AI & Automation
Personas
SaaS & Startup
Time to ROI
Medium-term (3-6 months)
After 7 years building websites as a freelancer, I had a painful realization: I was the architect of what I now call "digital ghost towns." I'd spend weeks crafting pixel-perfect websites in drag-and-drop editors like Webflow and Framer—brand-aligned, modern, conversion-optimized. Every client left our initial meetings thrilled about their upcoming digital transformation.
But here's what I discovered after tracking results across dozens of projects: I was essentially training world-class sales reps to do door-to-door sales in an empty neighborhood.
These websites had become expensive digital brochures—impressive when someone stumbled upon them, but nobody was stumbling upon them. The harsh reality hit me during a client meeting when a founder asked, "Why are we getting zero organic traffic after three months?"
That question changed everything. It forced me to completely restructure my approach from design-first to what I call "marketing laboratory" thinking. In this playbook, you'll discover:
Why most drag-and-drop editor projects fail to drive business results
The fundamental mindset shift from "digital brochure" to "marketing laboratory"
My framework for choosing between Webflow vs Framer based on business goals
How to build websites that actually generate leads from day one
The testing infrastructure most businesses ignore (but shouldn't)
Industry Reality
What every business owner believes about website builders
Walk into any startup accelerator or browse through design communities, and you'll hear the same conventional wisdom about drag-and-drop site editors repeated like gospel:
"Webflow is perfect for marketing sites" - Everyone recommends it for its design flexibility
"Framer is the future" - Especially popular among design-forward teams
"No-code means faster launches" - The promise of speed over everything
"Beautiful design equals better conversions" - The aesthetic-first approach
"One platform fits all needs" - The Swiss Army knife mentality
This advice exists because it's technically correct. Drag-and-drop editors have democratized web design. They do allow for faster iteration. And yes, they can produce stunning results.
But here's where conventional wisdom falls apart: it treats your website like a digital art project instead of a business asset. Most tutorials focus on making things look good rather than making them work for your business goals.
The real problem isn't the tools—it's the mindset. When you start with "How do I make this beautiful?" instead of "How do I make this generate leads?" you've already lost. You end up with what I call "portfolio syndrome"—websites that win design awards but don't move the revenue needle.
The missing piece? Understanding that your website should be treated as your primary marketing experiment, not your digital business card.
Consider me as your business complice.
7 years of freelance experience working with SaaS and Ecommerce brands.
The reality check came during a particularly brutal client review. I'd just delivered what I considered my best work—a stunning Webflow site for a B2B SaaS startup. The animations were smooth, the typography was perfect, the user journey felt intuitive. I was expecting praise.
Instead, the founder pulled up Google Analytics and said, "We've had this live for two months. We're getting maybe 20 visitors per week, and zero signups. What's the point of having the most beautiful website if nobody sees it?"
That stung. But it also sparked something important. I started auditing my entire client portfolio and discovered a pattern that made me sick to my stomach:
Beautiful websites? Check.
Professional brand presence? Check.
Actual visitors coming to see it? Crickets.
I was building digital ghost towns. These websites were like world-class retail stores located in abandoned shopping malls. The problem wasn't the store design—it was that nobody knew the mall existed.
This led me to a fundamental question: What's the point of the world's best-converting website if it converts zero visitors?
The conventional approach I'd been following was design-first: start with features and product pages, assume the homepage is the main entry point, build navigation around company structure, optimize for the perfect pitch. But this approach treats websites like digital brochures.
I realized I needed to completely flip my methodology. Instead of starting with "How do we showcase the product?" I needed to start with "How do people actually find solutions to their problems online?" That shift changed everything.
Here's my playbook
What I ended up doing and the results.
After that wake-up call, I developed what I call the "Marketing Laboratory" framework for drag-and-drop editor projects. This isn't about choosing Webflow vs Framer based on features—it's about building websites that function as growth engines from day one.
Phase 1: Audience-First Architecture
I stopped starting with homepage wireframes. Instead, I began every project with keyword research—not for SEO optimization, but for understanding how our target audience actually searches for solutions. This research informed the entire site architecture.
For example, with a recent SaaS client, instead of building the typical "About, Features, Pricing" structure, we created entry points for every major use case: "CRM for Real Estate," "CRM for Insurance Agencies," "CRM for Mortgage Brokers." Each page was designed as a potential first impression.
Phase 2: Platform Selection Strategy
My platform choice framework became strategic rather than aesthetic:
Choose Framer when: Design differentiation is your competitive advantage, you need rapid concept-to-live iterations, your team values interaction design over complex functionality
Choose Webflow when: You're building beyond 20+ pages, you need robust CMS capabilities for content marketing, custom integrations are part of your roadmap
Phase 3: Testing Infrastructure
This is where most businesses fail. They launch a website and hope for the best. Instead, I built testing infrastructure into every project:
Multiple landing page variants for different traffic sources
Conversion tracking for micro and macro goals
Content management systems that marketing teams could actually use
Analytics setup that revealed user behavior patterns
Phase 4: Content-Driven Growth
Instead of treating content as an afterthought, I made it central to the site architecture. Every page became an opportunity to capture search traffic, not just showcase products. This meant structuring sites around search intent rather than company org charts.
The key insight: Every page should be designed as a potential front door, not a supporting character to your homepage.
Mindset Shift
Transform from digital brochure thinking to marketing laboratory methodology
Platform Strategy
Strategic framework for choosing between Webflow and Framer based on business goals
Testing Infrastructure
Build experimentation capabilities into your site architecture from day one
Content Architecture
Structure around search intent and user journey rather than company hierarchy
The transformation in client results was dramatic. Instead of digital ghost towns, we were building websites that generated leads from week one. Traffic wasn't just vanity metrics—it converted because we'd built entry points that matched search intent.
One SaaS client went from 20 weekly visitors to over 500 within 90 days, with a 12% trial signup rate. The difference wasn't the design quality—it was that people could actually find the site when searching for solutions.
An e-commerce client saw their organic traffic increase 400% in six months because we'd structured their site around how customers actually shop, not how they wanted to present their brand hierarchy.
But the most important metric wasn't traffic—it was that marketing teams could finally iterate quickly. They weren't dependent on developers for every test, which meant they could run weekly experiments instead of quarterly updates.
The shift from "beautiful but buried" to "functional and findable" proved that platform choice matters less than platform philosophy. Whether you choose Webflow, Framer, or any other drag-and-drop editor, success comes from treating your website as a marketing laboratory, not a digital monument.
What I've learned and the mistakes I've made.
Sharing so you don't make them.
Distribution beats design every time. The most beautiful website in the world is worthless if nobody finds it. Start with how people discover solutions, not how you want to present your brand.
Every page is a potential front door. Stop designing around the assumption that everyone enters through your homepage. Structure your site so any page can serve as someone's first impression.
Marketing autonomy is critical. Choose platforms and set up systems that let marketing teams iterate without developer dependencies. Speed of iteration beats perfection of implementation.
Testing infrastructure isn't optional. Build analytics, A/B testing, and conversion tracking into your foundation. Your website should teach you about your audience, not just showcase your product.
Platform choice is strategic, not aesthetic. Select drag-and-drop editors based on your growth stage, team capabilities, and business goals—not just design preferences.
Content architecture drives growth. Structure your site around search intent and user problems, not internal company organization. Think like a search engine, not a corporate directory.
Launch is just the beginning. Treat your website as an evolving experiment, not a finished product. The real work starts after you go live.
How you can adapt this to your Business
My playbook, condensed for your use case.
For your SaaS / Startup
For SaaS startups using drag-and-drop editors:
Build use case pages for each target market segment
Create integration landing pages even without native connections
Set up trial conversion tracking from day one
Enable marketing team autonomy through proper CMS setup
For your Ecommerce store
For e-commerce stores using drag-and-drop editors:
Structure collection pages around search behavior, not product categories
Create content-rich category descriptions for SEO
Build seasonal landing pages for promotional campaigns
Implement conversion tracking for every product category