Strapi to Webflow
Migration

What to Expect

Migrating from Strapi to Webflow is more than a platform switch—it’s a fundamental rethinking of how your site is built and managed. While Strapi separates the backend (CMS and APIs) from the frontend (usually React, Vue, or another JS framework), Webflow unifies everything into a visual, fully hosted environment.

Here’s what to expect during the transition and what your new Webflow-based workflow will look like.

A Complete Visual Rebuild

Because Strapi doesn’t manage the frontend itself, your site likely relies on a custom framework—typically built with React, Next.js, or Nuxt. That means there’s no “template import” or auto-migration. The frontend will be recreated manually in Webflow using a clean layout system and semantic HTML structure. Visually, it can be identical—or improved—depending on your needs.

During this rebuild, every section is reviewed for responsiveness, accessibility, and design consistency. You get a clean, component-based structure that’s easier to maintain and adapt over time.

Structured CMS Migration

Your existing Strapi collections will be mapped into Webflow CMS Collections. Field types are matched (or adjusted), and content is either manually entered, imported via CSV, or connected via third-party tools like Whalesync or Make. While Strapi supports more advanced content modeling by default, Webflow provides a flexible and visual CMS that’s much easier to manage day-to-day.

Relationships between content types (e.g. authors, categories, tags) are preserved through multi-reference fields, and dynamic pages are automatically generated based on the new CMS structure.

Simplified Workflow and Faster Edits

Once migration is complete, you’ll no longer need a developer to make simple updates. Your team can manage content directly within Webflow’s Editor, adjust layout visually, and even add animations and interactions without touching code. This unlocks faster iterations, quicker landing page creation, and real-time collaboration between design and marketing teams.

Improved Site Ownership

With Webflow, your team will own and operate the entire website from a single interface. You’ll no longer depend on backend APIs, deploy pipelines, or Git-based workflows. Content updates, design tweaks, and SEO improvements can all be made without dev hand-holding or delays.

Preparing for the Migration

Migrating from a headless CMS like Strapi to Webflow requires careful preparation. Since Strapi offers complete backend flexibility, the way your content is structured—along with the APIs that deliver it—may be custom-built and deeply embedded in your front-end logic. To ensure a clean transition, preparation involves extracting and translating both the data and its logic into a system that works visually inside Webflow.

Audit Your Current Content Architecture

Start by reviewing how your content is structured in Strapi. Identify all Collections and Single Types—these often include pages like blog posts, authors, categories, events, team members, case studies, FAQs, and more. Note any fields that use relationships, rich text, media, or repeatable blocks.

Also take note of content rules or conditions embedded in your front-end (for example: filtering by tags, hiding unpublished posts, or sorting by custom fields). These will need to be translated into Webflow’s CMS logic and page structure.

Export Content Safely

Strapi doesn’t offer a native GUI export, so you’ll typically extract content via the API or by accessing the database directly. Depending on the amount of content and its complexity, you may use:

• API endpoints to retrieve JSON content
• CSV exports created manually
• Middleware tools (e.g. Make, Whalesync) to sync content into Webflow

Ensure that all essential metadata is preserved, including slugs, SEO fields, media references, and publication dates.

Map Collections to Webflow CMS

Once your content is extracted, plan how it will map to Webflow CMS Collections. For each Strapi Collection Type, define:

• The fields needed (text, image, rich text, reference, etc.)
• The relationships (multi-reference or single-reference fields)
• Which items will require their own CMS Template Page

This step is crucial—Webflow’s CMS is powerful, but has limits on reference depth and collection size, so plan accordingly to avoid overcomplication.

Review Your Front-End Design and Features

Document your current layout, including key visual patterns, reusable components, dynamic filters, search, or interactive features. These need to be recreated in Webflow’s Designer or, in some cases, enhanced using custom code.

If you rely on custom front-end behavior (e.g. tag filtering, user-specific content, or animations), list these elements out so they can be matched or improved using Webflow Interactions or third-party tools like Jetboost or Finsweet Attributes.

Define the Migration Goals

This is the ideal time to clean house. Ask yourself:

• Is your current structure bloated or over-engineered?
• Are there content types or fields that no longer serve a purpose?
• Should the design or navigation be simplified during the rebuild?

The goal isn’t to replicate Strapi—it’s to improve upon it. Clear goals will guide development and reduce scope creep mid-project.

Migrating from Strapi means transitioning from a backend-heavy stack to a visual-first system. To make it successful, you need to extract structured content, map it intelligently to Webflow’s CMS, and clarify your design and functional expectations. With the right prep, the result will be a site that’s not just easier to manage—but better aligned with how modern teams actually work.

Step-by-Step Migration Process

Strapi and Webflow are fundamentally different tools. Strapi is a backend-first, API-driven CMS; Webflow is a visual, integrated front-end and CMS platform. Migrating between them is not about connecting two systems—it’s about rebuilding your site on a new foundation. Here’s how that process unfolds, step by step.

1. Content Structure Analysis

The first step is breaking down your current Strapi setup. This includes identifying all Collection Types, Single Types, and their relationships. Each content type is analyzed for its purpose, structure, field types, and how it's used in the front-end.

From here, we create a mapping blueprint that pairs each Strapi content structure with its Webflow equivalent. This ensures consistency between your current setup and your new CMS framework.

2. Content Export & Cleanup

Strapi content is exported using its REST or GraphQL API, or via direct database access. The exported data is cleaned, formatted (usually as CSV or JSON), and prepared for import into Webflow. This is when we also optimize slugs, consolidate messy content, and reformat rich text fields if needed.

Images and assets are downloaded and organized for manual upload to Webflow’s Asset Manager.

3. Webflow Project Setup

A new Webflow project is launched with a solid design framework (e.g. Client-First). A global style guide is implemented to manage typography, color, spacing, and reusable components.

At this stage, shared site elements like navigation, footer, buttons, and headers are built and styled as Symbols. This sets the groundwork for consistent, scalable page design.

4. CMS Collections Creation

Each content type from Strapi is recreated in Webflow as a CMS Collection. Fields are added manually (e.g. Name, Slug, Image, Body, References), and limitations like max reference depth or multi-reference logic are handled with care.

Collections are configured with proper slug settings, CMS Templates are designed, and dynamic content blocks are tested with sample data to ensure display accuracy.

5. Visual Rebuild of Pages

All layouts are rebuilt page-by-page inside Webflow’s Designer. This includes static pages and CMS-driven templates. The focus is on recreating your design (or improving it) using semantic HTML structure, responsive layout techniques, and clean class naming.

Webflow Interactions are used to replicate or enhance animations and transitions. Any interactive logic—like filters or tabs—is reimplemented using Webflow’s native tools or custom code.

6. SEO Setup and Redirects

Each page is configured with metadata including titles, descriptions, Open Graph images, and canonical URLs. A redirect strategy is put in place to ensure existing Strapi URLs (or routes managed via front-end routing) are preserved or redirected properly to avoid SEO loss.

7. Testing, Optimization, and Launch

Before launch, the site is tested across all breakpoints and browsers. Forms, interactions, and CMS logic are validated. Performance is checked using tools like Lighthouse or PageSpeed Insights. Analytics, tracking scripts, and custom embeds are added.

Once everything is approved, the site is published, the domain is pointed to Webflow, and the migration is complete.

Migrating from Strapi to Webflow is a structured, hands-on rebuild that results in a cleaner, faster, and more manageable website. With the right strategy, you preserve your content, improve performance, and empower your team to work without technical blockers.

Strapi vs Webflow: Key Differences

Strapi and Webflow serve very different purposes. Strapi is an open-source, backend-only CMS built for developers. It offers complete flexibility via APIs but requires a front-end framework and hosting to function. Webflow, on the other hand, is a fully integrated visual platform—combining design, CMS, and hosting into one system.

For technical teams, Strapi offers ultimate control. For agile, content-driven teams, Webflow offers speed, usability, and reduced complexity. Here’s how they compare across the areas that matter most.

Content Modeling & Structure

Strapi allows complete customization of content types, fields, and relationships. You can define any structure you want, including nested objects and complex references, with total control over the API.

Webflow also offers custom CMS Collections and reference fields, but with some limitations—like a cap on reference depth and total Collection items. That said, Webflow makes it easier to manage and visualize these structures, especially for non-developers. What you lose in technical depth, you gain in usability and clarity.

Editing Experience

In Strapi, the CMS interface is backend-focused and disconnected from the front-end. Editors often need to rely on developers to preview changes or understand how content appears on the live site.

Webflow’s Editor is visual and intuitive. You manage content directly on the front-end layout or through the CMS panel—without switching between interfaces. Teams can update text, images, SEO tags, and publish changes without risk of breaking layout or needing developer assistance.

Front-End Development

Strapi doesn’t handle the front-end—it relies on a framework like React, Vue, or Next.js to build and serve pages. This setup offers total freedom, but also requires constant development time for layout changes, content adjustments, or feature rollouts.

In Webflow, the front-end is fully visual. You design pages with pixel precision, create responsive layouts without code, and manage animations through Webflow Interactions. Updates are fast, and teams can iterate independently without developers.

Hosting & DevOps

With Strapi, hosting is your responsibility. You manage deployment pipelines, uptime, security patches, and performance optimization. This adds infrastructure overhead and long-term maintenance work.

Webflow is fully hosted on a global CDN. SSL, caching, scaling, and backups are all managed automatically. There's no infrastructure layer to worry about—everything just works out of the box.

SEO & Performance

Strapi sites rely on the developer’s implementation for SEO structure. This includes clean code, semantic HTML, metadata output, and performance optimization—all of which vary depending on how well the front-end is built.

Webflow outputs clean, semantic HTML with native tools for managing SEO metadata, Open Graph tags, sitemaps, and redirects. It also serves optimized assets with lazy loading and automatic image resizing—improving page speed without extra plugins or configuration.

Strapi is powerful when you need a completely custom backend and are willing to manage a separate front-end system. Webflow is ideal when you want to reduce complexity, speed up delivery, and empower your team to take ownership of the site. It replaces the fragmented developer stack with a streamlined, visual-first platform that balances power and simplicity.

CMS Architecture & Content Strategy

Migrating from Strapi to Webflow means rethinking how your content is structured and delivered. While Strapi gives you complete backend freedom and API access, that freedom often creates complexity—multiple environments, disconnected editors, and rigid developer workflows. Webflow’s CMS, in contrast, is built for simplicity without sacrificing structure.

Here’s how Webflow replaces the functionality of a headless CMS like Strapi—while improving clarity, usability, and maintainability.

Visual CMS Collections

Webflow’s CMS is built on the concept of “Collections”—similar to Collection Types in Strapi. Each Collection is a repeatable content type (e.g. blog posts, team members, case studies) with customizable fields such as plain text, rich text, images, URLs, reference links, and option sets.

Where Strapi relies on JSON schemas and developer-defined models, Webflow allows you to create and manage Collections directly through a visual interface. Fields are added in seconds, and no code or API design is required. This enables teams to structure content quickly—and understand how it fits into the site without digging through configuration files.

Relational Content Without the Complexity

In Strapi, managing relationships between content types often involves defining reference fields, nesting objects, and building out custom APIs. While powerful, this approach adds overhead and requires dev support to keep it clean.

Webflow simplifies this with Reference and Multi-Reference fields. These allow you to link CMS items together—for example, assigning an author to a blog post or tagging services in a project. You can then dynamically filter, sort, or pull content from those references into any part of the layout, without writing queries.

CMS-Driven Templates

Every Collection in Webflow comes with an automatic CMS Template Page. This eliminates the need to manually wire up front-end routes like you would in a Strapi/React stack. Each item gets its own page, automatically structured based on your template design and content.

Want to customize the layout for each post type? Just open the CMS template and use Webflow’s Designer to build a fully custom, responsive layout. All of it is connected to the CMS fields visually—no need to wire up APIs or rebuild logic for each page.

Scalable, Organized Content

As your site grows, Webflow makes it easy to manage hundreds or thousands of content items with filters, search, and pagination. Collection Lists can be used to display content anywhere on the site, filtered by category, tag, date, or any custom logic.

You can also implement dynamic landing pages, content hubs, or category directories—without code or plugins. For more advanced features (e.g. filtering, search, or dynamic sorting), tools like Finsweet Attributes or Jetboost offer plug-and-play functionality that extends the CMS even further.

SEO & Performance Benefits

One of the biggest upgrades when moving from Strapi to Webflow isn’t just in usability—it’s in how your site performs and ranks. With Webflow, SEO settings are integrated into the platform, and site output is optimized by default. You no longer depend on developer implementation for technical SEO or page speed performance.

Native SEO Controls

In a Strapi setup, SEO optimization is entirely custom. Your development team is responsible for adding meta tags, Open Graph data, canonical URLs, structured data, and sitemap generation. If anything is missed or misconfigured in the front-end framework, your search visibility suffers.

Webflow brings these elements into a visual interface. Every page, Collection item, and template can have unique meta titles, descriptions, Open Graph previews, and canonical links—without a plugin or code. You have full access to alt text, heading structure, and clean URLs for better crawlability and indexing.

Structured Data and Schema Markup

Structured data is essential for rich search results. In Strapi, implementing JSON-LD or schema.org markup requires manual injection into templates or custom components.

In Webflow, schema markup can be added directly through Embed elements or the custom code fields in page settings. This gives you control over how content types like articles, FAQs, events, or reviews appear in search results—without needing a developer to hardcode it.

Redirects and URL Cleanup

Strapi-based sites often rely on custom routing logic in the front-end. Changing URLs or restructuring your content means managing redirects in the server or application layer.

In Webflow, you manage 301 redirects visually through the project settings. It’s fast, simple, and ideal for preserving SEO equity when changing page slugs or reorganizing your site structure during the migration.

Lightweight, Optimized Output

Strapi sites rely on the quality of your front-end implementation. If performance isn't baked into your React or Vue codebase, your site may suffer from slow load times, unoptimized images, and unnecessary scripts.

Webflow handles this for you. The platform:

• Outputs clean HTML, CSS, and JS
• Applies lazy loading to images by default
• Automatically resizes and serves responsive images
• Delivers everything over a global CDN

These improvements boost Core Web Vitals (like LCP and CLS) and directly improve user experience and SEO rankings.

Hosting & Delivery

With Strapi, performance depends heavily on your front-end build and how your hosting is configured. Webflow sites are served from high-speed global infrastructure out of the box. Pages load quickly, assets are cached efficiently, and uptime is handled for you—without manual setup or DevOps work.

Migrating to Webflow means you no longer rely on code for your SEO or performance outcomes. You get cleaner output, native controls for metadata, easy redirect management, and optimized delivery—all of which contribute to higher rankings and faster load times.

Migration Challenges & Technical Fixes

Migrating from Strapi to Webflow comes with its own set of complexities. Strapi offers total freedom in how content is structured and served, which often leads to deeply customized implementations. When transitioning to a more opinionated—but streamlined—platform like Webflow, some translation is required.

This section outlines the most common challenges encountered during Strapi migrations—and how they’re solved without compromising functionality or performance.

Complex Content Relationships

Strapi supports nested content models, JSON fields, repeatable blocks, and deep multi-level relationships. Webflow CMS is more constrained—it doesn’t support nesting within nesting, and there’s a limit to how many reference or multi-reference fields you can use.

Solution: Relationships are flattened and restructured in a way that preserves the logic without breaking Webflow’s limitations. For complex use cases, multi-reference fields are combined with filtered Collection Lists. When necessary, third-party tools like Finsweet’s CMS Combine or Jetboost can reintroduce advanced filtering and logic visually.

Loss of Custom API Endpoints

In Strapi, content is often exposed and consumed via custom REST or GraphQL endpoints. These APIs may power dynamic features, mobile apps, or third-party tools.

Solution: For Webflow-only sites, dynamic features are rebuilt using native CMS logic or custom JavaScript. If external systems still need access to content, tools like Whalesync, Airtable, or Make (Integromat) can sync Webflow CMS data outward—or manage it centrally through a no-code backend.

Manual Data Export

Strapi doesn’t provide a clean export feature out of the box. You’ll typically need to pull data using API calls, database exports, or custom scripts—especially when dealing with media files or rich-text formatting.

Solution: All content is extracted in JSON or CSV, cleaned, and formatted for Webflow import. Media is batch-downloaded, renamed, and manually uploaded to Webflow’s Asset Manager. Rich text is restructured to preserve formatting and links, especially if it contains embedded references.

Rebuilding Front-End Functionality

Most Strapi sites use a decoupled front-end framework (e.g. React, Next.js). Features like filtering, category pages, custom modals, or dynamic navigation are often hardcoded or driven by routing logic.

Solution: These features are reimplemented using Webflow’s native features: CMS Filters, Finsweet Attributes, page structure templates, and Interactions. Where necessary, lightweight JavaScript replaces complex app logic while keeping the editing experience simple.

SEO & Routing Mismatches

URL structures in Strapi apps are usually customized via code. When moving to Webflow, these URLs might change—causing a risk of broken links and lost search traffic.

Solution: Every existing URL is mapped to its Webflow equivalent. 301 redirects are added through Webflow’s redirect manager, and canonical URLs are set for SEO continuity. Slug formatting is cleaned and standardized during the process.

Loss of Developer-Centric Features

Some technical teams may worry about losing CLI tools, Git versioning, or programmable API logic.

Solution: While Webflow does not replace a code-first workflow, it dramatically reduces the need for one. For teams that still need version control or external integration, solutions like Webflow’s API, CMS syncing tools, or third-party dev pipelines (via Make or Wized) can fill the gap. The migration shifts focus from building infrastructure to shipping outcomes faster.

Post-Migration Gains

Moving away from Strapi isn’t just a platform change—it’s a shift in how your team builds, maintains, and scales a website. While Strapi gives full control to developers, Webflow puts control into the hands of the entire team—without compromising design quality or structure.

After the migration, the benefits go beyond surface-level improvements. You gain real operational freedom, reduced reliance on engineering, and a more streamlined content workflow.

Design and Content in One Place

In Webflow, design and content live in the same visual environment. You no longer have to request dev time for small layout changes or wait on frontend rebuilds to push updates. The entire site—from layout to metadata—is editable and publishable by non-technical team members.

This speeds up content delivery, empowers marketers and designers, and removes the bottleneck of dev-dependent site maintenance.

Clean, Scalable CMS Architecture

Once your content is mapped into Webflow’s CMS, managing it becomes far easier. Collections are structured clearly, relationships are visual, and filtering or referencing content happens without code. Adding new content types or creating new pages no longer requires backend changes or database updates.

Your CMS is no longer invisible or buried under a stack—it’s part of your workflow.

Simplified Workflow and Faster Delivery

The full migration eliminates the need for front-end deployments, API maintenance, Git pipelines, or hosting configuration. Design changes are handled visually. CMS changes take minutes, not hours. The result is a leaner process that’s easier to manage and faster to iterate on.

What once required developers, staging environments, and code merges—now takes a few clicks inside the Designer or Editor.

Better SEO and Performance by Default

The migration also delivers tangible technical benefits. With Webflow’s native hosting, global CDN, image optimization, and semantic HTML output, your site performs faster—without extra configuration.

SEO is no longer a secondary concern delegated to devs—it becomes a native part of your content workflow. Titles, descriptions, OG data, and clean slugs are all managed visually with precision and speed.

Future-Proofing Without Complexity

Your site is no longer dependent on a single dev or framework. You don’t need to keep libraries up to date, patch backend services, or chase documentation for routing behavior. Webflow stays up to date automatically—and your site scales alongside it.

You’re trading complexity for clarity—without giving up control.

Migrating from Strapi to Webflow is a strategic decision. You lose some raw backend power—but what you gain is freedom: to iterate faster, to reduce friction, and to empower your entire team.

The result is a high-performance, modern website—no longer built around your tech stack, but around your workflow.