Problem with webflow's ways of working

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1

I have recently realised an issue with webflow and so I thought I’d post on here to see if I’m missing anything.

I recently realised I’m going to have to keep paying the lite membership indefinitely to allow my clients to keep editing their site on the site editor. The problem is I don’t often make websites, maybe 1 or 2 very small websites per year, some years I might not make any - so I’m paying the lite fee ($16 per month) just for my client’s benefit. I realised recently I can transfer the website to my client’s account however this can only be done before hosting has been setup. This is a bit of an issue because client’s aren’t going to be happy with having to setup a webflow account, then set up the hosting on their own and connect their domain and publish the site, it’s not the most straightforward process and they’ll want me to do it for them - at the same time they won’t want to give me their login details to their webflow account for me to do it.

So it’s a lose-lose situation, I either pay monthly indefinitely just so my clients can edit their sites (I will effectively lose money as I don’t charge much for my sites). Or I ask them to create a webflow account, set up the hosting on their own, connect their domain etc which they won’t be happy with. What happens in the future when they want the website modifying? They simply don’t want to share their login details with me and I completely understand that, most clients I have worked with wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing their details with me. I just don’t see how this works, or am I missing something? Is webflow simply not for someone who like me who dabbles in web design/development and creates the odd site here and there?

2

Have you ever asked yourself the question as to why you’ll effectively lose money?

Who is responsible for charging the monthly fee? (Hint, it’s not Webflow)
Do companies decide on the sale price of $20 for a product and then go and find a product to sell, but it costs them $21? Would that make sense to you if they did?

Of course not… but why are you doing it to yourself?

The above quote should be telling them exactly why they should be covering your costs… they don’t want to do it, but want you to do it and be out of pocket… and you’re willing to?

I mean this in the bluntest, but kindest way possible… learn about a basic business setup. Even if it’s a hobby, you’re finding issue with Webflow rather than with your own business model. You know how much Webflow costs per month, and when speaking to clients, you should explicitly state what the minimum monthly cost is.

But they are not willing to pay that fee… 3 options:

  • Find another client who understands the value Webflow and you can offer
  • Learn how to sell the value that Webflow can bring
  • Find a more cost effective solution, which may take more effort to maintain (i.e custom code)

It’s definitely OK to find other options like Squarespace or Wix if it fits their needs, and they want something for free, or almost nothing.

But I like Webflow
Yes, a lot of us do, because it’s powerful, and allows easy updates, hence we can very easily justify the extra $20 per month for it.

Ask yourself if the client isn’t willing to at least cover your costs… do you really want to work with them anyway?

You’re selling your own expertise short. You know how to create a Webflow Account, use the designer, publish, setup domain hosting, show them how the editor works. That is worth a LOT more than you give yourself credit for.

Good luck!

3

Checkout Ran Segalls MasterClass. (I believe this was built in Webflow)
Designers using Webflow possibly make a lot more than you may realise is possible, so covering your costs should be an easy step to rectify :slight_smile:

4

Hi Helen,

Thank you for your response. I think it’s good to give some background info so you have some context to my current situation, as everyone who has arrived at webflow would have come from all different scenarios.

I have currently only built 2 websites for clients (and a few for myself) - one for a friend and one for a client.
I had been practising with webflow for a few months as I liked the tool and saw great potential. My friend needed a site built and he mentioned Wix, I said I’d do it in webflow as it would be good practice for me and I really wanted to get into webflow (wix doesn’t interest me). Perhaps that was my mistake, but seriously you have to start somewhere, I can’t gain a client without a web development portfolio.

My friend knows the cost of Wix, he knew he’d be paying extra for webflow as they charge more than Wix. I can’t then charge him even more on top of that to cover the account costs.

So I then gain a client and build a site for him. Yes I agree I should have looked into it more and charged him extra to cover the account costs but how much can you realistically charge in addition to what is already a highly priced hosting cost? I’m now planning on taking a break from webflow for a year or so and realised I can’t pause my account because he might need to edit the content of his site.

Long story short, I only have 2 clients and one of those a close friend. I can’t realistically make back the $16 per month charge on top of what they already pay for hosting. I would have had to charge each of my clients $8 a month extra each to cover the costs, which just isn’t realistic. I planned on going full time with freelancing and webflow but I’ve changed my mind and don’t want to use webflow anymore.

I have decided I will create an extra webflow account and transfer a couple of the sites I built onto there, that way both accounts will have 2 or less sites.

5

I understand this, but not everyone is creating grand websites and charging a huge amount.
I could quite easily go a year or two without creating a site, and when I do it will only be a very basic one.

I think what I need to accept is that webflow isn’t for someone like me.

6

Hey @sweller

I totally understand how you feel. However, after reading your message I don’t think you will need an account plan.

Websites that have a hosting plan do not count towards your site count. The site count for account plans is for unhorsed projects.

I’m assuming your few clients will have hosting, so you should be all set.

Also, sites with site hosting plans can use the editor, so no need for an account plan to unlock that feature.

An account plan is great if your designing multiple sites and don’t want to purchase a hosting plan in the design phase. However in your case, you might be better using the free plan and just purchasing site hosting as needed.

I hope that clarifies things for you. :smile:

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Hi @Drew_Schafer,

Thanks for your response, that’s really interesting to hear that hosted sites don’t count towards the site count! I feel like that hasn’t been mentioned anywhere, and it should probably be mentioned on the pricing pages somewhere.

Thanks so much for getting back to me, I couldn’t find that answer anywhere online so I appreciate your help.

Sam