Implementing Webflow and No-Code in Large Organizations

Webflow
Granyon
loves
At Granyon, we've noticed an enormous interest and growth in Webflow sites, particularly in the US, where 80% of our clients are based. However, Scandinavia and Denmark have yet to fully embrace this trend and continue to rely on traditional methods. We are not Webflow salespeople, but we can't help but be enthusiastic about the positive impact that no-code website development has had on our work, allowing for increased creativity, playfulness, and closer collaboration with our clients.

Granyon has been using Webflow to create websites for clients since 2016. Over the years, Webflow has evolved from being a design tool for small projects to a full-blown alternative to traditional and costly content management systems such as Drupal, Sitecore, and WordPress.

Today, Webflow and no-code are powerful tools that offer many benefits for businesses and organizations of all sizes, looking to take control of their online presence.

Power to marketing and communication

Designing and creating websites using no-code compared to the traditional approach provides a refreshing shift in power for marketers, designers, and brand professionals. In the past, programming and IT departments held the ultimate decision-making authority, but now, change and working together is an integral part of the process.

Working with no-code enables a project to benefit from the expertise of all members within a company, including business strategy, target group insights, design, UX, and Webflow development.

Webflow is a powerful tool that offers many benefits for businesses and organizations of all sizes, looking to take control of their online presence.
Website for LTP Group.

The end of black-box

Working in Webflow also means the end of black-box agency processes. Now, soon after we know the overall brand design direction and structure, we begin creating the site first as a rough prototype that everyone can discuss and improve. This allows clients to actively participate in the process, providing feedback and working towards the common goal of creating the best solution for their specific needs. By utilizing Webflow, brands are moving away from the one-size-fits-all-template towards unique designs that truly reflect their brand.

The Nordisk Games website supports the brand by incorporating subtle references to the gaming universe, such as highlighting pixels from games.
The no-code approach brings value to the business with playful, unique websites that support the brand.

A new organization

Rolling out Webflow in a large organization changes the way tasks are organized. In the past, the website was primarily managed by the marketing or communication department, with any significant changes handled by the IT team. With Webflow, we recommend implementing two levels of access; editors with the ability to make basic updates and one or two individuals with access to change the website's design and structure, the so-called designer.

The designer role

The "designer" has complete control over the site and is able to change pages and structure. I can be a steep learning curve, but is still more intuitive than becoming a Drupal developer. With the many online courses and close support from our design team, the company's Webflow designer can become proficient in as little as one to two months. This results in absolute independence and the ability for the marketing, branding, and communication team to create value for the business without any obstacles.

The editor role

The editor's role is for anyone responsible for creating content for the website. Webflow is particularly useful in this regard because the editor system is designed to fit the site. In contrast, with WordPress, editors often only use a small percentage of all editor's capabilities, while the remaining features can potentially cause harm, delete, or remove elements that cannot be recovered without a backup plugin. With Webflow, editors only see what's on the site, making it intuitive. Most editors are able to start creating content with minimal instruction, usually after just a 30-minute introduction.

The end of plugin updates and outdated CMS version

One of the things that Webflow website owners appreciate is that they no longer have to worry about outdated plugins or pay to update the CMS version every two years. As a cloud-based CMS, Webflow only has one version, which is the version currently running. This is similar to using a web browser like Google Chrome, where you are always using the latest version with access to new features that are continuously released for all users of the platform.

Webflow website owners no longer have to worry about outdated plugins or pay to update the CMS version every two years.

Integrations

Integrations are a common concern when it comes to choosing a new Content Management System. But due to its growing popularity, Webflow offers an ever-increasing number of out-of-the-box integrations and plugins. Additionally, creating custom integrations with Webflow is as easy as it is with other content management systems like WordPress.

Through custom-coded data flows, we integrated film data from the Cannes Film Festival to the Danish film festival CPH:DOX.

Our experience has shown that Webflow is a powerful platform for handling the presentation layer, and custom integrations can be easily achieved through custom-coded data flows. For example, we have successfully integrated film data from the Cannes Film Festival for CPH:PIX, CPH:DOX, and Buster, some of the world's largest film festivals within their field.

We also have experience in creating membership integrations, map solutions, and integrating data from various sources such as Firebase and Airtable. In short, don't let the need for data integrations hold you back from using Webflow and enjoying the creative freedom it offers.

Multiple languages

When working with large organizations, one common challenge is how to handle multiple languages and market-specific subsites. While Webflow has announced plans to release an easy way of manage multiple languages (they have promised this for years), currently we recommend using a service such as Weglot or creating multiple sites to handle different languages.

On the website for the organization Potential Project, Weglot was integrated with Webflow to enable the website to support five languages.
The no-code approach allows the marketing, brand, and communication team to have more control over the corporate websites and shift the focus from IT projects to brand.

Weglot

Weglot is an AI-based system that can be integrated with Webflow. As the site owner, you can select the languages you want to include on the site, and the system will automatically translate all text into the chosen language the user. The editor can then manually edit or refine the translations within the Weglot interface. An example of of a website that utilizes this solution can be found at https://potentialproject.com.

Multiple sites

Multiple sites may be a better solution if your different language sites are not identical, with different products or services in various markets, or if you want to tailor the experience to different audiences.

For the company Milford, we implemented this solution. We started with the main market site, in this case Denmark, and then copied the website to create versions for Norway, Sweden, Germany, and an English version. In Webflow, we can copy the site in a matter of seconds, and the editors can easily navigate between the different sites, adjust the language and tailor the communication to fit the target group.

For Milford, we created four website versions, each featuring its own language and product offerings.

From IT project to brand project

The corporate website is often the center of a company's marketing system and the place where you control the narrative and how your brand is presented. The no-code approach allows the marketing, brand, and communication team to have more control over the corporate websites and shift the focus from IT projects to brand.

Instead of costly and potentially damaging IT projects, we see this bringing value to the business with playful, unique websites that support the brand.

We are passionate and enthusiastic about this new way of thinking design and development, and our clients share this excitement.

In conclusion, using Webflow, companies can take control of their own website, becoming independent of agencies and IT departments, while also reducing costs. Webflow and no-code will have a growing role in corporate website design and development, and Granyon is proud to be a part of this change.

If you're interested in learning more about Webflow in large organizations, please don't hesitate to reach out to Mikkel Noe Westh.

View related work

More insights