Creating Accessible Webflow Sites: Why It Matters

The #1 Web Accessibility solution for WCAG and ADA Compliance that is affordable, efficient and compliant.

03
February 2023
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Webflow

The issue of website accessibility has been growing rapidly.

We recently came across a powerful tool that is quick to implement, thorough, effective, and affordable. While we've developed our sites with best practices towards accessibility, websites are not static, and the laws around accessibility are always evolving, this method ensures ongoing accessibility remediation without constant evaluation and re-development time.

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So what's going on legally?

Around the world, governments are creating legislations regarding website accessibility. Most notably the The Accessible Canada Act (ACA), The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), The Americans with disabilities act, section 508 in America and EN301549 in Europe. These leave businesses without an accessible website to face repercussions from the Government.

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What is Accessible?

Web accessibility is given people with motor impairments, limited or no vision, epilepsy, color blindness, cognitive impairments and more to customize their experience and access the full suite of your site and services. For example, having proper alt text on images on your site allow blind users to properly understand the image by reading out a description of the contents.

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How can you benefit from accessibility?

There are many benefits to having an accessible website. First, of course, mitigating the risk of receiving formal complaints of the accessibility of your site. Second, opening your business to about 25% of the population that is currently living with a disability that makes internet usage either difficult or impossible without the use of assistive technology. Third, accessibility and SEO go hand in hand so having an accessible website can increase the organic traffic to your website and give you more opportunities for new business. People with disabilities are very brand loyal and are likely to continue to visit sites that are accessible to them. Lastly, from a branding standpoint having an accessible website shows you value inclusivity and diversity and have taken action to prove it.

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How can we help?

We recently partnered with accessiBe to provide you with the worlds #1 accessibility solution on the market. They use an AI-automated system that can achieve full accessibility compliance within 48 hours and provides 24/7 automatic maintenance. This is by far the most simple, automated and affordable solution that we have found. After reviewing their system and testing it on our own website, we have decided to offer the same solution to all of our clients.

Here is a link to their website, you can create an account and set yourself up for success moving forward or you can respond to this email and we will take care of it for you on your behalf.  Please let me know if you are interested in implementing this plugin. Ensuring your site is in compliance, and not a target, is important both for your legal security and from the perspective of dignity and human rights - it's important that we all, regardless of disability, have equitable access to the web.

Creating Accessible Webflow Sites: Why It Matters
Creating Accessible Webflow Sites: Why It Matters
Creating Accessible Webflow Sites: Why It Matters
Creating Accessible Webflow Sites: Why It Matters
Creating Accessible Webflow Sites: Why It Matters

Quick accessibility things you implement in the meantime

To start, here are some quick things you can do to ensure your Webflow site is accessible. These are just some of the many things we need to do, hence why accessiBe can do this and so much more just by simply adding in a script to your site. But, let's take a look at some of quick fixes:

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Use clear, descriptive and sequential headings

Don't make it hard for people with cognitive disabilities and those who use screen readers to understand the content flow of your website pages. Your headings, if structured correctly, should make it easy to skim a page and get a clear purpose and overview of content without having to ready body copy.

  1. Use one H1 per page that describes it's purpose.
  2. Nest headings in order as much as possible (H3 under H2)

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Apply recommended color contract ratios

Sufficient color contrast between text and background improves the experience and legibility on your site for everyone, especially for people with vision impairments. WCAG offers suggested ratios

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Include alt text for every important image

Alt text (or alternative text) is a short written description of an image that is read or displayed in place of images, which helps site visitors make sense of that image when it can’t be viewed. With accessiBe, whats nice it is automatically reads the image and contents within it and describes it as if you have added a custom alt. attribute. With this tool, you don't have to worry about adding these in for every single image uploaded.

But it's important, here are some guidelines for alt text:

  • Include alt text for every important image you upload (including logos)
  • Write a concise description that calls out important visual features
  • Avoid repeating surrounding text
  • Leave out the words "image" or "picture"  
  • Add a space in the alt field for purely decorative images so the screen reader doesn't announce it

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Use meaningful button and link names

Screen readers can give visitors an overview of all the links on a page. When links are read out of context in a list, it's important they tell readers:

  1. What the link is
  2. Where it’s taking them

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When we design and build websites, it's important to include everyone, not just your ideal customer. Making your Webflow website accessible is the most important piece of the puzzle and we, as Webflow developers, need to make this apart of our go-live checklist.

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*As one of KHULA's partners, accessiBe links is a sponsored affiliate link.

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In today’s fast-paced digital world, businesses need websites that are not just functional but also quick to market, easy to maintain, and highly secure. For years, WordPress was the go-to solution, promising flexibility and autonomy. However, the hidden costs, constant maintenance, and frequent security concerns associated with WordPress are making businesses reconsider their choice. At KHULA Design Studio, we've transitioned from WordPress to Webflow and Framer, and here’s why we believe you should too.

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Speed to Market

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Time is money, especially in the digital realm where getting your website live quickly can be the difference between success and failure. With WordPress, the process of setting up hosting, staging, and version control is cumbersome and often requires a team of specialists. From configuring themes to managing plugins, each step adds to your timeline and costs, slowing down your speed to market.

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Webflow and Framer, on the other hand, streamline this process significantly. Both platforms offer built-in hosting and visual editors, allowing you to move from concept to launch in a fraction of the time. With fewer specialists needed and less back-and-forth between design and development teams, you can get your site live faster, reducing overhead and increasing your efficiency.

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Seamless Updates and Maintenance

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Maintaining a WordPress website can feel like a full-time job. The platform's reliance on third-party plugins means constant updates and the risk of incompatibility issues that can break your site. Each update needs to be carefully tested in a staging environment, adding to your maintenance burden.

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Webflow and Framer eliminate these concerns by providing automatic updates with zero downtime. There’s no need to worry about outdated plugins or incompatible themes. Your website is always running the latest version, and you can focus on what matters most—growing your business.

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Superior Performance

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Website performance is critical to user experience and search engine rankings. WordPress sites often require extensive optimization to achieve high performance, with slow loading times being a common issue due to poorly coded themes and plugins.

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Webflow and Framer, however, are built for speed. Webflow optimizes images automatically, and both platforms pre-render pages, which significantly improves load times. Framer, built on React, ensures that your website feels like a single-page application, delivering lightning-fast page transitions. With hosting powered by AWS and a CDN, your content is delivered quickly, no matter where your users are located.

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Robust Security

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Security is a significant concern for any business, and WordPress’s open-source nature makes it a prime target for hackers. With millions of WordPress sites compromised each year, maintaining the necessary security updates and plugin management can become overwhelming.

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Webflow and Framer offer a more secure alternative. Both platforms are closed-source and fully managed, reducing the risk of vulnerabilities. They come with built-in SSL, continuous threat monitoring, and robust protection against DDoS attacks. At KHULA, we’ve never had a Webflow or Framer site compromised—a testament to the platforms' security.

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Why Webflow and Framer?

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When it comes to building a high-performing, visually appealing website without writing a single line of code, Webflow and Framer are the future. These platforms empower you to control your website, offering a user-friendly experience without sacrificing power or performance. From automatic updates to superior security, they provide everything you need to build, maintain, and scale your online presence.

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Whether you’re a startup looking to make your mark or an established business aiming to refine your digital strategy, the switch from WordPress to Webflow or Framer could be the game-changer you’ve been waiting for. At KHULA, we’ve seen firsthand how these platforms can transform a business, making website management simpler, faster, and more secure.

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In the ever-evolving digital landscape, staying ahead of the curve is crucial. By choosing Webflow or Framer, you’re not just building a website—you’re investing in the future of your brand.

Why Webflow and Framer Are the Future of Website Development: Moving Beyond WordPress

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Webflow

Just when we thought Webflow couldn't be any better, they went and, well, made things even better. At the beginning of this month, they unrolled new features and a brand refresh that has everyone talking. As brand refresh specialists, we may be biased, but we think the move to update their logo was bold and brilliant.
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Especially when they expressed why they underwent a brand refresh in the first place, this is what they had to say about it:
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"Our refreshed brand speaks to the heart of what Webflow has always stood for, giving everyone the superpowers to build professional, visually stunning websites — all without having to write code to achieve developer-grade results. We're so excited to introduce a brand that not only helps bring this mission to life but also pays tribute to the people who use Webflow every day to accomplish incredible things."

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We've worked with so many businesses that need what Webflow offers. A website that not only looks professional and amazing but is easy enough for anyone to update without always having to call a designer or web developer.
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As if Webflow's current capabilities weren't powerful enough, they've taken things one step further and rolled out new advancements that have us pretty excited. Here are some of the new products that will enable us to create visually stunning, more interactive, and user-friendly websites for our clients.
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1. Create immersive 3D experiences with Spline.

  • This is pretty cool. With Spline, we can create 360º visual experiences for anything - animations, visual models, and interactive experiences. We love the flexibility this offers our design process, especially when offering a more detailed spatial view of products.
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2. New localization capabilities.

  • We can now serve our global customers better by tailoring their websites to their target markets.
  • With Localization, we'll be able to:
  • ~Customize anything on your site for a specific location, from design to content—no code required.
  • ~Leverage native machine-powered translation using one of our partner apps like Lokalise, or connect to your translation management system (TMS) of choice.
  • ~Maximize global traffic with best-in-class SEO, from customizable subdirectories and metadata to localized sitemaps.
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3. Style with unprecedented control for faster designs.

  • At KHULA™, we pride ourselves on moving quickly. We never want our clients to wait longer than they should for their website to be up and running. We can design websites even faster with Webflow's new "variables" and scalable design systems. We can hardly believe that's possible, but it will be.


4. Improving the way teams work.

  • Bringing a website to life is an all-hands-on-deck collaborative process. At KHULA™, we work hard to keep each team member moving swiftly to avoid project bottlenecks. While we have good systems in place and several tools that help us organize our workflows, Webflow now offers more options for completing projects that rely on collaboration through comments for editing.

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As Webflow continues to grow, we can only imagine what will come next. But for now, we’re pretty excited about these new changes and creating better websites for our clients.

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Watch the below to see a full recap of all the features announced at the 2023 Webflow Conf:

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Webflow's New Logo & Enhanced Web Development

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Webflow

Migrating Your Website To Webflow?

Our Step-By-Step Plan To Make Sure It's Successful.

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Every website will face a migration at some point. It's inevitable. The thought of moving your website, daunting as it may be, isn't the issue. The bigger question is why you have to migrate it in the first place. That's where the headache begins. Because each situation is different and requires a unique approach and specific planning strategy to ensure the transition is successful without disrupting your online presence. Or worse, losing data and encountering SEO problems.

Yikes! It's a lot to think about.

Luckily, there are a few ways you can approach it without losing everything along the way, including your mind. It's all about having a good plan in place. You want a smooth transition. Most businesses can't afford to have their website offline for any reason. But before you jump into putting a migration plan in place, the first step is to identify why a move is necessary.


Here are the top reasons you may need to migrate your website.


Improved Performance: Slow loading times, frequent downtime, or limited resources on your current hosting provider can negatively impact user experience and SEO rankings. Migrating to a faster, more reliable hosting environment can significantly improve website performance.

Enhanced Security: Security breaches, vulnerabilities, or outdated software on your current hosting or CMS can jeopardize your website's data and users' information. Migrating to a more secure platform or infrastructure can bolster your website's defenses against threats.

Platform Upgrade: Upgrading to a newer version of your CMS or switching to a different CMS can provide access to advanced features, better security, and improved ease of use. This can help you stay competitive and maintain a modern website.

Rebranding and Redesign: When undergoing a rebranding effort or updating your website's design, migration is often necessary to align your online presence with your new brand identity or design standards.

Scalability: As your website grows in popularity and user traffic, your current hosting or infrastructure may need to be improved. Migrating to a more scalable platform ensures your website can handle increased demands and continue to perform well as it expands.


At KHULA™, we do many rebranding projects, and Webflow often fits their needs, which is why we recommend it every time. It's easy to use and provides flexibility that many platforms don't. But before we make the transition for them, we always ensure there's a solid plan in place to keep things running smoothly.

Moving a website isn't easy, but if you're up for the challenge, we recommend following this Webflow Migration Plan.


1. Assess Your Current Website:

Review your existing website to understand its structure, content, and functionality. Take note of all the pages, media assets, and features you want to migrate.

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2. Create a Webflow Account:

If you don't already have one, sign up for a Webflow account at https://webflow.com/signup

"or chat to us and we'll help you get started ;)"

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3. Plan Your New Webflow Website:

Create a sitemap (information architecture) to outline your website's pages and hierarchy. You can do this in excel or there are some nice fancy tools out there you can use to create this with.

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4. Set Up Hosting:

Webflow offers hosting services. You can either host your website with Webflow. Choose the hosting option that suits your needs.

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5. Design Your Website:

Use Webflow's visual designer to recreate your website's design. You can use a Webflow template and purchase development hours (a DIY approach) or we can help you with a custom website design approach in Figma by creating your UX/UI design for each page from scratch.

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6. Build Pages:

Build the pages of your new website in Webflow. Use the Webflow Designer to add elements, text, images, and other content to each page. Our dev team can you build out the site according to your existing design files or ours.

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7. Copy and Paste Content:

If you're only migrating a few pieces of content from the old site, you can manually copy and paste that across or you can export your data from your old site into a .csv file and easily import this data into Webflow's powerful CMS and map the fields accordingly. Then fix the formatting of the content.

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8. Rebuild Features and Functionality:

If your old website had specific features or functionality (e.g., contact forms, e-commerce, animations), recreate them using Webflow's built-in tools or custom code.

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9. Set Up SEO:

Configure SEO settings for your Webflow website, including meta titles, descriptions, and alt tags for images. This is crucial to maintain or improve your search engine rankings.

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10. Test and Optimize:

Thoroughly test your website on different devices and browsers to ensure it looks and functions correctly. Optimize page load times and performance.

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11. Set Up Redirects:

If you're changing URLs or restructuring your website, set up 301 redirects from your old URLs to the new ones in Webflow. This preserves SEO rankings and user experience.

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12. Migrate Forms and Integrations:

If your old website used forms or integrated with third-party services (e.g. email marketing, CRM, Google Analytics, GTM scripts, etc), ensure these are integrated with your new Webflow site.

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13. Backup Your Old Website:

Before making any changes, back up your old website files and databases, this is a precaution if you need to revert to your old site.

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14. Launch Your Webflow Website:

Once you're satisfied with the new site and have thoroughly tested it, update your DNS records to point to Webflow's hosting servers. This makes your Webflow site live.

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15. Monitor and Maintain:

After the migration, monitor your website for any issues, such as broken links or missing functionality. Continue to update and optimize your site as needed. "We also do a few post SEO adjustments that help your site get noticed on SERP — this forms part of our comprehensive go-live checklist."

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16. Inform Stakeholders:

Notify your team, clients, and users about the migration and any potential downtime. Provide them with information on how to contact support if they encounter issues.


If you know you need to migrate your website but are still determining if you want to tackle the transition, we can guide you through the process. We love helping clients get the most out of their websites while enjoying the ease and functionality of Webflow.

Get in touch and let us know how we can help improve your website to ensure it does exactly what it should: reach the right people to grow your business.

A Step-By-Step Plan For Migrating Your Website To Webflow?

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Webflow

KHULA™ is an award-winning brand transformation studio situated in BC, Canada that has helped 100+ small businesses around the world refresh and transform their brand image.

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