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10 Comments

Dev with 3+ years on my belt, should I be dabbling with NoCode?

So, it’s been a while since I’ve posted on here due to being busy with multiple projects and freelance work, but anyways, I wanted to bring something up that’s been troubling me lately:

#NoCode

Yep. Since designing websites is one of my passions, I constantly look for ways to improve/optimize my workflow.

One of the tools I’ve been eyeing a lot lately is Webflow.

Chances are you’ve probably heard of it before. It’s a great, all-in-one solution to build and design websites using zero code.

I’ve seen some amazing websites built with them lately and am slightly tempted to hop on board...

But I feel, cheap for doing that. 🤷‍♂️

yikes

However I still love to code!

What should I do?

Is it ok for a web developer with 3+ years of experience in the field to somewhat start blending in Webflow?

Are there any Indiehackers here that see some drawbacks when comparing Webflow to plain coding?


Thanks for your advice. 👍

  1. 4

    I would say, clever idea.

    I started developing simple websites (html, css, added a bit of JS later) back in 2008. It all went well. But stopped for a while after.

    Around 2014-2015 when I started offering my services again I noticed that clients needs and expectations had slightly changed. In 2008 nobody wanted to start a blog, for example.

    Now people wanted wordpress websites, and I thought "the business is over, they dont need a developer anymore" but I was wrong.

    People do hire wordpress website makers.

    They enjoy to be able to make minor modifications or updates by themselves. To get some control over the website.

    The same way, on upwork you will notice how many people hire Bubble developers nowadays. Yet coders accepting such contracts may feel like impostors but, they adapt to the market.

    Webflow is a great tool by the way. Produces some nice ones.

    1. 1

      Thanks for your point of view on this. Good stuff!

  2. 2

    Please, don't feel cheap.

    I recently caught wind of a top-class developer (of the ones that will charge you $3k for a day of consulting) using Integromat to develop some of his projects.

  3. 1

    I would say do what makes sense for what you're trying to achieve.

    Since you're looking to optimise your workflow and your website clearly shows you like to ship projects if there are ideas you have where you are not excited by building it again because you already know how to then I would say one of the key benefits of using No Code tools is that you can test out distribution channels, driving growth, managing objections, etc.

    I think the big thing about the movement is that even engineers can focus on other things.

    On Webflow!! Sabba from Veed.io was talking about how SEO optimised the tool is and they are using it now. Really cool tool

    1. 1

      Awesome - thanks for your advice!

  4. 1

    Are you building websites only or web apps as well?

    I think you have to separate your concerns.

    When you’re aiming to get website designs out as quickly as possible Webflow may make more sense.

    If you’re aiming to future-proof your coding skill stack you probably want to target more complex applications instead of websites anyway, since coding skills for only website design has become a commodity.

    1. 1

      Makes sense - thanks for sharing!

  5. 1

    We're doing a lot of integration with Webflow at the moment, and it's really interesting to see a lot of our users going from custom built websites into Webflow i.e. Webflow is not the "cheap" option, its the upgrade.

    One of the major drivers for choosing a nocode option for the website build is that once the website is deployed, a non-technical user can do most of the day to day maintenance and customization themselves. Businesses are going from being entirely dependent on a dev to make even the smallest of changes to their website, to being able to do it themselves. This makes a massive difference to the overall experience of managing a website for the 99% of the world who can't code.

    As a dev, I get where this feeling of being "cheap" comes from, but I also get how frustrating it would be not to be able to control your own website if you didn't know how to code. That's actually what got me to learn how to code in the first place.

    Webflow won't be the answer for all cases, but I think it does cover a lot of cases and requirements. I think Webflow also allows for custom code, so there is still room for coding as well. In any case, it can just be another tool in your website building arsenal and I don't think there is any downside to that 😀

    1. 1

      Awesome thoughts. Thanks!

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