Mastering Dynamic URL Creation in Webflow: A Step-by-Step Guide

Creating dynamic URLs in Webflow is a common challenge faced by many users. As you might have noticed from the Webflow forum, the CMS doesn't allow for the creation of collections that sit directly under the root domain. This could be a bit frustrating, especially when you're trying to streamline your website structure and SEO. However, even though you can't technically create a collection like this in Webflow, there are some workarounds that you can use to achieve your desired result.

The Challenge

Let's say you want to design a collection similar to this:

website.com/a
website.com/b
website.com/c

Here, the URLs a, b, c are dynamic and next to the root domain. But the Webflow CMS doesn’t allow you to create a collection like this. The CMS insists that any collection items MUST be within a folder, it's just the way their site architecture works.

The Solution

The only way to achieve your desired result is to add each page individually in the pages tab. However, be aware that the maximum number of static pages is 100. This might not be the ideal solution, especially if you have many pages to add or if the pages you need to turn dynamic are already ranking in Google, and you don’t want to affect that.

Another workaround is to leverage 301 redirects. You can create a page with the slug you want (e.g., website.com/a), and then set a 301 redirect from the dynamic page to the static page. This way, when someone visits the static page, they will be redirected to the dynamic page. This can be a bit complex to set up, but it's a viable solution if you have a small number of pages.

Step by Step Guide

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to add each page individually:

Go to the Pages tab in your Webflow dashboard.
Click on the "+ Create" button to add a new page.
Give your page a name and a unique slug. The slug should be the same as the dynamic URL part you want to create (e.g., "a", "b", "c").
Add the content you want to the page. You can use static content, or you can use dynamic content by linking to your CMS collections.
Save your page.
Repeat the process for each dynamic URL part you want to create.

Note: Remember that you can only create up to 100 static pages. If you have more dynamic URL parts to create, you might need to consider other solutions, such as using subdomains or third-party platforms that integrate with Webflow.

Conclusion

While creating dynamic URLs in Webflow can be a bit tricky, it's not impossible. With some clever workarounds, you can achieve your desired website structure. Just remember to plan carefully and consider the limitations of each solution. And always test your URLs to make sure they're working as expected.

Want to learn more about mastering Webflow? Check out Webflow University's CMS and dynamic content course for a comprehensive guide on how to use dynamic content in Webflow.

Top Tip: Leverage JavaScript for Dynamic URL Parameters

If you're a seasoned Webflow user, you're probably familiar with some of the platform's limitations. But with a bit of creativity, and a dash of JavaScript, you can push these boundaries further. A fantastic, advanced technique is to use JavaScript to create dynamic URL parameters.

This means you can have URLs like this:

website.com/page?parameter1=a
website.com/page?parameter2=b
website.com/page?parameter3=c

These URLs are technically static (since they all point to the 'page'), but appear dynamic due to the different parameters at the end. Here's how you can achieve this:

First, create your static page in the Pages tab of your Webflow dashboard. Let's call this 'page'.
On this page, add an HTML embed component where you want your dynamic content to appear.
In the HTML embed, use JavaScript to get the URL parameter. You can use the 'window.location.search' property to get the entire query string, and then parse it to get the specific parameter you want.
Once you have the parameter, use JavaScript to dynamically generate the content you want based on the parameter value. This could be text, images, links, or anything else you can create with HTML and CSS.
Finally, link to your page with the different parameters. For example, you could have a link to 'website.com/page?parameter1=a' on one part of your site, and a link to 'website.com/page?parameter2=b' on another part.