How can I fix the issue with Zapier not adding 'https://' to URLs in Webflow collection items when the link field is missing it, causing Webflow to publish it as a subdirectory?
TL;DR
- Use a Formatter or Code Step in Zapier to ensure all URLs sent to Webflow CMS include the
https://prefix. - Test and publish to confirm Webflow correctly recognizes the link as an external URL.
When Zapier sends a URL without https:// to a Link field in a Webflow CMS collection, Webflow treats it as a relative path, causing it to publish incorrectly (e.g., as yourdomain.com/example.com instead of linking to https://example.com). You can fix this by ensuring Zapier always sends a complete URL, including the protocol prefix.
1. Identify the Problem in Your Zap
- Go to your Zapier dashboard.
- Open the Zap that's connected to your Webflow CMS.
- Look at the step where Zapier pushes data to Webflow (usually via the Webflow → Create Item or Update Item action).
- Check the mapping for the link or URL field — if the source data doesn’t include
https://, it needs to be modified before sending.
2. Use a Formatter Step to Force https://
- Add a new step in Zapier before the Webflow action.
- Choose Formatter → Text → Transform: Prepend Text.
- Input the following settings:
- Input: The raw URL that may be missing
https:// - Text to Prepend:
https:// - Rename this output (e.g., “Formatted URL”) and use it in the Webflow step instead of the raw value.
3. Add Conditional Logic (Optional)
If the source URLs sometimes already include http:// or https://, and you only want to prepend when it's missing:
- Add a Code Step using JavaScript (must be on Zapier's paid plan).
- Use a simple script to check if the input URL starts with
http://orhttps://. If not, prependhttps://. - Example in the “Input Data”:
- Input URL:
example.com - In JavaScript, use:
url.startsWith("http://") || url.startsWith("https://") ? url : "https://" + url- Then use that result in the Webflow action.
4. Re-Test and Publish
- Test your Zap after updating the URL logic.
- Open the corresponding Webflow CMS item and confirm that the link field now shows a proper full URL (e.g.,
https://example.com). - Publish your Webflow site to verify that links open externally instead of as subdirectories.
Summary
To prevent Webflow from treating bare URLs as internal paths, ensure Zapier always sends full URLs starting with https://. Use a Formatter or Code step in Zapier to modify the URL before sending it to Webflow's CMS.