Welcome to No Code MBA and this tutorial on how to use the Webflow CMS. After watching, if you want to learn more about Webflow or building with other no-code tools, check out the link in our description for our free no-code tool guide and our complete guide to Webflow to learn how to build real projects from start to finish.

So what exactly is a CMS? A CMS in Webflow is essentially a database for your site. It's a place to store all the dynamic content that you want to display on your pages. The key difference between a dynamic website with a CMS and a static site is the ability to manage and update content without having to manually code changes on each page.

Setting Up Webflow CMS Collections

In Webflow, each Collection is like a table in a database. You can think of it as a spreadsheet with rows of data on a specific topic. For a blog, you would have a Collection of blog posts where each post is a Collection Item.

To add fields to a Collection:

1. Go to the Collection settings
2. Click the "Add Field" button
3. Choose from field types like text, images, dates, colors, etc.

What makes Webflow really powerful are the Reference and Multi-Reference fields. These allow you to link and pull data from other Collections.

Displaying Dynamic Content with Webflow Collection List

To display your Collection data on a page, drag a Collection List element onto the canvas. In the settings:

• Choose which Collection to use as the source
• Style the List Item as needed
• Use the Collection List widget to dynamically insert fields like post summary, category name, etc.

Any styling you apply to one Collection List Item will automatically be reflected across all the items being pulled in. This is where Webflow's visual CMS starts to feel like magic.

Creating Webflow CMS Template Pages for Blog Posts

Whenever you create a new Collection, Webflow automatically generates a Template Page for the individual Collection Item pages. To set it up:

1. Add elements to structure the page as needed
2. Connect the fields to display the post title, body content, images, etc.
3. Set the slug (URL) for each post using a text field

Now when you publish a new blog post in the Webflow Editor, it will automatically generate a new page using this template and the post's unique content. No need to build pages from scratch each time.

Advantages of Using Webflow CMS for No Code Websites

For teams and clients who want to be able to manage their content without diving into code, Webflow CMS is a dream:

• Update text, images, and blog posts visually in the Editor
• Rely on Collection Lists to keep pages in sync
• Flexible content modeling with various field types
• Simple publishing workflow

By putting in the work to properly set up a Webflow CMS structure, you can create powerful, database-driven websites without writing a line of code. It's an incredibly efficient way to build for the web.

Want to learn more about Webflow or other no-code tools? Check out the link in our description for our free no-code tool guide or complete guide to Webflow to learn how to build real projects from start to finish. And to get all our future guides on visual development, sign up for No Code MBA.

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

What is the difference between a Collection and a Collection Item in Webflow?

A Collection is like a database table containing many rows of data. Each individual row is a Collection Item. For a blog Collection, each individual blog post would be a Collection Item.

How do I connect my CMS data to elements on the page?

Use a Collection List to create a template for dynamically displaying data from a Collection. When you connect fields in the Collection List settings, Webflow will automatically pull in the right content for each Collection Item.

Can I edit my CMS content after the site is published?

Yes, one of the major benefits of using Webflow CMS is the ability to update content visually in the Webflow Editor, even after publishing the site. This allows non-technical team members to make changes without needing to touch any code.

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