How to build a fully responsive landing page in Webflow step by step

Building a landing page that actually looks good everywhere—desktop, tablet, and phone—can be surprisingly tricky. If you’ve tried to make something quick and ended up with a site that falls apart on mobile, you’re not alone. This guide is for anyone who wants a no-nonsense, step-by-step walkthrough on building a fully responsive landing page in Webflow, whether you’re new to the tool or you’ve dabbled but never quite nailed “responsive.”

Here’s how to do it right, plus some pitfalls to avoid.

Step 1: Start With a Simple Plan

Before you touch Webflow, sketch your landing page on paper or in a basic wireframing tool. Don’t overthink it. You want:

  • A clear headline and subheadline
  • One strong call to action (button or form)
  • Supporting copy or features
  • Maybe a hero image or illustration
  • Social proof or testimonials (if you have them)

Pro tip: Ignore fancy animations or background videos for now. They’re nice, but they won’t help you learn the basics, and they’re easy to add later.

Step 2: Set Up Your Webflow Project

  1. Create a New Project
  2. Log in to Webflow, hit the “+ New Project” button, and pick a blank canvas.

  3. Don’t select a template—those are great for inspiration but can bury you in confusing pre-made styles.

  4. Understand the Designer

  5. The main panel is your canvas. The left sidebar is for adding elements. The right sidebar is where you style things.

  6. Get comfortable with the navigator (the little layered icon on the left). It’s your outline.

  7. Set Your Global Styles

  8. Before you drag in elements, set your base typography and colors:
    • Click on the “Body” element in the navigator.
    • Set your default font, base size (16px is a safe bet), and colors.
    • Set your background color (usually white or off-white).

Truth: You can waste hours fiddling with fonts and colors. Pick something clean and move on. You’ll revisit this later.

Step 3: Structure Your Page With Sections and Containers

  1. Add Sections
  2. Drag the “Section” element from the Add panel onto your canvas.

  3. Give each section a clear name (e.g., “Hero Section,” “Features Section”) in the navigator for sanity later.

  4. Use Containers or Custom Divs

  5. Inside each section, add a “Container” or a Div Block with a max-width (usually 1140px or similar).

  6. This keeps your content from stretching edge-to-edge on big screens.

  7. Lay Out Content

  8. For your hero, add a Heading, Paragraph, Button, and Image (or illustration).
  9. For features/testimonials, use a simple grid or flexbox for alignment.

Pro tip: Don’t nest too many divs. Webflow makes it easy to overcomplicate layouts. Start simple—one section, one container, a few elements.

Step 4: Style for Desktop First

  1. Select Elements and Style
  2. Click on any element to style it in the right sidebar.

  3. Set font size, color, padding, and margin. Use rem or px units (stick to one for consistency).

  4. Use Classes, Not IDs

  5. When you style something, give it a class name (“hero-heading,” “cta-button,” etc.).

  6. Don’t use IDs for styling—it’s messy and hard to maintain.

  7. Spacing Matters

  8. Use padding to add space inside containers, margin for space between elements.

  9. Keep things roomy. Crowded pages look amateur.

  10. Check Alignment

  11. Use flexbox or grid for layouts, but don’t abuse them. Flexbox for rows/columns, grid for more complex stuff.
  12. Preview your page often (hit the eye icon).

What not to do: Don’t use absolute positioning for main content. It breaks on mobile and makes things hard to maintain.

Step 5: Make It Responsive—Tablet and Mobile

Here’s where most people mess up. Don’t just shrink things and hope—they need tweaking.

  1. Switch to Tablet View
  2. Click the tablet icon at the top of Webflow.
  3. Check your layout. Are things squished? Is your text too big? Adjust font sizes, padding, and layout as needed.

  4. Stack columns vertically if they’re too cramped.

  5. Move to Mobile Landscape and Portrait

  6. Keep going down the breakpoints (mobile landscape, then mobile portrait).

  7. Some tips:

    • Reduce heading sizes.
    • Make buttons full-width if needed.
    • Stack images above text for easier reading.
    • Increase tap targets for buttons (at least 44px tall).

  8. Use “Hide” and “Show” Sparingly

  9. You can hide elements on smaller screens if they don’t fit, but don’t overdo it. Simpler is better.

  10. Test, Test, Test

  11. Use Webflow’s preview, but also publish to the staging site and check on your own phone.
  12. Rotate your device. Try different browsers if you can.

Pro tip: Resist the urge to fine-tune pixel-perfect spacing on every device. Consistency beats perfectionism, and most users won’t notice tiny differences.

Step 6: Add Your Final Touches

  1. Forms and Interactions
  2. Add a simple form for lead capture. Don’t go wild with required fields—name and email is often enough.

  3. If you want, add basic interactions (like a button hover effect). Keep it subtle.

  4. Optimize Images

  5. Use images that are sized for web (under 500kb if possible).

  6. Set images to be responsive: width 100% in the style panel.

  7. SEO and Meta Stuff

  8. Give your page a title and meta description in the Page Settings.

  9. Add alt text to images. Not just for accessibility—it’s good for SEO.

  10. Check Load Times

  11. Don’t add huge videos, giant images, or unnecessary animations.
  12. Webflow hosting is fast, but you can still bog it down with heavy assets.

What to skip: Unless you’re launching a full site, ignore site search, CMS collections, or advanced integrations. Get the basics right first.

Step 7: Publish and Share

  1. Preview and Publish
  2. Hit “Publish” to push your site to the webflow.io staging domain.

  3. Check all breakpoints again. Ask a friend to view it on their phone.

  4. Custom Domain (Optional)

  5. If you’re happy, set up a custom domain. Webflow has good docs on this, and it’s pretty painless.

  6. Iterate

  7. Don’t treat your landing page as “done.” Watch how people use it, and tweak what doesn’t work.
  8. Sometimes, the best feedback is someone saying, “I couldn’t find the button.”

Keep It Simple and Iterate

The best landing pages are clear, focused, and work everywhere. You don’t need fancy design tricks or endless features. Start with a simple, responsive layout. Test it on real devices. Make small improvements over time instead of chasing perfection on day one.

Building in Webflow is quick once you get the basics down—just don’t get lost in the weeds. If you keep things simple and focus on clarity, your landing page will not only look good but actually convert. Good luck!