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Improved Content Editing and Commenter Roles in Webflow

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We’ve come to love Webflow for its functionality. The features this platform provides enable freelancers, designers, and whole teams of experts like Warmdevs to provide top-notch work for projects. All while having awesome opportunities to collaborate with the clients in a convenient and practical way.

Which is why, when the new updates for Webflow roll around, you know to be excited.

In Webflow's ongoing commitment to enhancing collaboration, the focus has shifted towards addressing two critical challenges. Firstly, the aim is to empower content editors with secure access to the Designer's robust capabilities. This will ensure an effective workflow while safeguarding the integrity of the site's design. Secondly, Webflow is dedicated to democratizing the feedback process, enabling individuals, whether they are current Webflow users or not, to contribute valuable insights to the design process.

To meet these objectives, Webflow introduced two neat solutions you might also find exciting:

  1. Empowering Content Editors with the new Edit Role

Webflow now offers a specialized edit role within the Designer, granting content editors access to a tailored environment. This comprehensive toolset equips them to perform their tasks seamlessly while ensuring the security of design elements. This feature is currently available on Core, Growth, Agency, Freelancer, and Enterprise Workspace plans.

  1. Introducing the Free Commenter Role for inclusive feedback.

The introduction of the comment-only role transforms the feedback collection process. Workspace members can invite anyone into Webflow, allowing them to provide feedback to the Designer without any associated costs. This inclusive approach encourages diverse perspectives and insights, fostering a collaborative and innovative design environment.

Enhanced Tools for Content Editors and New Roles in the Designer

Within the realm of website content management, content editors — including roles like copywriters, content strategists, product marketers, and non-technical clients — play a vital role in shaping and refining the online narrative. Their tasks are diverse, from swift copy changes and publication of blog content to providing feedback on pages and editing branched page content. All these tasks are executed within a simplified interface that safeguards against accidental design disruptions.

Traditionally, content editors utilized Webflow's Editor, which served as a fundamental platform for content updates. However, as the needs of Webflow's diverse user base evolved, the Editor's capabilities no longer fully met their expectations. To address this, Webflow integrated key features from the Editor into the Designer, providing content editors with a robust toolkit to excel in their roles securely.

This integration results in continuous enhancements, such as improved performance, new functionalities like commenting and branching, and enhanced administrative and security features. These updates, consistently rolled out to the Designer, ensure that content editors have access to advanced tools, empowering them to perform their tasks effectively and efficiently within the Webflow platform.

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Expanding the Content Editing Role

Members with the content editing role within the Workspace will discover a wealth of new features, enhancing their experience significantly. These additions build upon the core functionality familiar from the Editor, such as editing static and dynamic content in the CMS.

The new capabilities include:

1. Adding Content Prior to Publishing. Content editors can now add content before the site goes live, ensuring a seamless publishing process.

2. Upload and Organize Assets. Manage and organize multimedia assets efficiently within the platform.  

3. Alt Text Management for Images. Content editors have the ability to handle alt text for images, enhancing accessibility and SEO optimization.

4. Publishing to Staging and Production. Easily publish content to both staging and production environments, streamlining the deployment process.

5. Access to Commenting. Collaborate effectively with team members through integrated commenting features.

6. Visibility into Teammates' Pages. Content editors can see which pages their colleagues are actively working on, fostering transparency and coordination.

7. Intuitive Canvas to CMS Navigation. Seamlessly navigate between the canvas and CMS, ensuring a smooth editing experience.

8. Unified Team Management. Utilize a single table to manage the entire team, including guests, simplifying team administration.

9. Upcoming Features. Future enhancements include site-specific access and editing localized content, enhancing customization and localization capabilities.

10. Enterprise-Level Features. For Enterprise users, additional features include Single Sign-On (SSO) login, real-time tracking of content changes via Site Activity logs, and the ability to edit content on branched pages.

That being said, if you are a user of the traditional Editor, do not worry: it is still available for customers who prefer to maintain their existing content editor workflow.

However, it does not include the new capabilities introduced and will remain separate from the advanced editing mode and role of the Designer. To assign the "can edit" role, individuals must have a Workspace member seat. The Webflow University documentation provides more detailed information on the topic if you are interested in diving deeper yourself.

Introducing the Comment-Only Role for Seamless Feedback

Earlier in the year, Webflow introduced a feature enabling Workspace members and guests to share feedback directly with the Designer using comments, streamlining the build process and encouraging rapid iterations by consolidating feedback within the Webflow platform. However, a a common challenge arose: how to gather input from team members or clients who are not Webflow users. This challenge has been met with the introduction of the new commenter role, now available for free on all Workspace plans.

How the Comment-Only Role Works

Regardless of whether one is a member of a small agency or a large enterprise organization, web development remains a collaborative venture. Soliciting feedback from both Webflow users and non-users is fundamental to the process. The comment-only role simplifies this by allowing users to provide feedback exclusively through comments. This eliminates the need for the arduous task of capturing screenshots and sharing designs outside of Webflow, or resorting to third-party tools for alignment.

Inviting someone with the comment-only role is straightforward; users can navigate to the Teams tab in their Workspace settings (detailed instructions are available in Webflow University documentation). Users with this role can effortlessly view and comment on any site within the Workspace, providing feedback directly on elements and at specific breakpoints. For Enterprise customers, this role offers the added benefit of commenting on branched pages and accessing private staging links.

Upcoming in the future

The recent introduction of content editing and commenter roles marks a pivotal moment in Webflow's ongoing commitment to innovation within the core product—the Designer. These advancements build upon years of dedicated work in enhancing collaboration, reflecting Webflow's dedication to providing users with cutting-edge tools and features. Looking ahead, Webflow is directing its focus toward several key areas:

1. Site-specific access control. Webflow users will soon have the ability to determine which sites their teammates and guests within the Workspace can access. This feature will enable users to customize access levels, ensuring a secure and tailored collaborative environment for their projects.

2. Enhanced permissions for Enterprise users. Webflow is set to introduce more granular permissions for Enterprise customers. This enhancement will allow precise control over who can branch pages, publish to staging environments, and manage other specific tasks. This level of control is essential for large-scale projects requiring meticulous oversight.

3. Intuitive page building workflow. Webflow is working on a streamlined page building workflow tailored for less technical team members. This initiative aims to empower individuals with varying skill sets to create pages efficiently. By simplifying the process and offering intuitive tools, Webflow ensures that the integrity of the brand is maintained while facilitating collaboration among diverse team members.

Webflow is enthusiastic about the transformative impact these developments will have on users' workflows. The company is dedicated to providing an exceptional collaborative environment and looks forward to continuing to improve how teams of all sizes work seamlessly within the Webflow platform. Users are encouraged to explore the new roles in the Designer today and embrace the future of web design and Webflow design services.

FAQ

What are the new content editing and commenter roles in Webflow?

Webflow has introduced new roles in the Designer, namely the content editing role and the commenter role. The content editing role empowers users to edit static and dynamic content in the CMS, manage assets, publish content, access commenting features, and more. The commenter role allows individuals, including non-Webflow users, to provide feedback on designs within the platform.

Which plans include the content editing and commenter roles?

The content editing role is available on Core, Growth, Agency, Freelancer, and Enterprise Workspace plans. The commenter role is included for free on all Workspace plans, enabling seamless feedback from anyone involved in the project.

What can content editors do with the new content editing role?

Content editors can add content before publishing, upload and organize assets, manage alt text on images, publish to staging and production, access commenting features, navigate intuitively between canvas and CMS, and manage team members efficiently. Additional features like site-specific access and localized content editing are also in the pipeline.

What can content editors do with the new content editing role?
What can content editors do with the new content editing role?
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Content editors can add content before publishing, upload and organize assets, manage alt text on images, publish to staging and production, access commenting features, navigate intuitively between canvas and CMS, and manage team members efficiently. Additional features like site-specific access and localized content editing are also in the pipeline.

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