Migrate from AEM to Webflow

Yes, AEM can be a powerhouse. But it comes at an expense. We'll talk about the most common challenges we hear from our AEM migrations. Then we'll look at how Webflow and low code stacks completely eliminate these challenges.

5 most common challenges using Adobe Experience Manager

1. Complexity and steep learning curve

AEM is a massive platform. This vastness of product complexity comes with a downside. It's daunting for new users and even experienced developers. Learning how to effectively use AEM, from content creation and management to deploying personalized digital experiences, requires a considerable amount of time and effort. Organizations often need to invest in extensive training for their staff or hire AEM specialists to navigate its complexities successfully.

2. Integration with existing systems

Enterprises use a lot of platforms and applications in day-to-day operations, including CRM, ERP, and marketing automation tools. Integrating these systems with AEM to ensure a seamless flow of data and maintain consistency across digital channels can be challenging. It requires a deep understanding of both AEM and the external systems. Plus the technical knowledge to implement custom APIs or use existing connectors. The complexity of these integrations can lead to increased development time and costs, usually impacting project timelines.

3. High cost of ownership, expensive

The total cost of ownership for AEM is high, making it a significant investment for any organization. This cost includes the licensing, hosting, maintenance, training, and the hiring of skilled professionals to manage and customize the system. This is comes at a significant cost as the size of the project grows. For some organizations, especially those with limited budgets, AEM costs can be prohibitive to online growth.

4. Performance optimization

We all know performance is crucial for user experience and SEO. But optimizing performance in AEM can be challenging. Managing large volumes of digital assets, implementing caching strategies effectively, and ensuring that custom code is optimized. This requires ongoing attention from an employee with a good understanding of AEM's web performance best practices.

5. Upgrades and maintenance

Adobe regularly releases updates and new versions of AEM to introduce new features, fix bugs, and address security vulnerabilities. Upgrading to the latest version can be a complex process, especially for big and custom projects. There's a risk that custom components might not work with the new version, requiring further development work. The process of testing and deploying upgrades can be time-consuming, requiring careful planning and execution to minimize disruptions to the live production environment.

How Webflow eliminates these challenges

Webflow is a web design and hosting platform that puts the power of the web in a visual interface. Launch powerful websites without writing much code. Anything that Webflow doesn't support, we write some JavaScript. Webflow was built to address and prevent website challenges associated with using AEM. Here's how Webflow capitalizes on these 5 challenges:

1. Complexity and steep learning curve

Webflow is less complex with a much lower learning curve

Webflow's Approach: Webflow is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, significantly lowering the barrier to entry for web design and development. Webflow makes it easier for designers and content creators to learn and use the platform. No extensive training or technical knowledge required. We can send you a how-to video walking you through your website. Many companies will be able to manage their site after a quality agency builds it.

2. Integration with existing systems

Webflow integrates with no-code and low-code tools—And JavaScript can be used for any integration

Webflow's Approach: While Webflow may not offer as deep native integrations like AEM, it provides a simpler integration process with popular tools like Wized, Zapier, and wonderful JavaScript. Webflow also has an impressive library of APIs. We can build just about anything with Webflow. We like to think anything can be built with Webflow. It's true!

3. High cost of ownership, expensive

Webflow websites cost less money to build and maintain when compared to AEM websites.

Webflow's Approach: Webflow comes with a much lower cost than AEM. Either through self-service or enterprise plans, we see our clients saving a lot of money after making the move the Webflow. Development can be done in less time, and less maintenance is needed, with the power of Webflow. Cost of labor and resource allocation goes down significantly when migrating to Webflow.

4. Performance optimization

Webflow is fast and performance enhancements feel built in

Webflow's Approach: Webflow takes a lot of the guesswork out of performance optimization. We often don't need to think about performance enhancements in Webflow. They automatically ship a ton of useful performance upgrades to your website. For example, automatically optimizing images based on device size. And it's all built on top of a very effective and fast infrastructure that serves millions of websites daily. Companies who have Webflow websites spend less time on performance optimizations than most AEM projects.

5. Upgrades and maintenance

Webflow does upgrades behind the scenes and maintenance costs less

Webflow's Approach: Being a fully managed, SaaS (Software as a Service) platform, Webflow handles all the updates and maintenance. Your hosting is your platform cost for Webflow and it covers a lot for the price. Never worry about upgrading your site to the latest version or dealing with the potential nightmare from updates. Webflow is your low-maintenance companion. There are many excellent Webflow agencies that offer affordable and reliable maintenance service. We're one of them!