Why you should look outside the No-Code bubble

Webflow’s community is amazing… until it isn’t. While there are so many leaders in the no-code space, relying solely on that bubble could be holding you back.

There’s one problem that I know many Webflow Developers have run into, and It’s only because I’ve spent hours myself trying to find something both robust and easy-to-implement: Cookie Consent.

This is usually how it goes:

“I want to track analytics on the website and the Ad team I hired is insistent on Google’s suite of analytics tools. They said that we’ll have to manage consent through a Cookie Consent management tool — can you do that?”

“Of course! 🙃”. (Me thinking about all of the GDPR Compliant alternatives like Plausible and Fathom)

As Webflow developers, we sometimes find ourselves trapped in a cycle of seeking solutions within the community. While, like most things in life, opening up your pool of information and experience is typically where you’ll find answers.

The Cookie Consent Conundrum

If your client wants to track analytics and chooses a GDPR compliant platform, your approach is objectively a bit easier.

Don’t get me wrong, analytics is extremely important to deliver a better product and see results.

But too many times have I had clients pushed in the direction of the free (and overly complicated) suite of tools from Google. Now this. This is where my carefully-managed-consent induced headache begins.

Every time I am met with this task, it always ends up looking like this:

Checking Webflow Apps to see if there is a new solution. (Spoiler alert: there rarely is)

Webflow forums: Scouring for a custom-built alternative. (Usually, I find an outdated solution or unanswered question).

Finsweet’s Cookie Consent: The end all be all.

Don’t get me wrong, the team at Finsweet have empowered the community probably the most out of any other org. But I think Shane from Walking Digital has summed up a lot of our feelings in this tweet:

The Finsweet Components Cookie Consent has got to be one of the worst experiences ever.

Literally done with it.

It cannot be trusted.

Add it to staging and it breaks in production. Has made us look bad now twice with clients.

Along with the replies, I’m right there with Shane. Why is the community still reaching for this solution, despite its flaws?

The Wider Web Development World

After countless googles with the word “Webflow” stuck in there, I realized that this problem is not a Webflow problem. This is a Website Developer problem.

Instead of making the mistake of using the word “Webflow” I replaced that word with “React”.

Instantly, I’m seeing several reddit posts that are all Free and Open Source solutions to this platform agnostic issue. Developers from every framework and platform are feeling the pain of this issue.

Finding a solution that fit my needs

I don’t know about you, but Github can be a scary place for us Webflow developers. But it doesn’t have to be. With some intention and curiosity, Github is probably one of the most valuable resources for a Webflow developer.

A reddit post lead me to Orest Bida, an Italian freelance website designer with 35 followers on twitter (This should be higher). Orest authored cookieconsent that has 4,000+ stars on Github that solved my exact issue.

The best part, which you’ll typically find is the case on Github, it’s completely free.

What I realized is that taking a look outside your community leads you to a plethora of solutions that you’d never knew were there.

Breaking free from the Webflow bubble

So, what happens when you start looking beyond the Webflow community?

I don’t want anyone abandoning Webflow or becoming a full-stack developer overnight. It’s about expanding your toolkit and your mindset. Here’s what I took away from the experience:

Expand your toolkit: There are so many libraries or methodologies out there beyond your typical “flow (insert random word)” built for Webflow folks.

Greater appreciation for the developer community: The web is complicated, but there are so many people out there building, not just for themselves, but the community.

Where I’ve landed

Without a doubt, the Webflow community is a valuable resource, a place to connect, learn, and share your work. But don’t let it become a cage. Venturing outside this bubble can unlock a way for you to become a better website developer.

So, next time you’re reaching for a solution that you may not be thrilled about but “It just gets the job done”, I encourage you to look elsewhere — where you may not have thought to look in the first place.