We were lucky enough to attend Webflow Conf 2022 which took place on November 9 and 10 in San Francisco and we had a fantastic time. Beyond two days of fun in the Bay Area, Webflow announced a bunch of new features, each better than the last, and, for the most part, are already live to Webflow users. So in case you missed all the updates, we’ve summarized them below.
1. Deeper features for developers
“Symbols” are now superpowered as “Components”
Symbols, widely used in the construction of websites by developers are now known as Components. In addition to the name change, they also gain three additional functionalities:
- It is now possible to integrate CMS dynamic data inside Components.
- It is possible to hide an element belonging to one of the Components.
- It is also possible for the user or a member of their team to easily edit the content of Components.
The developer's darling, DevLink
We ordinary people aren't really concerned with this feature, but we can assure you that it's more than welcome among Webflow developers. The DevLink allows each developer to be able to build a web project locally thanks to the new Webflow API.
The cream of the crop: editing a site in several languages
We were eagerly awaiting this feature: planned for 2023, it will allow all users to be able to edit their site in several languages, directly from the back office! From the Designer or from the Editor, each text zone will be editable in several languages, without paying for additional tools. Although it is not possible at the moment to generate translations automatically, it will be possible to manage the translation of alt tags, URLs, as well as the title and description metas of each page.
The revolution that will make noise in the world of online training: Memberships
Currently available in beta version, this memberships functionality will allow you to configure a customer portal on your website. In other words, it is possible to configure limited access to certain pages which will be accessible for paid subscriptions.
2. The Marketplace
The comeback of plug-ins
Like the Apple Store or the Play Store, Webflow is launching its own store of plug-ins (extensions). Created by users, these extensions will be meticulously verified by Webflow before being authorized for sale, and it’ll only grow from there.
Webflow offers the possibility of selling its own website templates
For beginner users (or those in a hurry), you’ll now be able to buy pre-designed templates. This will allow users to take advantage of well-structured templates, and to be able to create a site at the speed of light.
A library of components available
For the moment only for the Designer back-office, this functionality will allow any beginner developer to be able to use a whole library of components created by the talented developers Finsweet, Relume, or Flowbase. Some will be free, and others will be paid. Webflow plans to extend this functionality to the Editor back-office from next year, which will ensure more freedom for our customers!
3. Facilitating collaboration
Agencies and freelancers, Webflow experts
This feature facilitates the connection between a client and an agency or a freelancer. It is, so to speak, a bit like Tinder for websites. The client user fills out a form in which they share the specifics of their project, and the Webflow algorithm will present them with a short-list of agencies and freelancers who best match the project needs.
New guest permissions for each project: Guest Roles
Webflow now offers Guest Roles. These guest accesses will allow us as an agency to access customer projects for free!
Collaboration on the Designer back-office
Until now, we couldn't collaborate on the Designer: if someone edited a page, it was impossible to access this back-office at the same time. It was annoying… But Webflow has now made it possible thanks to Page Branching, isn't that wonderful? Several developers will be able to collaborate on a given project, and this, at the same time.
In short, they really only had incredible announcements. We can't wait to try them all! If you want to learn more, you can find all the announcements on youtube.
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