Hiring a Webflow Designer in 2025: What Really Matters

If you’ve tried hiring a Webflow designer recently, you already know the space is crowded. Webflow has exploded as a platform, and with AI-assisted tools like Relume and Flowbase, more people are entering the ecosystem than ever. That’s good for innovation but it also means finding a truly skilled Webflow developer can feel like finding a needle in a haystack.

After a decade of building and scaling with Webflow, my team and I have nailed down three non-negotiables when hiring talent. Whether you’re staffing up your agency, building your in-house team, or just hiring a freelancer, these will save you headaches and help you find designers who can deliver sites that are fast, scalable, and future-proof.

1. A Clear Methodology Behind the Build

Pretty designs don’t mean much if the backend is a mess. That’s why the first thing we check is how someone builds inside Webflow.

We ask for read-only project links to see their structure in action. Are classes named logically? Are assets organized? Is the site structured to scale and play nice with SEO?

At 5Four Digital, we use the Client-First methodology by Finsweet. It’s become the industry standard because it keeps everything consistent, easy to manage, and future-ready. If a candidate has no methodology or builds “freestyle,” that’s a red flag.

2. Accessibility Isn’t Optional

Web design in 2025 isn’t just about aesthetics. If your site isn’t accessible, you’re leaving out huge portions of your audience — and opening yourself up to legal risks.

Webflow offers an accessibility checklist, and it’s a great starting point. At minimum, we want to see designers accounting for basics like allowing zoom, hiding decorative elements properly, using skip links, and providing unique titles. Accessibility isn’t just a nice-to-have anymore. It’s the baseline.

3. Solid Performance and SEO Scores

The last thing we check is the Google Lighthouse score. A beautiful site that loads slowly or ranks poorly is not a successful site.

For every candidate, we test their builds using Lighthouse. We expect at least a 75–80 across performance, accessibility, best practices, and SEO. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but it should prove that they understand the fundamentals of building fast, user-friendly websites.

In today’s landscape, with Core Web Vitals being a ranking factor, performance is a direct business driver. That means your Webflow developer has to know how to balance design and speed.

The Bottom Line

When hiring Webflow talent in 2025, don’t just be impressed by a slick portfolio. Dig into their process. Make sure they’re building with a methodology, prioritizing accessibility, and delivering strong performance scores.

The agencies and businesses that thrive aren’t the ones who chase the flashiest visuals. They’re the ones who build sites that are scalable, inclusive, and optimized from day one.

Keep building smart, keep building scalable.