11 settings you should check before publishing Webflow

When the site was completed on Webflow, did you ever feel uneasy about “is it okay to publish this site?” Webflow is a tool that excels at building websites, but there are multiple items that should be set before publishing. Failure to set the settings may cause problems such as SEO evaluations not being performed correctly, form notifications not being delivered properly, and display speed optimization not working. In this article, I will narrow down the items I want to check on the Webflow site settings screen to 11 points and explain them.

Let's start with settings to improve the look of the site

You can check Webflow's site settings by going to the target site's “Settings” from the dashboard. It's easy to overlook it because it's in a separate location from the page design, but important settings are gathered here.

Set up Favicon and Webclip

The first thing I want to set up is Favicon and Webclip. Favicons are small icons displayed in browser tabs, history, and bookmarks bars, and use 16 x 16 pixel or 32 x 32 pixel images. For users who have multiple tabs open, the Favicon is an important landmark to identify the site. WebClip is an icon displayed when a site is added to the iOS or iPadOS home screen, and 180 x 180 pixels is the recommended size. Both can be uploaded directly from WebFlow's settings screen without using a zip file.

[Image] Screenshot Where the Favicon and Webclip upload areas are displayed on the Webflow Site Settings screen

Turn off Webflow branding

Webflow has a function to display the “Made with Webflow” badge at the bottom of the published site. This is displayed on Webflow's free plan and under certain conditions, but it's common to keep it hidden on client sites and production environments. You can turn it off from the Branding section of the settings screen. Be sure to check early so as not to damage your unique brand image.

SEO and search engine settings

SEO-related settings are also items you should always check before publishing. There are 3 main SEO settings in Webflow.

First, it's indexing. By setting this to “Allow indexing,” search engines such as Google will be able to crawl and index the site. Let's set “Disallow indexing” to prevent accidental indexing during development, and switch it on just before publishing. If you want more control over page level SEO settings,Webflow's SEO settings function by pageWe recommend that you check it out as well.

Next is Site Map. When set to “On”, WebFlow automatically generates siteMap.xml, making it easier for search engines to grasp the site structure. It is particularly effective when launching a new site or on a site with a large number of pages. After generating a sitemap, it is useful to register it on the Google search console to help promote indexing.

Regarding Google site verification, authentication can be performed by entering the HTML meta tag method of the Google search console into the Webflow settings screen, but it is also possible to select a method of authentication via DNS or Google Analytics instead of an HTML file on the Google search console.

[Image] Screenshot Webflow SEO settings screen (Indexing/Site Map/Google Site Verification Toggles)

Set up 301 redirects

If a site renewal or existing URL changes occur, 301 redirect settings are essential. 301 redirects are permanent redirects that forward access to the old URL to the new URL, and it has the effect of carrying over SEO evaluations to the new URL. You can enter it in the format “old URL → new URL” from the Webflow settings screen. If the number of pages is large, CSV can be managed in batches by using a browser extension such as Finsweet Extension for WebFlow.

Forms and anti-spam settings

If you have set up an inquiry form on your site, be sure to check form-related settings beforehand.

Form notifications is set up with an email address to receive notifications when the form is submitted. If you don't enter the correct email address of the person in charge, you may miss inquiries from users. It is also possible to set multiple addresses.

By turning on spam filtering, you can prevent bots from automatically sending it. When spam arrives in large quantities, not only does managing form data become complicated, but it also affects service reliability. WebFlow has HoneyPot-style spam protection built in, so basic spam protection works simply by turning on the settings.

[Image] Screenshot Webflow's Form Settings Screen (Form Notifications, Spam Filtering Toggle Setting Screen)

Settings to improve site performance

Turn on all Publishing Options

Publishing Options includes settings that improve site loading speed, such as CSS/HTML/JavaScript compression (Minification) and Gzip compression. These settings automatically optimize code and reduce file size when published. It is often turned on by default, but we recommend that you open the settings screen and check that all items are turned on. If you want to increase the display speed even more,Performance measurement tools and improvement methodsLet's check the current score at

Upload custom fonts

Webflow is compatible with many Google fonts, but if you use your own font, we recommend uploading it as a custom font. Since Google Fonts are read from Google's servers, this may be an issue in terms of GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation). By hosting your own fonts, you can also optimize performance while avoiding privacy risks. When uploading, select only the font weight you want to use, and don't increase unnecessary weights.

Localization and backup verification

For sites that plan to be deployed in multiple languages, localization settings must also be confirmed before publishing. By setting the target user's language and time zone, it is possible to display suitable for each user. Setting the language code is also important for SEO, and in combination with hreflang tags, it leads to providing appropriate language information to search engines.

[Image] Screenshot Webflow Backups screen (list of automatic backups and restore button)

As for backups, Webflow automatically backs up, so it's safe to check the backup status regularly. If you make a manual backup before a major update process, you can quickly restore it in the unlikely event of an emergency.

summary

Webflow's site settings include many important elements that need to be checked apart from design. By checking all settings before publishing, such as favicon, SEO settings, form notifications, and performance optimization options, you can get better results in terms of both user experience and search engine evaluation. Necessary settings vary depending on the size and purpose of the site, but we recommend that all sites support the 11 items introduced in this article as a basic rule. For information on how links work and how to open them, seeWebflow link setup guideSee also. In order to maximize the potential of Webflow, let's also carefully prepare the settings.