHP. Your hosting environment doesn't support that PHP version yet.

We've had clients call us in a panic because their site went down after a routine plugin update. One plugin. That's all it took.

Maintenance Is the Hidden Cost

The real expense of WordPress isn't the initial build. It's the ongoing maintenance.

You need security updates monthly. Plugin compatibility checks quarterly. Theme updates that might break your custom CSS. Hosting environments that require technical knowledge to configure properly.

For agencies like ours, that means either charging clients hefty monthly retainers or fielding panicked support calls when something breaks. Neither option is ideal.

Our clients run businesses. They don't want to think about dependency conflicts or PHP versions or whether their cache plugin is compatible with their image optimization plugin.

They want to update a headline and move on with their day.

Squarespace: Beautiful But Limited

Squarespace builds gorgeous websites straight out of the box. Their templates are genuinely well-designed. The interface is clean and intuitive.

We've built multiple client sites on Squarespace, particularly for smaller businesses with straightforward needs.

The problem emerges around month three. Your client wants to add a custom contact form with conditional logic. They need a calculator tool. They want a layout that deviates slightly from the template structure.

Suddenly you're fighting the platform instead of working with it.

Squarespace gives you approximately 80% of what most businesses need. That remaining 20% is locked behind walls you simply cannot break through without custom code that feels like a workaround rather than a solution.

Framer: The New Kid Making Waves

Framer is exciting. Genuinely exciting!

The design-to-development workflow is exceptional. The animation capabilities are unmatched. For designers who code or developers who design, it's an absolute dream.

We've deployed several Framer sites and the client reaction to the final product is always enthusiastic. The sites look modern, feel fluid, and stand out from typical web templates.

But there's a learning curve that matters. When we hand over a Framer site to a client, they need training. Real training, not a quick screenshare. The component-based architecture makes perfect sense to us but feels abstract to marketing managers who just want to update their service descriptions.

The other challenge is the ecosystem maturity. Framer is iterating rapidly, which is brilliant for features but occasionally means functionality changes between builds. It's a young platform finding its footing.

Why Webflow Won Our Process

After managing client sites across all these platforms, a pattern emerged.

The Webflow sites generated the fewest support requests. The clients felt most confident making updates themselves. The builds hit the sweet spot between creative freedom and structural sensibility.

Let me break down why.

Visual Development Actually Works

Webflow's visual canvas isn't a toy or a simplified editor hiding the real controls. It's the actual development environment.

When we build in Webflow, we're writing real HTML, CSS, and creating proper semantic structure. But we're doing it visually. This means faster iteration, easier client presentations, and designs that match the final product exactly.

There's no "lost in translation" moment between design and development. What you build is what you ship.

Clients Can Make Real Updates

This is the big one. The thing that actually matters in month six and month twelve and month twenty-four of the relationship.

Our clients can update Webflow sites themselves. Not just change text or swap images—though they can absolutely do that. They can add entire sections, duplicate layouts, update navigation structures, and create new pages that match the existing design system.

One client called it "surprisingly intuitive." High praise from someone who describes themselves as "definitely not technical."

The Editor mode is particularly clever. It strips away all the structure controls and just shows the content areas. Your client can update copy, images, and basic formatting without ever seeing the designer interface. But if they need more control, it's there.

No Plugin Dependency Hell

This deserves its own section because it's that important.

Webflow sites don't have plugins. They have integrations, built on proper APIs, that live outside the site itself.

Your form connects to your CRM via webhook. Your analytics run through a script. Your e-commerce inventory syncs through Webflow's native system or a proper integration service.

Nothing breaks because fifteen different third-party developers stopped maintaining their code. Nothing conflicts because two plugins are trying to load different versions of jQuery. Nothing mysteriously stops working after a hosting environment update.

We sleep better knowing our clients' sites aren't ticking time bombs of dependency conflicts.

The CMS Is Actually Usable

Webflow's CMS gets overshadowed by the visual builder, which is a shame because it's exceptionally well-designed.

You create collection structures that make sense for your content. Not just blogs and posts—actual custom content types with proper relationships and references.

One client runs an investment firm. They needed portfolio companies, team members, case studies, and service offerings all cross-referenced and filterable. The Webflow CMS handled it elegantly without custom database work or complex plugins.

Your content editors see clean, logical forms. Not meta boxes and custom fields scattered across an admin panel. Just the content structure you've designed for them.

Creative Control Without Code Chaos

Here's where Webflow pulls ahead of both Squarespace and WordPress.

We get complete creative control. Any layout we can imagine, we can build. Custom animations, complex interactions, responsive behaviours that adapt to specific breakpoints—it's all possible without fighting templates or hacking around limitations.

But unlike WordPress, this control doesn't come with the burden of maintaining custom PHP functions, child themes, or plugin modifications.

It's visual, but it's also powerful. That combination is rarer than you'd think.

The Hosting Situation Is Brilliant

Webflow's hosting is fully managed and runs on AWS infrastructure. Fast global CDN, automatic SSL certificates, and 99.99% uptime.

Our clients don't need separate hosting accounts or cPanel access or any of the traditional web hosting complexity. It's just there, working, handled.

When you publish, your site goes live instantly across the CDN. No FTP uploads, no cache clearing, no wondering if the changes actually deployed.

Cost Effectiveness Is Underrated

Yes, Webflow has monthly hosting costs. This occasionally gives people sticker shock compared to shared hosting or a Squarespace subscription.

But let's calculate actual costs.

WordPress: cheap hosting plus security plugin plus backup service plus premium theme plus support time equals significantly more than Webflow's monthly fee. And you're still managing updates.

Squarespace: comparable monthly cost but with strict creative limitations that often mean you need custom development anyway.

Webflow: single monthly fee covering hosting, CMS, security, backups, and global CDN. No surprise costs, no emergency developer calls, no plugin subscriptions stacking up.

When you include the hidden costs of other platforms—particularly developer time—Webflow becomes notably cost-effective.

The Learning Curve Is Worth It

Webflow isn't immediately intuitive for everyone. There's a learning curve.

But it's a curve worth climbing because the knowledge stays relevant. You're learning how CSS flexbox actually works, not how a specific theme handles layout. You're understanding responsive design principles, not memorizing plugin settings.

We've had clients who started barely able to edit text and ended up confidently building entire landing pages themselves. That progression happens because Webflow's logic is consistent with how the web actually works.

When Webflow Isn't the Answer

Honesty matters here. Webflow isn't perfect for every scenario.

If you need extensive e-commerce with hundreds of product variations and complex inventory management, Shopify is likely better. If you're running a massive content site with multiple authors and complex editorial workflows, WordPress might serve you better. If you want the absolute cheapest option and have very basic needs, Squarespace could suffice.

But for the vast majority of B2B service businesses—our core clients—Webflow hits every requirement while staying manageable long-term.

The 2026 Web Landscape

The platform wars have largely settled into specialisation. Each tool has found its niche.

WordPress dominates enterprise content management and e-commerce at scale. Squarespace owns the very-small-business market. Framer is capturing the design-forward, interaction-heavy projects. Shopify rules e-commerce.

Webflow has become the professional standard for custom business websites that need to be both powerful and client-manageable.

That last bit is crucial: client-manageable. Because websites aren't one-and-done projects. They're living business tools that need regular updates, content changes, and occasional expansion.

Why We Standardised on One Platform

Using multiple platforms might seem like flexibility. In practice, it's fragmentation.

By standardising on Webflow, we've built deep expertise. We know its quirks and capabilities intimately. We've created component libraries and starter templates that let us move faster. Our clients get consistent quality because we're not relearning a different system for each project.

This depth of knowledge benefits everyone. Builds are faster and more reliable. Client training is consistent. Support is efficient because we know exactly how everything works.

The Client Experience Difference

Talk to our clients about their websites and a theme emerges: confidence.

They're confident making updates. They're confident the site will keep working. They're confident asking for new features because they've seen how flexibly the platform adapts.

That confidence is the real difference. Not features or capabilities or technical specifications. Confidence that their website won't hold them back from running their business.

What This Means for Your Business

If you're considering a website rebuild or evaluating platforms, here's the honest assessment.

Webflow requires a proper initial investment in build quality and design system creation. But that investment pays dividends in reduced long-term costs, faster content updates, and fewer emergency support calls.

It's the platform for businesses that want a genuinely custom website without the burden of managing technical complexity themselves.

Our Webflow Commitment

We've built our entire client service model around Webflow. Our design systems, our training materials, our support processes—everything optimised for this platform.

Could we build on other platforms? Absolutely. We have the expertise.

But we've seen what happens when clients get stuck with sites they can't manage, plugins that break unexpectedly, or platforms that limit their growth. We've had those support calls. We've seen that frustration.

Webflow eliminates those problems. Not perfectly—nothing's perfect. But consistently and reliably enough that we're confident building every client site on it.

The Bottom Line

After deploying dozens of sites across multiple platforms, watching which ones our clients successfully manage, and tracking where our time gets consumed, the data is clear.

Webflow delivers the best combination of creative control, client usability, and long-term maintainability for professional business websites.

The other platforms are good. They're all good at what they do!

But Webflow is the one we trust with our clients' digital presence. The one we recommend without reservation. The one that consistently delivers websites that work for businesses long after we've handed over the keys.

That's why we use it exclusively. Not because we're inflexible, but because we've tried everything else and know what actually works.

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