The smarter, no-code way of building for the web changes everything
Again, this post is not really about specific platforms. It's about the paradigm shift from code to no-code web development. But anyway, I'm going to tell you about my favorite no-code platform. Webflow is the best tool to transform the way we build our websites right now, in my opinion. The platform is 100% hosted, meaning you never touch any code. The code for the website is produced automagically in the background, while we keep our focus on that matters; amazing content and user experience!
Bye-bye code, servers, development environments, deployment scripts, security updates, ...HELP!
Through all my years managing web teams at Represent, technical infrastructure and maintenance have been what kept me up at night. I had been keeping a close eye on Webflow for years. It represented a potential savior from the hassle that comes with building and hosting with platforms like WordPress. And when they finally launched CMS functionality (clients can log in and edit content right on the page) late 2015, I couldn't be more excited!

We hand-built the Represent website a few years ago. We probably spent 100+ hours in the process using custom markup and a traditional CMS. Then Webflow came along, and I made the same site in a fraction of the time, CMS and all!
Since then, we have built almost exclusively on Webflow, gradually replacing old sites and shutting down servers at Rackspace and AWS. And life keeps getting easier and easier :) Also, our clients couldn't be happier. Even our developers finally admit Webflow is a fantastic tool, despite "coding" in a visual interface a lot of the time.
"Content first" web development is a total game-changer
With Webflow, we can build websites content first. No joke, we often have clients working with real content in the CMS only a few days after our initial startup workshop. The client adds CMS driven content while we are shaping the structure around it. Then when it is time to apply the visual layer, most of the content is already in there, as opposed to building a site on hypothetical Lorem Ipsum content. Here is an example of an early-stage content prototype in Webflow, where the client could already login and work with the copy. It took about an hour to make based on a wireframing kit we made for Webflow.

We start by building out the content and structure in our homemade Blueprint boilerplate, then gradually work in the visual style. This way, the client can log in and work with content within days. Fun fact: This particular website was actually going to be built in Hubspot the whole time. But even so, prototyping and working with early content was faster in Webflow than faking it with Sketch and InVision. We even make the prototype responsive for mobile testing,
Build from scratch at lightning speed, or start with a template
We have only done a couple of Webflow sites based on a template, but there are hundreds of great free and paid Webflow templates to choose from. So, we can have your amazing business website ready in about an hour based on a template, and tune it from there. Or like we most often do, develop a solid strategy for communication and content, then develop the ideal solution in a matter of days.

Webflow offers hundreds of free and paid templates.
It's worth mentioning that a Webflow template is not like a WordPress template. It does not have a fixed set of options, and if you want something different, you have to fiddle with code or plugins. It's more like we get a starting point, and we can still build and edit as quickly as when building from scratch without touching code.
Building in Webflow from scratch requires a basic understanding of HTML/CSS principals
If you are building your own business with no cash to spend on a website, Webflow might not be for you. If you need a clean and simple do-it-yourself website, go with Squarespace. Or, if you have some time and want to build your site exactly how you want it, do the Webflow 101 crash course. The course is a series of 42 videos (1h 58m total) that also includes fundamental HTML and CSS principals.